A 56-year-old North Platte woman is facing a felony theft charge after she allegedly scammed a Nebraska couple.

In December of 2015, the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office received information from a Moorefield couple that they had possibly been scammed by a travel agent in North Platte.

The couple reported that they had booked a large family vacation to Hawaii in February of 2015 through a travel agent, later identified as Ella Mae Sculley.  The couple alleged that they made two large payments to Sculley but began finding problems with the vacation plans.

According to Investigators, the couple contacted the parent travel company and found that their vacation had not been booked.  The say they made numerous attempts to contact Sculley, but got no response.

After a lengthy investigation into Sculley’s business banking accounts, it was determined that Sculley had indeed received two checks from the alleged victims, but did not make any payments to the parent travel company.

It was determined that the couple has lost over $18,000 due to the incident.

On February 11, Sculley was contacted by law enforcement and placed under arrest.  She was jailed at the Lincoln County Detention Center and charged with felony theft by deception.

Officials say the investigation into the matter is ongoing.  It is unknown if there are more potential victims.

GERING, Neb. (AP) — A western Nebraska woman has been accused of billing a Scottsbluff business for food but then selling the food to other businesses or using it herself.

Jan Harvey, of Morrill, is charged with theft. On Friday court records didn’t list the name of an attorney who could comment on Harvey’s behalf.

Authorities say Harvey worked in sales for Shamrock Food Inc., which supplies food to area restaurants. A court affidavit says Harvey would sometimes bill a restaurant for food it didn’t receive. The affidavit says she often would show up at the restaurant as food was delivered and take items off the truck, saying they were meant for another restaurant.

The affidavit says the restaurant paid for nearly $41,400 in food that it did not receive.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A former Nebraska bank executive convicted of fraud has lost his bids for acquittal or a new trial.

Court records say a federal judge rejected the motions Thursday from former TierOne Bank President and CEO Gilbert Lundstrom. He was convicted in November of 12 counts related to the 2010 failure of the Lincoln-based bank. His sentencing is set for Feb. 24.

Lundstrom’s acquittal motion said prosecutors didn’t prove each count beyond a reasonable doubt. The motion for a new trial said, among other things, that the court let the jury consider improper hearsay evidence and was wrong to instruct jurors that they could find that Lundstrom willfully sought to remain unaware of any wrongdoing.

Prosecutors have said Lundstrom and other bank officers hid losses from regulators and shareholders.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska’s tobacco tax could more than double under a bill that is drawing praise from health officials but strong criticism from retailers, grocers and smokers.

A legislative committee heard testimony Thursday on a bill by Sen. Mike Gloor that would bump Nebraska’s cigarette tax from 64 cents to $2.14 per pack, generating an estimated $120 million in state revenue.

Opponents say the bill taxes an addiction and does not guarantee smokers will quit. A law enforcement consultant testified that states with high cigarette taxes have created a lucrative black market that attracts organized crime.

Medical professionals say the bill would encourage smokers to quit and help finance important state health programs.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A western Nebraska man has been sentenced to 90 days’ home confinement and ordered to repay more than $92,000 for working while collecting disability payments.

U.S. Attorney Deborah Gilg says 42-year-old Frank Sanchez Jr. was sentenced Thursday in a Lincoln federal court for theft of government funds. Sanchez must also perform 150 hours of community service and serve five years’ supervised release.

Authorities say Sanchez worked at BNSF Railroad from August 2004 through July 2007, when he filed for a Railroad Retirement Disability Annuity because of medical conditions.

Prosecutors say Sanchez filled out a report in 2009 stating his condition hadn’t changed and that he had not returned to work. Officials discovered in 2012 that Sanchez had returned to work at the railroad in 2009 while still collecting disability benefits.

A North Platte man is facing a felony assault charge after he allegedly choked his girlfriend.

According to Investigator John Deal, North Platte Police responded to the report of an assault at around 8:36 p.m., on February 3.

Officers met with a female victim who alleged that she had been assaulted by her boyfriend, 53-year-old Fredrick Seaton, at a residence in the 800 block of West 11th Street.

The victim alleged that she was sitting at a table when Seaton came up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders.  The victim told police she initially thought Seaton was going to give her a massage, but, instead, he placed his hands around her neck and began choking her.

The victim was able to escape and go to a family member’s home.  Deal said the victim had injuries that corroborated her allegations.

On February 10, an officer met with Seaton and placed him under arrest.  He was jailed at the Lincoln County Detention Center and charged with felony strangulation and domestic assault.

Police did not report any serious injuries to the victim.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A coalition that has for years battled expanded gambling in Nebraska will muster its resources to fight a ballot campaign that would allow casinos at licensed horse racing tracks.

Gambling With the Good Life launched its campaign against the ballot measure Thursday at a news conference, backed by Gov. Pete Ricketts, family advocacy groups, and former Husker football coach and U.S. Rep. Tom Osborne.

Circulators are gathering signatures for a petition proposing three measures for voters in November. The measures would officially allow casinos, create a commission to oversee them, and require casinos to pay a one-time state licensing fee.

Gambling With the Good Life Executive Director Pat Loontjer says her group cannot compete with the money financing the petition drive, but will rely on citizens and business leaders.

McCOOK, Neb. (AP) — Community Hospital in McCook has told nearly 4,200 former patients that their identity information was contained on a laptop computer that was stolen in December.

Hospital officials say the laptop belonged to an employee of the hospital’s auditing company, Seim (seyeme) Johnson, of Omaha, and that it was stolen in Nashville, Tennessee.

The hospital says Seim Johnson’s subsequent investigation couldn’t confirm that the laptop’s encryption software was functioning. The hospital’s health information manager, Rachel Berry, says the hospital is “not aware of any activity that would make us believe the information has actually been accessed or viewed.”

On Thursday Berry said all of the former patients notified are receiving a free year of identity monitoring.

A Seim Johnson representative didn’t immediately return a call from The Associated Press.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska’s Speaker of the Legislature is condemning a newspaper column by a state senator that likened his colleagues to monkeys.

Sen. Galen Hadley of Kearney said the article in the Plattsmouth Journal shows “complete disrespect” for the officially nonpartisan, one-house Legislature. His comments Thursday drew a rare standing ovation from most senators in the chamber.

The article by Sen. Bill Kintner of Papillion argued that senators are like monkeys who attack each other when one tries to disrupt the status quo.

Hadley says he’s tired of senators taking potshots at the Legislature. He says those who don’t think lawmakers are doing a good job should quit.

Kintner, a blunt-spoken conservative, has faced criticism before for railing against “homosexual bills” in the Legislature and joking that women don’t understand themselves.