Police say a man making sure the load in his pickup was secure led to a head-on collision on the Buffalo Bill overpass last Friday.
North Platte Police say a 1987 Dodge Dakota pickup, driven by 33-year-old Richard Titchen, was traveling over the north Buffalo Bill overpass at around 8:24 a.m., on September 25.
Police say Titchen turned his head to check the load in his pickup, drifted across the center line and collided with a 2015 Ford F250, driven by 30-year-old Aaron Smith.
Investigators determined that Smith stopped in the traffic lane, but Titchen’s vehicle kept coming and eventually collided head-on with Smith’s vehicle.
Titchen and a passenger both sustained minor injuries, and police say both vehicles sustained heavy damage and were towed away.
A North Platte man has been charged with multiple felonies following a disturbance last Friday.
At around 4:31 p.m., on September 25, officers with the North Platte Police Department responded to the report of an assault in the 200 block of South Chestnut Street.
Officers arrived and found that the victim and the suspect were both still present.
The victim told police that Johnathon Hernandez had repeatedly hit her in the head and placed her in a “chokehold.”
According to Officer Rodney Brown, officers attempted to get Hernadez’ side of the story, but he was extremely angry and uncooperative.
Hernandez eventually approached officers in an aggressive manner, according to Brown, and they attempted to take him into custody.
Brown said as officers attempted to detain Hernandez, he continued to attempt to kick them. He said the officers only avoided injury because they were able to dodge the blows by Hernandez.
Once in handcuffs, Hernandez allegedly continued to struggle and remained aggressive until they were able to load him into a patrol car.
Hernandez was transported to the Lincoln County Detention Center and jailed on charges of felony strangulation, felony attempted assault on a police officer, resisting arrest and third-degree assault.
A 73-year-old North Platte man has been sentenced to prison for having sex with two teenage girls at an apartment complex.
Francisco Garcia appeared in Lincoln County District Court on Monday for sentencing.
On June 4, North Platte Police opened an investigation into a sexual assault after receiving a complaint from a 12-year-old female, that she and her 13-year-old friend had been sexually assaulted.
Both juveniles were interviewed at separate Child Advocacy Centers, and stated that, on June 3, they had been swimming at the apartment complex located at 221 West Francis.
They say Garcia invited them up to his apartment. Once in the apartment, the girls said Garcia paid them to perform a sex act and sexually assaulted them.
Garcia was originally charged with two counts of first-degree sexual assault of a minor, but the charges were reduced to attempted sexual assault of a minor when Garcia entered a no contest plea after reaching a deal with prosecutors.
Deputy Lincoln County Attorney Tanya Roberts-Connick asked Judge Donald Rowlands to sentence Garcia to prison.
Roberts-Connick said the case involved two young girls who will be affected by this act for the rest of their lives.
Garcia’s attorney, Mark McKeone, said his client recognizes that he did wrong and cited his client’s age and health problems when addressing Judge Rowlands.
He said Garcia had been a working member of society for his entire life and had a minimal criminal history. He also said Garcia was more than willing to participate in programs.
Garcia then addressed the court and stated that he wanted to apologize to the victims and their families, and was willing to accept responsibility for his actions.
It was then Judge Rowlands’ turn to speak.
Judge Rowlands stated that a psychological evaluation, conducted by Dr. Rebecca Schroeder, determined that Garcia was not a pedophile and deemed him a low to moderate risk to reoffend.
However, before handing down the sentence, Rowlands said Garcia’s age and the age of the victims makes the acts something that “can’t be tolerated in a civilized society,” and said they must be punished accordingly.
Rowlands then sentenced Garcia to not less than 10 nor more than 20 years on both counts. The sentences will run concurrently, and Garcia was credited with 412 days already served in the Lincoln County Detention Center. The original charges against Garcia carried a sentence of 20-years to life in prison.
Additionally, Garcia must register as a sex offender for 25 years.
After Garcia had been sentenced, Lincoln County Attorney Rebecca Harling addressed the court, saying that she and other attorneys had a conversation with David Saxton. Saxton was recently sent to prison for second-degree murder after a transient was beaten to death in North Platte.
Harling said statements made by Saxton indicated that Garcia should not be housed near Saxton while in the custody of the Nebraska Department of Correctional Sevices.
According to Harling, Saxton said he would “be waiting for Garcia to get there.”
Judge Rowlands asked corrections officers, who were present in court, to notify the NDOC of this situation in writing.
The court was then adjourned, and Garcia was remanded to the custody of the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office to await transport to Lincoln.
Video footage shows a suspect vehicle in a string of Southwest Nebraska burglaries.
The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office and other agencies are investigating a string of break-ins in Southwest Nebraska.
On September 27, 2015, at 11:21 p.m., Deputies were advised of a break in alarm at the Pelster Agriculture LLC Building located at 230 East Highway 23 in Wallace, NE.
Deputies arrived and, with the assistance of the Nebraska State Patrol, searched the building and found there had been a break in. Authorities say it was clear, after looking at the video footage, that responding law enforcement missed the suspects by mere minutes.
Other businesses in Southwest Nebraska were also burglarized including; Grainton, Madrid, Elsie and Paxton, NE.
Video footage shows two suspects driving a white Dodge Durango with no front license plate at the Wallace Burglary.
In a related burglary, a White 2012 Dodge Ram 3500 St Dually Pickup with Nebraska License Plates 74-734 was stolen from Hi-Line Coop in Elsie. The vehicle has Hi-Line Coop stickers on it. Associated with this Burglary was a dark blue or black Chevrolet Impala.
The investigation in this matter continues. Anyone with information on any of these burglaries please contact your local Sheriff’s Office.
Just learning about the Sunday College option at Mid-Plains Community College? There’s still time to enroll.
Registrations are now being accepted for the second eight-week session of SundayCollege, which begins Oct. 25. The classes offered are: MATH 1150: College Algebra and ENGL 1020: Expository Writing II.
Students enrolled in Sunday College attend classes on Sunday afternoons and early evenings. They complete coursework online on their own time the rest of the week.
The classes are available at all of MPCC’s six campus locations, McCook, North Platte, Broken Bow, Imperial, Ogallala and Valentine.
Sunday College students take two classes the first half of a semester then two more classes the second half. They also take a class during the winterim, the short period between terms.
The program has proved extremely popular so far.
“Our first eight-week session was very successful with strong enrollments,” said Dr. Jody Tomanek, area vice-president of academic affairs and North Platte Community College. “We are hoping to see those same trends continue during the second eight-week session and into the spring term.”
A student enrolled in Sunday College might be closer to degree completion than the 24-month schedule. MPCC’s Sunday College allows students to transfer previous successfully completed coursework into their new degree program.
If the college is accredited, and the completed class fits into the Sunday College degree requirements, it doesn’t matter when or where the class was taken. A certified transcript from the former institution is all that is required to transfer in completed coursework.
The total cost of earning an associate degree through the Sunday College option is approximately $8,000. That takes into account tuition, fees and books.
Because students registered in the new program are considered full-time, scholarships, tuition waivers, federal financial aid and grant opportunities may be applied, reducing the cost.
Registration is limited. Openings are still available at each of MPCC’s campus locations.
Those interested in learning more about Sunday College, or wanting to register for the program, can visit the college’s website at: www.mpcc.edu/sunday-college/.
They can also contact Heather Pucket, MPCC area student advisor, at 535-3710 or[email protected] for more information.
Statistics from the Nebraska Office of Highway Safety (NOHS) show seat belt usage reduces the odds of being injured or killed in a motor vehicle crash by up to 45%.
During a special month and a -half- long special enforcement (Oct. 1-Nov. 15), in and around Scotts Bluff County, troopers will place special emphasis on seat belt usage in an effort to prevent serious injury and fatality crashes.
“From harvest to hunting fall is a busy time on our roadways,” said Captain Mike Gaudreault, Commander Troop E- Scottsbluff. “While our emphasis will be on seat belt usage, we hope increasing trooper presence will reduce the potential for crashes through voluntary compliance with all traffic safety laws.”
Over the past two years there have been 10 fatality crashes on roads in Scotts Bluff County. Of these fatal crashes 60% have occurred on county roadways. Eight of the people killed were unrestrained motor vehicle drivers or passengers; one was a pedestrian and one a motorcyclist. Five of the crashes involved alcohol and two crashes involved drivers under the age of 21. Six of the crashes occurred on the weekend (Friday–Sunday).
The special enforcement will include high visibility patrols on county roads in and around Scotts Bluff County during the early afternoon and evening hours. A $3,300 grant from the Nebraska Office of Highway safety will help fund the special enforcement effort.
Captain Gaudreault said, “We need motorists to put the odds in their favor and always buckle up.”
CHICAGO (AP) — Government researchers say “deplorably” few college students are warned by doctors about dangers from alcohol and drugs or encouraged to cut down or abstain.
Their survey suggests that most doctors ask college students and other young adults about alcohol or drug use — but don’t usually go much beyond that initial question.
About 2,100 college students and other young adults took part. Forty percent told researchers they’d consumed five or more drinks on at least one occasion and 20 percent had been drunk at least six times in the past month.
The researchers say participants might not have told doctors the truth about their drinking habits. Still, they say lack of advice may wrongly signal that heavy drinking is OK.
The study was published Monday in JAMA Pediatrics.
A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 4pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 76. East northeast wind 6 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph.
Tonight
A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Patchy fog after 4am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 52. Northeast wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
Tuesday
Patchy drizzle with a chance of showers before 7am, then a chance of showers after 7am. Patchy fog before 7am. Otherwise, cloudy, with a high near 65. East southeast wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
Tuesday Night
A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Cloudy, with a low around 51. Southeast wind 7 to 9 mph.
Wednesday
A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 71. South southeast wind around 10 mph.
Wednesday Night
Mostly cloudy, with a low around 51.
Thursday
A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 68.
Thursday Night
A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 49.
CAMARILLO, Calif. (AP) — The U.S. average price of regular gasoline dropped 9 cents over the past two weeks to $2.35 a gallon.
Industry analyst Trilby Lundberg said Sunday that prices have plummeted from five weeks ago as U.S. retailers and refiners slashed their profit margins even as crude oil prices rose.
She says she expects prices could drop another few cents due to ample gasoline supplies and strong consumer demand.
The national average price of diesel fell 5 cents in the past two weeks to $2.58 a gallon.
In the lower 48 states, the lowest average price of regular gasoline was $1.92 per gallon in Baton Rouge, while the highest was $3.06 per gallon in Los Angeles.
In Nebraska, the average price of a gallon of regular is $2.34, according to GasBuddy.com.
Police say a man making sure the load in his pickup was secure led to a head-on collision on the Buffalo Bill overpass last Friday.
