A North Platte man is facing a felony charge after he allegedly made threats to a witness in a separate case.

On June 22, an investigator met with a subject who was a witness to a stabbing involving David Wengler earlier this month.

The witness reported that Payton Zambito had come to her house and told her that Wengler would “put out a green light” on them if they testified against him.

Police say the witness perceived this as a threat to harm them.

On Wednesday, officers made contact with Zambito.

He was placed under arrest and jailed at the Lincoln County Detention Center on a charge of felony tampering with a witness.

RELATED CONTENT:

https://www.northplattepost.com/2015/06/08/suspect-arrested-in-connection-with-north-platte-stabbings/

 

Today: Patchy fog before 10am. Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high near 80. North wind 5 to 7 mph.
Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 55. North northeast wind 5 to 7 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 87. Calm wind becoming west around 6 mph in the morning.
Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 60. Light and variable wind becoming south around 6 mph in the evening.
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 88. West wind 5 to 15 mph becoming north in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 22 mph.
Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 58.
Monday: Sunny, with a high near 87.
Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 62.
Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 89.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — President Barack Obama has issued a disaster declaration for parts of Nebraska struck by recent severe storms, tornadoes, straight-line winds and flooding.

The declaration announced Thursday makes federal aid available to help with the recovery effort in areas hit by severe weather between May 6 and June 17.

State officials have said the storms caused millions of dollars in damage to roads, bridges and other public infrastructure.

The counties affected are Cass, Dundy, Gage, Jefferson, Lancaster, Lincoln, Morrill, Nuckolls, Otoe, Saline, Saunders, and Thayer.

SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb. (AP) — An August sentencing has been scheduled for a Scottsbluff woman whose 3-year-old daughter had been severely beaten by her boyfriend.

Online court records say 25-year-old Cassandra Miller pleaded no contest and was convicted of misdemeanor child abuse by neglect. Prosecutors had lowered the charge from a felony in exchange for Miller’s plea. Her sentencing is set for Aug. 14.

Prosecutors say the girl was taken to a hospital in September by her grandmother. Doctors determined the girl had several injuries, including a lacerated liver, brain bleeding, a broken rib and bruises covering her body. Scottsbluff police say there was little food in the home, and the girl’s clothes and bedding were stained with urine.

Miller’s boyfriend, Cody Olbricht, has been sentenced to 18 to 30 years in prison.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nearly 57,000 Nebraskans will continue to receive subsidized health insurance now that the U.S. Supreme Court has rejected a conservative challenge to the Affordable Care Act.

The court’s ruling on Thursday helps avoid a situation in which premiums would have soared by an average of 265 percent.

The Kaiser Family Foundation says enrollees in Nebraska’s marketplace receive an average tax credit of $257 per month to help cover insurance costs.

Nebraska’s credits were at risk because it’s one of 34 states that defaulted to an insurance marketplace created by the federal government, rather than setting up its own.

Insurance industry leaders say a ruling that struck down the tax credits would have made coverage unaffordable for low- and middle-income people, which then could have destabilized the entire individual market.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska’s Hispanic population saw its smallest increase in 2014 since an immigration wave to the state began more than two decades ago.

U.S. census estimates released Thursday show the number of Hispanics grew by 2.5 percent over the previous year, the smallest percentage recorded since July 1991.

Nebraska’s Hispanic population grew by 4,707 during in the most recent year, to a total of 191,325. The group accounted for more than 10 percent of the state’s total population as of July 2014.

Asians took the lead as the state’s fastest-growing demographic, although their overall numbers remained smaller than the Hispanic population. The number of Asians has grown 23.5 percent since 2010, to a total of nearly 41,000 last year.

Today: A 10 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 5pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 83. East wind 3 to 8 mph.
Tonight: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly between 10pm and 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 61. Northeast wind 6 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Friday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 80. North wind 9 to 11 mph.
Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 57. North northeast wind 5 to 9 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 86. West wind 5 to 7 mph.
Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 59.
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 87.

The North Platte Police Department is asking for the public’s help in identifying a “person of interest” in a local burglary.

According to police, officers responded to a local business on June 15, after learning the business had been burglarized.

Police say the suspect stole a Michael Kors handbag, cash and an Adams Bank and Trust money bag.

Officers say the suspect was captured by surveillance cameras at the business, but they have been unable to identify him.

The videos are posted on the Lincoln County Crimestoppers website, and authorities are asking for the public’s assistance in identifying the suspect.

The video clips can be viewed by clicking here.

Police say it appears the suspect has tattoos on his left forearm.

If you have any information or believe you recognize the suspect, contact the North Platte Police Department at (308) 535-6789 or call Crimestoppers anonymously at 1-800-933-TIPS.

 

A North Platte man is in jail on a felony charge after he allegedly fondled a 12-year-old girl.

At around 6:30 p.m., on June 23, an officer with the North Platte Police Department responded to a residence in the 100 block of South Walnut Street on the report of a sexual assault.

The officer met with the mother of the girl, who alleged that her daughter had been at a residence in the 1200 block of West 9th Street, the prior evening.

She said that, as her daughter slept, 36-year-old Brandon Fox inappropriately fondled her. The girl was taken to the Bridge of Child Advocacy Center and interviewed.

Following the interview and further investigation, officers determined that there was probable cause to arrest Fox.

Officers located Fox at a residence near 5th and Oak Streets and took him into custody.

He was jailed at the Lincoln County Detention Center and charged with felony first-degree sexual assault of a child.

 

 

NEW YORK (AP) — Ford Motor Co. is recalling more than 200,000 Transit Connect vans and Escape sport-utility vehicles because of instrument panel and seatbelt issues.

There are have been no injuries or accidents attributed to the defects, the company said.

The recall involves 203,500 2014-2015 Transit Connect and Escape vehicles in North America because the warning chimes and lights might not work on the instrument panel when the vehicles are started.

They were built at the Valencia assembly plant in Spain from May 13, 2014 to Dec. 10, 2014 and the Louisville assembly plant in Kentucky from May 19, 2014 to Feb. 6, 2015.

Meanwhile, the Dearborn, Michigan, company is recalling one fleet customer’s 49 2015-model Transit vehicles in the U.S. for a seat belt labeling issue.