NORTH PLATTE, Neb. (AP) — Two men have been convicted of procuring alcohol for a 17-year-old who officials say died in November 2013 of acute ethanol intoxication in North Platte.

Police say a friend of Chandler Snyder found the body in a camper trailer and reported that Snyder had been drinking heavily with other friends the night before.

Court records say 20-year-old Logan Johnston pleaded no contest on Monday to misdemeanor procuring alcohol for a minor and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. The records also say 28-year-old Martin Hanson pleaded no contest to the same charges and to negligent child abuse. Prosecutors had lowered the procuring charges from felonies for both men in exchange for their pleas.

Both are scheduled to be sentenced on June 8.

A 20-year-old North Platte man is facing sexual assault charges after he allegedly had a relationship with a 15-year-old girl.

At around 6:10 p.m., on April 20, an officer with the North Platte Police Department responded to a residence in the 2100 block of East 11th Street on the report of suspicious activity.

The officer arrived and learned that the mother of the girl was upset with daughter for having a relationship with Benjamin Brown.

A search of the cell phone and tablet used by the girl revealed messages from Brown soliciting and attempting to lure the teen girl to have sexual intercourse.

Brown was located and, after further investigation, was placed under arrest.

He was transported to the Lincoln County Detention Center and charged with felony sexual assault of a child through the use of an electronic device.

Brown is being held on ten percent of $100,000 bond.

Today: Mostly sunny, with a high near 61. Light east southeast wind becoming south southeast 6 to 11 mph in the morning.
Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 37. South southeast wind 8 to 11 mph.
Thursday: A slight chance of sprinkles before 7am. Partly sunny, with a high near 61. Breezy, with a south southeast wind 11 to 21 mph, with gusts as high as 29 mph.
Thursday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 44. South southeast wind 10 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph.
Friday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 64. South wind 8 to 10 mph.
Friday Night: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 45. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
Saturday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 62.
Saturday Night: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 42.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Craft breweries, gluten-free drinkers and beer aficionados could benefit from alcohol legislation that cleared first-round debate in the Nebraska Legislature.

Senators voted 32-3 Tuesday to advance a nonrefundable tax credit for brewers using Nebraska hops and barley.

The bill by Sen. Tyson Larson of O’Neill would also define hard cider as a beer instead of wine, allowing it to be taxed at a lower rate. The proposal would allow to more restaurants and bars to sell growlers— refillable large bottles — of craft beers to customers for off-site consumption.

The bill would also impose a ban on powdered alcohol, a federally approved powder that makes an alcoholic drink when mixed with water.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska could join six other states in banning powdered alcohol under a bill that won first-round approval in the Legislature.

Senators voted 32-3 Tuesday to advance a measure by Sen. Tyson Larson of O’Neill that would prohibit buying or selling of products that can be added to water to make an alcoholic drink.

The original bill combined a handful of liquor initiatives and would have given the Liquor Control Commission jurisdiction over powdered alcohol.

Sen. Mark Kolterman of Seward added an amendment Tuesday to ban the substance completely, saying he became concerned when the U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau approved the product in March.

Opponents say the effects of powdered alcohol have not been tested and could encourage underage drinking.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A new effort to lure wind farms to Nebraska is sparking a debate among lawmakers.

Supporters argued Tuesday that a tax credit bill in the Legislature would help Nebraska compete with other states that are promoting development of wind, solar, biomass and other renewable energies.

The measure by Sen. Jeremy Nordquist of Omaha would expand an existing tax credit for new facilities.

Many smaller companies sell the tax credit at a discount to help finance their projects. Nordquist says expanding the credit is needed to align Nebraska with states like Oklahoma, Iowa and Kansas.

Opponents questioned whether the state would see a direct benefit from such projects, and argued that companies selling their credits at a steep discount would deprive the state of revenue.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska puppy mills could face stricter supervision and harsher penalties under a bill that won first-round approval in the Legislature.

Senators voted 29-0 to advance a bill designed to promote coordination between local and state governments for inspecting commercial cat and dog breeding facilities.

The Department of Agriculture has faced criticism from animal welfare advocates who say authorities are not doing enough to enforce penalties for animal neglect.

The measure by Sen. Jerry Johnson of Wahoo would train deputy sheriffs as special inspectors with authority to temporarily impound abused or neglected animals.

The bill would also hold breeders financially responsible if follow-up inspections are required, and raise some animal licensing fees to pay for the oversight program.

MCCOOK, Neb. (AP) — A 35-year-old southwest Nebraska man convicted of beating his 13-year-old daughters has been given 45 days in jail, probation and ordered to take anger management classes.

James Geihsler, of rural McCook, was sentenced earlier this month. Geihsler had pleaded no contest and was convicted of felony intentional child abuse without injury and misdemeanor negligent child abuse without injury. Prosecutors had lowered one of the charges and dropped a misdemeanor charge of domestic assault in return for Geihsler’s pleas.

The charges were filed after county authorities investigated reports of assaults on the girls and Geihsler’s wife that authorities say occurred on Sept. 23. A classmate told staff members at Southwest High School about what the girls said. School officials called the Sheriff’s Office.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court says police may not extend an ordinary traffic stop to seek evidence of crimes unrelated to the offense that prompted officers to pull a vehicle over.

The justices voted 6-3 Tuesday in favor of a driver who was found to have methamphetamine in his car. Dennys Rodriguez was issued a warning for driving on the shoulder of a Nebraska highway and then made to wait less than 10 minutes for the arrival of a drug-sniffing dog. The dog alerted and a search of the vehicle turned up the drugs.

But Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said in her majority opinion that prolonging the traffic stop beyond the time needed to deal with the initial offense was improper, even if only for a few minutes.

BRIDGEPORT, Neb. (AP) — Bridgeport has but one police officer and one trainee to protect its residents and property, so city officials are considering paying Morrill County for law enforcement.

The Nebraska Panhandle community of about 1,500 residents budgets $365,000 for its police. Under a draft agreement, the city would pay Morrill County $308,000 a year to handle Bridgeport law enforcement.

Bridgeport’s police chief, David Hunt, recently quit to take a position with the Dawes County Sheriff’s Office, leaving behind the depleted force.

Bridgeport Mayor Jack Berg says the city is advertising for more officers, but he also says the option of contracting with the county remains an option. The City Council is scheduled to discuss the issue at its meeting Tuesday night.