A 60-year-old Maxwell man has been charged with 1st degree murder in his wife’s death.

On April 26, 2014, deputies with the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office responded to the report of a farm accident south of Maxwell.

It had been reported that 52-year-old Heidi Craig was pinned under a large round hay bale inside her barn.

Emergency personnel arrived on the scene, and discovered that Heidi’s husband, Emerson Craig, had removed the bale from her body, but she was already dead.

Deputies began an investigation into Heidi’s death, including an autopsy.

On October 28, deputies arrested Emerson, and charged him with 1st degree murder in connection with Heidi’s death.

Emerson was jailed at the Lincoln County Detention Center.

Authorities did not release any additional information.

*THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY.  WE WILL BRING YOU FURTHER INFORMATION AS IT BECOMES AVAILABLE*

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A federal report says rain in some parts of Nebraska last week slowed progress on the state’s harvest.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture report says the corn harvest still trailed the average by Sunday’s date. The USDA says 40 percent of the corn had been harvested, compared with 52 percent last year and the average of 59 percent by the date.

The soybean harvest was 87 percent finished, near the average of 89 percent by the date. Last year the figure was 92 percent.

The USDA says 94 percent of the winter wheat had emerged, compared with 87 percent for the five-year average.

Alfalfa hay fourth cutting was 95 percent complete, compared with the 96 percent average by the date.

 

A North Platte woman suspected of stealing from a local business was caught with more than stolen underwear.

At around 5:30 p.m. on Monday, North Platte Police responded to the report of a female shoplifter at Shopko, 510 East Philip Avenue.

According to Officer Rodney Brown, a store employee alleged that 29-year-old Chelsea Burk (Smith) had taken multiple items of clothing into a dressing room and had stolen some underwear.

A search of Burk’s person did not reveal the stolen merchandise but, Brown said, the officer did find a small clear baggie containing white crystals in Burk’s purse.

Brown said the substance field-tested positive for methamphetamine.

Burk was placed under arrest and transported to the Lincoln County Detention Center where she was found to be wearing two pairs of stolen underwear.

Burk was charged with felony possession of methamphetamine and misdemeanor shoplifting.

 

• Today: Sunny, with a high near 59. West northwest wind 7 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph.
• Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 25. Northwest wind around 6 mph becoming calm in the evening.
• Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 68. Calm wind becoming southwest 5 to 9 mph in the afternoon.
• Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 34. South southwest wind 6 to 8 mph becoming northwest after midnight.
• Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 65. Northwest wind 8 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph.
• Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 29.
• Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 56.

GERING, Neb. (AP) — A western Nebraska man has been accused of stealing more than $580,000 worth of gas from his former employer.

38-year-old Ron Walker, of Mitchell, was arrested Monday morning. He faces a felony charge of theft. Court records do not list an attorney.

Walker is a former employee for Western Cooperative Company, also known as Westco. He is accused of selling stolen gasoline under fictitious contracts to customers. Records indicate more than $580,000 was deposited into his personal checking and savings accounts between January 2012 and October.

Walker is accused of giving customers receipts from Westco. CEO David Briggs says a customer’s inquiry into a fake account helped uncover the thefts.

KEARNEY, Neb. (AP) — An Amherst woman accused of stealing money from the University of Nebraska at Kearney and the Kearney Area Symphony Orchestra has agreed to pay restitution.

54-year-old Jane Jameson pleaded guilty Friday to felony attempted theft and felony theft. Two other charges were dropped, and Jameson agreed to pay back $34,000.

Sentencing for Jameson will be done in January following a more comprehensive report.

An audit showed Jameson misused more than $6,000 from a University of Nebraska at Kearney credit card. She also took more than $25,000 from other accounts. Court documents say the thefts occurred between February 2011 and February of this year.

A 29-year-old North Platte man is facing charges after he allegedly raised a ruckus at a local business, and the Lincoln County Detention Center.

At around 11:40 p.m., on Saturday, officers with the North Platte Police Department responded to Kelsey’s Bar, 219 Rodeo Road, on the report of a male subject who was refusing to leave.

Police say 29-year-old Marlan Fox was intoxicated and alleging that he had been assaulted by staff while he was being removed from the bar.

Staff at Kelsey’s said Fox was asked to leave after he began causing a disturbance with them and other patrons.

Officers investigated, and determined that there was probable cause to arrest Fox and charge him with trespassing and disturbing the peace.

Officer Rodney Brown said that, during transport to the jail, Fox became belligerent and uncooperative.

Then, upon arrival at the Lincoln County Detention Center, Brown said Fox refused to exit the patrol vehicle and walk on his own accord.

He said Fox continued to be combative with officers and detention center staff.

As a result, Fox was also charged with resisting arrest and jailed.

 

A 36-year-old North Platte man is in jail on felony charges after he allegedly assaulted his girlfriend.

At around 8:30 p.m., on Sunday, North Platte Police responded to a domestic disturbance in the 2300 block of East Philip Avenue.

Upon arrival, a 42-year-old female told officers that her boyfriend, Joey Ziegler, had pushed her to the ground, punched her and choked her following an argument.

Officer Rodney Brown said Ziegler left the scene by vehicle, but was soon located at a residence near the scene.

Officer placed Ziegler under arrest and charged him with 3rd degree domestic assault and felony strangulation.

Ziegler was transported to the Lincoln County Detention Center.

 

HOLDREGE, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say a 32-year-old man has died in a pickup crash on a rural road in south-central Nebraska’s Harlan County.

Officers were dispatched to the scene about 10 miles north-northeast of Orleans just before 10 p.m. Friday. An eastbound pickup had gone out of control on 721 Road and rolled into the south ditch.

The Nebraska State Patrol says Adam Harrahill, of Orleans, was pronounced dead at the scene. Twenty-eight-year-old Joelle Rehnberg, also of Orleans, and 32-year-old Bradley Clatterbuck, of Colorado, were injured and taken to a Holdrege hospital for treatment.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska doctors who successfully treated two Ebola patients this fall plan to share lessons about how they protected health care workers from the deadly virus.

The University of Nebraska Medical Center and Nebraska Medical Center plan to offer two online courses about Ebola and the methods used to treat patients with the virus in Omaha.

Doctors who work at the hospital’s specialized biocontainment unit have said they have received numerous requests for information related to treating Ebola.

One of the courses will be designed for health care professionals, and the other course will be created for the general public.

The free clinicians course is available now either through the iTunes U app or this website:https://phtc.unmc.edu/moodle . The public course is expected to be ready soon.