LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska has received its first report of a rare, mosquito-borne virus.
The Department of Health and Human Services says an eastern Nebraska woman is believed to have contracted the chikungunya (chik-un-GUHN-ya) virus during a recent visit to Haiti. The woman, who was younger than 25, was hospitalized and later released.
Nebraska’s chief medical officer, Dr. Joseph Acierno, says the disease is fairly uncommon in the United States but will likely increase in the coming years. Deaths from the virus are rare, but the pain can be severe and debilitating.
DHHS says outbreaks have occurred in Africa, Europe, Asia and islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says no mosquitoes that carry the virus have been found in the United States.
A North Platte man that is facing a child pornography charge has pleaded not guilty.
57-year-old James Burnside appeared in Lincoln County District Court on Monday.
North Platte Police say they received information from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, in January, that an individual had uploaded an image of possible child pornography to their Facebook page.
Investigators worked with Facebook and determined that the image had been uploaded to Burnside’s account.
Following an investigation, and the collection of several pieces of evidence, Burnside was charged with possession of child pornography.
Burnside will be back in court for a status hearing in July.
*NOTE*
Burnside was on the June 9 edition of the Hot Sheets. According to police, Burnside was not arrested on new charges and did not post bond. Burnside had asked the Lincoln County District Court to allow his release from jail so he could attend his brother’s funeral in Iowa. The request was granted and Burnside was released on June 6 to attend the funeral. He returned on June 8.
A North Platte man is going to prison for three to five years for his role in the burglary of a residence whose owner had just passed away.
Timothy Leeper appeared for sentencing, on Monday, in Lincoln County District Court.
Leeper and several others are accused of burglarizing a residence north of North Platte in February.
According to prosecutors, Leeper and his co-defendants knew the home’s owner had passed away, and decided to burglarize it for drug money. They say Leeper and his cohorts made off with a massive amount of property, including firearms.
Lincoln County Attorney Rebecca Harling asked Judge Richard Birch to sentence Leeper to the penitentiary for a substantial amount of time.
Harling said Leeper and the others stole from a gentlemen after he had passed away, leaving his grieving daughters to deal with the fact that their father’s belongings had been stolen. She also noted that Leeper had an extensive criminal record.
Leeper’s attorney, Marty Troshynski, asked the court to consider that Leeper had entered into a plea agreement in the case, and had saved the state the time and expense of a trial by pleading no contest to the charge.
Judge Birch then stated that it was obvious that probation was not an option, and sentenced Leeper to not less than three or more than five years in the custody of the Nebraska Department of Corrections.
He gave Leeper credit for 103 days already served in jail.
Two of Leeper’s co-defendants also appeared in court Monday. Dennis Razes and Brian Spotts both had their cases continued.
A North Platte man will spend the next 10 to 15 years in prison for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl.
Dakota Niles, 23, was sentenced in Lincoln County District Court on Monday.
According to prosecutors, the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Officer received a report of an alleged sexual assault on a 14-year-old female in October of 2012.
The victim was interviewed and alleged that she and Niles had sexual intercourse five times between spring of 2012 and the date she filed the complaint. The victim also stated that Niles was aware she was only 14 at the time.
Nebraska state law prohibits anyone over the age of 19 from having sexual intercourse with anyone under the age of 16.
Prior to sentencing, Deputy Lincoln County Attorney, Jennifer Wellan, asked Judge Richard Birch to sentence Niles to a lengthy sentence, citing the damage that had been done to the victim in the case and the seriousness of the crime. She also noted that a pre-sentence investigation conducted by the District 11 Probation Office recommended a lengthy prison sentence for Niles.
Niles attorney, Marty Troshynski, asked Judge Birch to consider that a psychiatric evaluation had determined that Niles was not a pedophile, and was deemed to be a low-risk to reoffend. He said Niles had taken responsibility for his actions and was remorseful for the acts he committed.
After hearing argument from both sides, Judge Birch stated that he agreed Niles had taken responsibility, but reminded the defendant that the crime he committed was extremely serious, and had a serious impact on the victim.
He then sentenced Niles to not less than 10 or more than 15 years in the custody of the Nebraska Department of Corrections. He gave Niles credit for 158 days already served in jail.
Niles will also be required to register as a sex offender.
KEARNEY, Neb. (AP) — A 23-year-old Kearney man has been convicted of severely shaking his girlfriend’s infant daughter.
Trey Tickle was convicted last week of felony child abuse. He will be sentenced in August.
The child’s mother, 23-year-old Brittney Schlund, of Kearney, was convicted of felony child abuse for the same incidents. Prosecutors say she placed her child and another in situations that endangered them.
KEARNEY, Neb. (AP) — A Chicago man has died after the van he was driving rammed into a semitrailer parked at a highway rest area in south-central Nebraska.
The Nebraska State Patrol says the accident was reported about 8:15 a.m. Sunday at the eastbound Interstate 80 rest area around four miles west of Kearney. The patrol says the van struck the rear of the semitrailer. The truck driver was sleeping in the tractor cab and apparently wasn’t injured.
The patrol says the van driver died at the scene. He was identified as 27-year-old Maurice Lewis. Two passengers in the van were taken to Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney. They were identified as 22-year-old Charles Stokes, of Ferguson, Missouri, and 48-year-old Willie Sheppard, of Phoenix.
Today: Showers, mainly before noon. The rain could be heavy at times. High near 64. Breezy, with a north northeast wind 24 to 29 mph decreasing to 17 to 22 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 38 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%.
Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 45. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph becoming light and variable.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 79. South southwest wind 6 to 11 mph.
Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 55. South southeast wind 9 to 11 mph.
Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 83. South wind 9 to 13 mph becoming east northeast in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 18 mph.
Wednesday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms between 8pm and 2am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 51. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
UEHLING, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska farmers who sustained heavy damage in last week’s severe weather will face some tough decisions in the days ahead.
Farming and crop insurance experts say farmers will have to consider a number of factors when deciding whether to replant.
Dodge County Extension Educator Nathan Mueller says deciding to replant will depend on what insurance coverage farmers have, what herbicides they used this spring and how bad the damage is.
Significant damage is common in Burt, Cuming, Dodge and Washington counties after Tuesday’s large hail and strong winds.
Farmers can attend a meeting this Tuesday at 1 p.m. at Uehling Auditorium to get advice from experts.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Supporters of a higher minimum wage in Nebraska are wasting little time in gathering signatures to place the issue on the November ballot.
The group Nebraskans for Better Wages is aiming to have 83,000 verified signatures by July 3, the deadline to put the question before voters in the general election.
State Sen. Jeremy Nordquist of Omaha, a spokesman for the group, says organizers have met their initial targets for the petition drive, and he’s confident they’ll succeed.
The ballot measure would let voters decide whether to incrementally raise Nebraska’s minimum wage from $7.25 an hour to $9 by January 2016.
The campaign has received major contributions from union groups. Business groups that oppose the measure are also considering a campaign that would challenge the ballot measure.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska has received its first report of a rare, mosquito-borne virus.
