A traffic stop on Interstate 80 in Dawson County led to the seizure of 206 lbs. of marijuana and two arrests.

Around 9:30 a.m., Thursday, April 24, a trooper stopped an eastbound 2013 Chrysler minivan about two miles west of the Overton exit on I-80 for lane departure/failure to maintain lane. A Dawson County Sheriff’s Department canine indicated the odor of drugs coming from the vehicle. A search of the vehicle led to the seizure of 206.3 lbs. of marijuana. The marijuana in vacuum sealed bags was contained in six trash bags in the cargo area of the minivan.

The driver of the vehicle, Mailee Xiong, 44, and a passenger in the vehicle, Xou Vang (M), 43, both of St. Paul, Minnesota, were both lodged in the Dawson County Jail each on a charge of Possession with Intent to Deliver.

(AP) — Federal regulators have ordered Union Pacific to reinstate an injured Nebraska worker and pay $85,000 in damages.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration said Wednesday the railroad improperly terminated the North Platte employee after he reported an injury.

Union Pacific spokesman Mark Davis said the railroad is reviewing OSHA’s decision and hasn’t decided whether to appeal.

OSHA says the worker hurt his back in Oct. 2012 after a chair he was sitting on collapsed.

After the injury, regulators say the worker was removed from duty and accused of violating several railroad policies, including workplace violence rules.

Regulators say the firing was done in retaliation for reporting the injury.

Few details were released about the employee because regulators consider him a whistleblower.

A North Platte man is facing a felony charge after he went on a shopping spree at Walmart.  The problem…he forgot to pay.

According to North Platte Police Department Public Information Officer, Rodney Brown, officers responded to Walmart, 1401 South Dewey, at around 11:15 a.m., on Wednesday, to investigate an attempted theft that had occurred on Tuesday.

Store employees alleged that 19-year-old Tyler Henry had entered that store and filled a shopping cart with merchandise, including clothes food and other items which totaled around $2,500.

Henry then reportedly tried to leave the store without paying and was confronted by employees.  When he was unable to produce a receipt, Brown said Henry left the area.

Later on Wednesday, officers learned that Henry had returned to the store.

Officers made contact with Henry and another male subject, 19-year-old Darren Koch, as they were leaving the store.

Both Henry and Koch were found to have stolen clothing which was on their person.

Koch was cited for shoplifting approximately $40 worth of  clothing.  Henry was issued a summons for stealing items valued at around $23.

However, following further investigation, officers deemed there was probable cause to arrest Henry for the attempted theft the day before.

As a result, he was also charged with felony shoplifting.

Henry was transported to the Lincoln County Detention Center and jailed on the felony charge.

A fire at a North Platte home that seriously injured a man has been ruled accidental.

According to North Platte Fire Marshal, George Lewis, Tuesday’s fire at 313 West D was caused by the improper disposal of smoking materials.

The fire, which started in the home’s basement, was reported to the North Platte Fire Department at around 10:30 a.m.

Firefighters were on the scene within minutes and gained entry into the home.

Once inside, they found 58-year-old Randy Mills who was not breathing and did not have a pulse.

Battalion Chief, Trent Kleinow, said paramedics immediately administered CPR and were able to revive Mills.

He was transported to Great Plains Regional Center before being transported to a Lincoln Hospital with burns to his airway.

Officials say they have not received any updates on Mills’ condition.

The home sustained major smoke damage.

A body found in an Omaha neighborhood has been identified as a man who formerly lived in North Platte.

A woman was walking her dog Wednesday morning near 36th and Seward Streets, when she discovered the body.

Omaha Police said the woman discovered the body just before 7:00 a.m. in an alley on the southwest corner of J.A. Creighton Boulevard and Seward Street.

The body was positively identified as 34-year-old Kyle Vogt, who police say lived in the neighborhood.

Officer Michael Pecha said that the cause of death has not been determined, and an autopsy will be performed.

Police do not suspect foul play.

Vogt is a 1997 graduate of North Platte High School and is survived by a young daughter.

 

If there’s one place you don’t expect to see reality TV stars, it has got to be the Lincoln County Detention Center.  But, that’s exactly where you could have met two of them.

Two brothers, Thomas “Ty” Emanuel and David “Ceasar” Emanuel, stars of the VH1 reality show “Black Ink Crew,” were pulled over by a Nebraska State Trooper just west of North Platte Tuesday morning, as they were on their way home from a weekend of celebration in Denver.

As the Trooper investigated, he learned that Thomas Emanuel was wanted for a parole violation in New York.  Additionally, Ceasar was found to be in possession of hashish and was driving on a suspended license.

The brothers were jailed at the Lincoln County Detention Center.  According to jail records, Ceasar bailed out, but Ty remains in jail as he awaits extradition to New York.

“Black Ink Crew” chronicles the daily operations and staff drama at a tattoo shop in Harlem, New York, which is owned by Cesar.

The show has aired for two seasons.

 

 

 

 

• Today: Sunny, with a high near 70. Breezy, with a northwest wind 14 to 21 mph, with gusts as high as 29 mph.
• Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 36. West northwest wind 5 to 10 mph becoming light and variable.
• Friday: Sunny, with a high near 76. West wind 5 to 7 mph becoming south in the afternoon.
• Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 41. East southeast wind 8 to 13 mph.
• Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 81. South southeast wind 6 to 10 mph.
• Saturday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 52. Breezy.
• Sunday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 69. Breezy.

(AP) — A Scottsbluff man has agreed to a plea deal in connection to a high-speed chase last month.

23-year-old Alejandro Paramo entered a no contest plea Wednesday to multiple charges, including operating a motor vehicle to avoid arrest.

Paramo was arrested March 19 following a high-speed chase. He is accused of accelerating to speeds exceeding 100 mph. The chase ended when Paramo lost control and rolled his vehicle.

Police say they found weapons and methamphetamine at the scene of the accident.

Paramo is scheduled to be sentenced in early June.

STRATTON, Neb. (AP) — Officials say a fire destroyed part of the former Flame bar in the southwestern Nebraska community of Stratton.

Stratton Fire Chief Earl Denio said the fire broke out Monday evening in a building that had housed the Flame. The building hadn’t been used recently, and Denio says it was in disrepair.

Firefighters had to pull down bricks in the front of the building the reach the fire.

Denio says it’s unclear what caused the fire or how much damaged it caused. He says the rest of the building will need to be demolished.

(AP) — The state is launching a new mobile app for smartphones and tablets that will help Nebraskans search for available jobs in the state.

The free app is an extension of NEworks.nebraska.gov, the Nebraska Department of Labor’s job site that matches employers with qualified candidates.

Gov. Dave Heineman announced the launch of the new app on Wednesday. Heineman says both employers and job seekers will benefit from it.

The governor’s office says there are approximately 35,000 Nebraska jobs posted on NEworks and nearly 25,000 resumes of qualified job seekers. The mobile app gives users the option to search jobs by company, job title and location. The app is available for download on both Android and Apple devices.