A 27-year-old Colorado Springs man has been found guilty of sexual assaulting a child in Lincoln County.
A jury reached a guilty verdict in the case of Stephen Schaetzle on Wednesday in Lincoln County District Court after a two-day trial.
Prosecutors say Schaetzle had non-consensual sex with his 14-year-old female cousin at a North Platte motel in 2006.
Schaetzle was in town for a family gathering when the assault occurred. He was 20 at the time.
Schaetzle will be sentenced on April 28.
(AP) — A new report says Nebraska’s net tax receipts were 7.1 percent higher than expected in February.
The Nebraska Department of Revenue reported Wednesday that the state had $258 million in receipts. The certified forecast for the month was $241 million.
The revenue was boosted by higher-than-expected individual and corporate income taxes, and miscellaneous taxes. Sales and use taxes were lower than expected for the month.
Net tax receipts for the current fiscal year have totaled $2.5 billion so far, which is 3.4 percent above the state’s certified forecast.
The original estimates were approved in April by the Nebraska Economic Forecasting Advisory Board.
(AP) — A 25-year-old Gering man has been arrested, accused of stealing a former classmate’s identification.
Ricardo Nunez was arrested Sunday in Scottsbluff. Scotts Bluff County Jail records said Nunez remained in custody on Wednesday. His attorney didn’t immediately return a call from The Associated Press.
Nunez is charged with three counts of felony criminal impersonation. Court documents say Nunez acknowledged using the former classmate’s name to open several bank accounts and credit cards.
(AP) — Nebraska lawmakers are one step closer to making it a criminal offense to take pictures up a woman’s skirt.
The Judiciary Committee advanced the measure on Wednesday for debate in the full Legislature.
The bill would make it a misdemeanor to shoot photographs or film of body parts that are not generally visible to the public without a person’s knowledge and consent. Subsequent violations would be a felony.
Cell phones and small cameras are commonly used for “upskirting.”
Sen. Amanda McGill of Lincoln, the bill’s introducer, says the problem has become more prevalent with changes in technology.
(AP) — A bill to allow bond financing for Nebraska road projects is hitting a roadblock in the Legislature.
Opponents on Wednesday launched a filibuster to block the measure, which would allow Nebraska to issue up to $200 million in bonds.
Nebraska has used a debt-free, pay-as-you-go system for decades, but supporters say the state could take advantage of low interest rates. Sen. Annette Dubas of Fullerton says she introduced the bill to accelerate work on long-delayed projects.
The bill would require a fixed, 5 percent interest rate for bonds, to be issued within two years.
The Nebraska Department of Roads opposes the bill. Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha calls the legislation a “boondoggle” and has vowed to kill it.
Area law enforcement agencies and the North Platte Fire Department are teaming up this weekend to help the family of two of their own.
A fundraiser will be held Saturday, March 15, for the family of Tori Koubek.
Tori tragically and suddenly passed away this past Christmas Eve at the age of 35.
She is survived by her husband, Shannon, and four children, Grace, Natalie, Lliam and Olivia.
Shannon is a Trooper with the Nebraska State Patrol, and Tori was a member of the North Platte Volunteer Fire Department.
The fundraiser, which will be held at the Lincoln County Fairgrounds Ag Building, is being hosted by the Nebraska State Patrol, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, North Platte Police Department and the North Platte Fire Department.
The event will feature a soup cook-off from 5:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m., a silent auction from 5:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. and a live auction starting at 7:00 p.m.
Organizers say the items up for auction include:
Admission to the event is a free-will donation, with the proceeds going directly to the family.
Donations can also be made to the Koubek family at any 1st National Bank-North Platte location.
Severe weather season is upon us, and the National Weather Service wants citizens to be prepared.
There were a total of 942 tornadoes reported in the United States in 2013. This number was down when compared to the last eight years which averaged around 1,478 tornadoes. According to the Storm Prediction Center this was the lowest number of tornadoes in a 61-year period.
In Nebraska, a total of 49 tornadoes were reported. This number is below the 30-year average of 54.
The 2013 severe weather season began March 19 when a landspout tornado touched down near Shelton.
The National Weather Service says the severe weather then took a break and a rare May snow was reported in parts of Central and Eastern Nebraska.
Officials say the season really took off during the weeks of May 17 and May 24. Meteorologists say June is typically the peak month for tornadoes, however, this year 23 tornadoes occurred in May, with only nine reports in June.
The only EF4 tornado reported in the state in 2013 occurred in Wayne on October 4.
In observance of Severe Weather Awareness Week, a statewide Tornado Warning drill is planned for Wednesday March 26.
The Weather Service encourages all Nebraskans to actively participate in the drill, and review your severe weather safety plans.
The following is a list of severe weather terms we should all be familiar with:
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM – A thunderstorm is considered severe when it produces any of the following: Hail 1” (quarter
size) or larger in diameter, winds which equal or exceed 58 MPH or a tornado.
FUNNEL CLOUD – A funnel shaped cloud, usually extending from a convective cloud, which is associated with a violently
rotating column of air that is NOT in contact with the ground.
TORNADO – A violently rotating column of air that extends from a convective cloud and is in contact with the ground. The
entire column of air associated with a tornado is not always visible. A tornado may only be visible once it has picked up
enough dirt and debris.
WATCH – Issued when conditions are favorable for the development of severe weather in and close to the watch area.
The size of the watch can vary depending on the weather situation and is usually issued for a duration of 4 to 8 hours.
During the watch, people should review severe weather safety rules and be prepared to move to a place of safety if
threatening weather approaches.
WARNING – Issued when severe weather is detected by radar or reported by storm spotters. Information in this warning
will include the location of the storm, what areas will be affected, and the primary threat associated with the storm. People
in the affected area should seek safe shelter immediately. Remember that severe thunderstorms can produce tornadoes
with little or no advance warning. Warnings can be issued without a watch already in effect.
SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY or SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT – Issued for “near” severe thunderstorms.
Typically issued for storms with 3/4” (penny sized) hail and wind gusts near 50 MPH, but can also be issued for large
amounts of small hail covering the ground. It is also used as a “heads up” for ongoing severe storms which may move into
the area.
SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT – A product issued which provides follow-up information on any severe weather
warnings in effect and conditions which have occurred or are occurring. This information includes updated storm paths and
any storm reports, such as hail size or damage, received from spotters.
For more information, visit their website, www.weather.gov.
Kearney Police are investigating an early morning armed robbery at Walgreens.
Officers with the Kearney Police Department were dispatched to the store, 2516 2nd Avenue, at around 3:12 a.m.
An employee of Walgreens reported that a man entered the store with a gun and demanded money. The man then fled the store with an undisclosed amount of currency.
Officers arrested an 18-year-old Omaha man a few blocks away. The handgun, which turned out to be a BB gun, and the currency were recovered.
The man has been charged with robbery (Class II felony) and use of a weapon to commit a felony (Class II felony).
Officials did not release the suspect’s name.
