A 24-year-old Hershey man charged with motor vehicle homicide in the death of a Hershey woman has entered a plea of no contest after reaching a plea agreement with prosecutors.

Micah Koch entered the plea Monday in Lincoln County District Court.  A charge of driving under the influence-causing bodily injury was dismissed as part of the agreement.

Prosecutors say Koch was drunk when he crashed his pickup near Sutherland on January 27, 2013.

Authorities say Koch missed a turn on North Prairie Trace road and crashed into a ditch.

Lincoln County Sheriff’s Deputies and emergency personnel arrived to find Koch and two passengers, 24-year-old Korey Huebner and 28-year-old Jay Shotkoski.  All three were injured.

Lincoln County Attorney Rebecca Harling said Huebner was the most seriously injured, and eventually died from the injuries she sustained in the crash.

Investigators determined that Koch had been driving the vehicle prior to the crash.  His blood alcohol content was over two times the legal limit.

Motor Vehicle Homicide is a Class III felony, and is punishable by a maximum of 20 years in prison, with a one year mandatory minimum.

Koch will be sentenced on April 28.

• Keith Eldon Gift, 48, North Platte and Annette Marie Woods, 55, North Platte

 

• Donnie Anton Ballard, 32, North Platte and Lora Lynn Mitchell, 33, North Platte

 

• Shawn Michael Bymaster, 25, North Platte and Kayla Jo Welsh, 20, North Platte

A traffic stop on Interstate 80 near the North Platte exit led to the seizure of 74 lbs. of marijuana and two arrests.

Just after 3:30 p.m., on Friday, February 21, a trooper stopped an eastbound 2014 Chrysler minivan for speeding and failure to maintain its lane, on I-80 near the North Platte exit. A K-9 unit from the Dawson County Sheriff’s Office indicated to the odor of drugs coming from the vehicle. A search of the vehicle led to the seizure of 74 lbs of marijuana. The marijuana was located in an external luggage carrier on the top of the minivan.

The driver of the minivan, Jared J. Case, 36, of St. Petersburg, Fla., and a female passenger in the vehicle, Izula Maximillen, 30, of Arcata, Calif., were both lodged in the Lincoln County Department of Corrections on charges of Possession of Marijuana with Intent to Deliver and Child Endangerment. A two year old male child traveling with the couple was placed in protective custody with Health and Human Services (HHS)

A North Platte man is in jail on multiple felony charges following a short standoff with police Sunday afternoon.

According to Officer Rodney Brown, North Platte Police responded to a domestic disturbance at a residence in the 300 block of North Bare at around 3:15 p.m., on Sunday.

A 19-year-old female victim alleged that, following an argument, her boyfriend, 21-year-old Tyler Milligan, pointed a shotgun at her and threatened to shoot her.

The victim reported that Milligan, a convicted felon, continued to threaten her as she was leaving the trailer.

Upon arrival, officers secured the area and began evacuating neighbors for their safety.

Milligan would not respond to the victim or officers after an initial text message asking him to exit the home and resolve the situation peacefully, according to Brown.

After approximately 20 minutes, Brown said Milligan walked out of the residence and was immediately taken into custody without further incident.

Milligan was transported to the Lincoln County Detention Center.  He’s been charged with domestic assault, use of a weapon to commit a felony, possession of a deadly weapon by a prohibited person and terroristic threats.

Milligan is being held without bond.

 

• Today: A 20 percent chance of snow before 11am. Partly sunny, with a high near 35. South southeast wind 7 to 14 mph becoming north northwest in the afternoon.
• Tonight: A 20 percent chance of snow after 7pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 8. Wind chill values as low as -2. North wind 9 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph.
• Tuesday: A 40 percent chance of snow. Cloudy, with a high near 20. Wind chill values as low as -4. North wind 7 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
• Tuesday Night: A 40 percent chance of snow before 7pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around -2. North wind 9 to 14 mph becoming light and variable after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph.
• Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 35. West wind 6 to 13 mph.
• Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 13.

(AP) — Oil production grew again last year in southwest Nebraska thanks to new techniques, but state officials don’t expect the boom to last long.

The Nebraska Oil and Gas Commission estimates that 2.8 million barrels of oil were produced in the state last year, but final numbers aren’t yet available.

Commission Director Bill Sydow says that’s better than the 2.5 million barrels produced in 2012, and it would the best year since 2001.

But Sydow says he expects many of the new oil fields in Hitchcock and Dundy counties will dry up by the end of 2014.

And even with the increases, Nebraska’s oil production remains relatively small compared to other oil-producing states.

The average cost of a gallon of regular gasoline rose 12 cents, to $3.41, during the past two weeks.

That’s according to a survey released Sunday.

Industry analyst Trilby Lundberg cited changes in the price of crude oil because of violence in the petroleum-producing nations of Venezuela and South Sudan.

Although Lundberg says she expects further increases, the current price is still 38 cents per gallon lower than last year.

The average prices of a gallon of midgrade and premium gas were $3.60 and $3.75, respectively. Diesel averaged $4.01 per gallon.

The average price for a gallon of regular in Nebraska is $3.53.

(AP) — More than 25 bighorn sheep have been relocated from Nebraska’s Wildcat Hills to the Pine Ridge area.

The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission says the sheep were relocated Wednesday from the Hubbard Gap region of the Wildcat Hills in order to supplement two herds.

A helicopter crew helped capture the sheep. They were transferred via livestock trailers to the Robinson State Park and Bighorn Wildlife Management Area.

The sheep have been fitted with tracking collars and ear tags to help the agency monitor the animals’ location and population. Another 14 sheep were captured, tagged and released back to the Wildcat Hills.

(AP) — Nebraska lawmakers this legislative session are eyeing changes to the state’s elections.

One bill would bind party delegates to the vote of the people.

Sen. John Murante of Gretna says now there is no requirement for who delegates vote for. His bill would require 80 percent of delegates to vote for the candidate voters chose.

Murante also says he may introduce an amendment to move the state’s primary up by a month to the second Tuesday in April.

Sen. Al Davis of Hyannis introduced a bill that would allow independent voters to participate in a Democratic or Republican primary but he says he doesn’t expect the bill to advance out of a committee.

(AP) — A Gothenburg couple has been ordered to pay a total of $11,400 after being found guilty of multiple hunting violations in Dawson County.

Dustin Noble was convicted of 15 violations Thursday morning, including counts for killing antelope and deer over legal bag limits on several different hunting seasons. The 34-year-old Noble was assessed fines of $2,500 and damages of $7,7000, and his privileges to hunt, fish or trap were suspended for 10 years.

Noble had originally been charged with 71 game law violations, but 56 were dropped as part of a plea agreement.

Noble’s wife, 28-year-old Jessica Noble, was convicted of one count of killing deer over the bag limit. She was fined $200 and ordered to pay $1,000 in damages.