A North Platte woman is facing a drug possession charge after police received a report of suspicious activity at a North Platte hotel.

At around 2:29 p.m., on Thursday, North Platte Police responded to the report of suspicious activity at the Quality Inn and Suites.

The caller indicated that there had been an unusual amount of people coming and going from a room that had been rented only an hour prior.  The caller suspected there may be drug activity in the room.

Officers went to the room to investigate and made contact with Courtney Coleman.

After being given consent to search the room by Coleman, officers located marijuana and several items of drug paraphernalia, which included a glass pipe with a white residue that field tested positive for methamphetamine.

According to investigator John Deal, Coleman was arrested for felony possession of methamphetamine and two other subjects in the room, Aaron Clark and Jeremy Smith, were cited and released for possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of marijuana, both infractions.

Coleman was jailed at the Lincoln County Detention Center.

A North Platte man has been charged with felony assault after he allegedly choked a man during a group meeting.

According to Officer Rodney Brown, officers received an assault complaint from a 48-year-old male on January 5.

The victim alleged that, at around 5:30 p.m. on January 30,  43-year-old Jeffrey Manary assaulted him by grabbing him by the throat.  The victim said the incident occurred following an argument at a group meeting in the 500 block of North Dewey.

Manary, who is currently on parole, was arrested on February 6 and charged with strangulation, a class IV Felony.

He was jailed at the Lincoln County Detention Center.

 

• Today: Partly sunny, with a high near 17. Wind chill values as low as -10. South wind 5 to 9 mph.
• Tonight: A 20 percent chance of snow showers before 9pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 6. Wind chill values as low as -2. South wind 7 to 11 mph becoming west northwest after midnight.
• Saturday: A 20 percent chance of snow after noon. Partly sunny, with a high near 24. Wind chill values as low as -8. Northwest wind 6 to 9 mph becoming northeast in the afternoon.
• Saturday Night: A 50 percent chance of snow. Cloudy, with a low around 6. Wind chill values as low as -3. East northeast wind 3 to 6 mph.
• Sunday: A 40 percent chance of snow. Cloudy, with a high near 18. East northeast wind around 6 mph becoming calm in the afternoon.
• Sunday Night: A 20 percent chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 4

(AP) — Lawmakers have scrapped a bill to turn Nebraska into a winner-take-all state when awarding its electoral votes in presidential elections.

Sen. Charlie Janssen of Fremont ended his push for the measure on Wednesday, acknowledging that he didn’t have enough votes to overcome a legislative filibuster. Lawmakers moved the bill to the bottom of their agenda, effectively killing it for the year.

The bill had divided Democrats and Republicans in the officially nonpartisan, one-house Legislature. Nebraska awards two of its electoral votes based on a statewide vote and three by congressional district.

The state split its electoral votes for the first time in 2008, when Democrat Barack Obama captured one from Nebraska’s 2nd congressional district in Omaha on his way to the presidency.

 

(AP) — Groundwater levels declined significantly across Nebraska after the 2012 drought when farmers and cities pumped more water and less rain fell.

A new report shows that the average groundwater decline in Nebraska was 2.54 feet between spring 2012 and spring 2013.

University of Nebraska-Lincoln groundwater resources coordinator Aaron Young says that’s the biggest average drop in groundwater since monitoring began in 1930.

Young says Grant, Hooker and Thomas counties in the Sandhills were the only counties in the state that didn’t record declining groundwater. Some locations saw groundwater drop nearly 25 feet.

The drought conditions in 2012 drove strong demand for groundwater. The High Plains Regional Climate Center says the precipitation Nebraska received was 12-16 inches below normal that year.

A North Platte man has been jailed on felony drug charges after police found meth and cash following his arrest.

At around 6:45 p.m., on January 5, North Platte Police responded to Staples in the Platte River Mall.

According to Officer Rodney Brown, police had received a report that a subject present in the store was wanted on active warrants.

Officers made contact with 22-year-old Randall Leeper, and discovered that he had an active Lincoln County Warrant for 1st degree trespassing and criminal mischief, and a felony Hamilton County Warrant for burglary.

Leeper was placed under arrest and transported to the Lincoln County Detention Center.

Upon arrival at the jail, Brown said a search of Leeper’s belongings revealed suspected methamphetamine, several hundred dollars in cash and contraband commonly used in the distribution of a controlled substance.

In addition to the warrants, Leeper was jailed for possession of methamphetamine with intent, a Class III felony.

(AP) — A bill that would let motorcyclists ride without helmets in Nebraska has reached the full Legislature, but supporters will have to overcome a filibuster if they want it to pass.

Lawmakers began debate Thursday on a measure to partially repeal Nebraska’s helmet requirement for motorcyclists. The measure by Sen. Dave Bloomfield of Hoskins would exempt riders who are older than 21 years old from the helmet requirement.

Sen. Dave Bloomfield of Hoskins says he views helmets as an issue of freedom and personal choice.

Opponents have promised a filibuster, saying the helmet law saves lives while reducing insurance and Medicaid costs. Sen. Steve Lathrop of Omaha says the 24-year-old helmet law has helped Nebraska prevent needless deaths and brain injuries.

Two North Platte men are facing felony theft charges after they allegedly broke into several vehicles at a local auto repair shop and stole several items.

According to Officer Rodney Brown, officers responded to the report of a theft at DJ Automotive and Transmission, 203 Rodeo Road, at around 9:00 a.m. on January 5.

Employees at the business reported that several vehicles and a camper had been broken into.  They told police that several items, including two TVs, a computer and some clothing, had been stolen.  The value of the stolen items was estimated to be around $1,000.  Brown said windows to the vehicles were broken out to gain access.

Investigators found evidence at the scene which included tire tracks and shoe prints.

Following further investigation, Brown said the TVs and other items were discovered at a residence in the 1400 block of West 14th during a search.

Two suspects, 19-year-old Matthew Clinton and 35-year-old Hollis Littlefield, were taken into custody and transported to the Lincoln County Detention Center.

They’ve both been charged with theft by unlawful taking, a Class IV felony.

(AP) — Retirees and low-income elderly residents could see their tax burdens lowered in Nebraska under measures in a legislative committee.

The bills presented Wednesday would allow more elderly Nebraskans to qualify for homestead exemptions, and exempt a portion of Social Security income from state taxes.

One bill would ensure that the state’s tax brackets keep pace with inflation. Sen. Galen Hadley, chairman of the Revenue Committee, says the tax-bracket bill amounts to a tax cut that would benefit residents of all incomes.

The proposals were introduced after a series of public hearings held by the Legislature’s Tax Modernization Committee.

(AP) — A judge has ended a trial and dismissed the case against a Gering 18-year-old accused of scrawling racist graffiti on the car windows of another high school student.

Police say that on Oct. 17 at a high school volleyball game in Scottsbluff, Alysha Schwartzkopf defaced the windows of a Gering High School senior who is biracial.

Judge James Worden of Scotts Bluff County Court made his ruling Tuesday after three hours of testimony, following a request from the defense attorney. Worden said subsections of the law covering graffiti showed that it applied only to buildings and other structures, but not car windows. He emphasized that he was ruling only on the applicability of the law, not on the facts of the case.