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Driver Charged with DUI After Running Into UNO Dormitory

university-of-nebraska-omaha(AP) — A man has been charged with driving under the influence after he crashed into a dormitory at the University of Nebraska-Omaha early Thursday.

Police say witnesses described seeing 26-year-old Mark Geaney speeding on Pine Street in Omaha when he hit a curb.

Geaney’s car flipped onto its roof and collided with a dormitory clubhouse.

Geaney was transported to the Alegent Creighton Medical Center, where his condition has yet to be released.

Geaney was cited for driving under the influence and collision with a fixed object.

No other vehicles were involved in the crash.

Lincoln Man Gets Probation for Making Threat with Rifle

gavel(AP) — A 33-year-old Lincoln man has been sentenced to two years’ probation for threatening his neighbor and other with a rifle in October.

Lincoln police say Adam Douglass was told to leave when he went to a neighbor’s get-together. He argued with his neighbor and two men who were drinking with the neighbor, then threatened to come back with a gun.

Police say he returned with a rifle, pointed it at the men and threatened to shoot. They tackled Douglass and held him down until police arrived, leaving him with a broken nose. The gun fired once during the struggle, but no one was hurt.

Douglass pleaded no contest to third-degree assault back in December. Lancaster County Judge Timothy Phillips sentenced Douglass last week.

Omaha Diabetic Sues for NE Dept. of Corrections for Discrimination

ne-department-of-corrections(AP) — An Omaha woman who had sought to become a prison guard is suing the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services, saying the agency discriminated against her during her training because she has diabetes.

Jennifer Henning says she was hired in April 2012 as a correctional officer at the Omaha Correctional Center after she passed a physical test and received clearance from a doctor.

But the 29-year-old Henning says when she reported for requisite officer training in Lincoln, her training specialist refused let her carry an emergency glucose injector and repeatedly humiliated her in front of other trainees about her medical condition. Within days, Henning’s lawsuit says, she was fired from the corrections job.

A spokeswoman with the department declined to comment, saying she cannot comment on pending litigation.

Hemp Flag to Fly Over U.S. Capitol on Fourth of July

hemp-flag(AP) — An American flag made of industrial hemp will fly over the U.S. Capitol on Independence Day.

Democratic Rep. Jared Polis of Colorado announced Wednesday that his request for the hemp-made flag was granted.

Polis has long pushed for the plant to be legal for farmers to grow. Industrial hemp looks much like marijuana but does not have its psychoactive properties. Federal law prohibits growing hemp, but not importing it.

Historians say the first American flags were made of hemp, which was raised by George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.

Polis successfully amended the federal farm bill last month to allow farmers to raise industrial hemp. However, the farm bill ultimately failed.

Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Earl Blumenauer of Oregon also sponsored the hemp farm bill amendment.

Former AD at Midland University Charged with Soliciting Prostitution

midland-university(AP) — A former athletic director at Midland University in Fremont has been arrested on charges of pandering and soliciting prostitution.

33-year-old Jason Dannelly was arrested Tuesday.

A criminal complaint says Dannelly in 2012 threatened a then-18-year-old student. Dannelly is accused of telling her he would protect her from legal trouble if she had sex with him, but also harm her if she told anyone.

In a separate 2012 case, Dannelly is accused of giving a then-20-year-old student $300 to have sexual contact with him. A complaint says Dannelly denies the allegations.

Dannelly is charged with pandering, terroristic threats and solicitation of prostitution. He served as Midland University’s athletic director from August 2011 until his dismissal in December 2012.

Records do not list an attorney.

Sinkhole Swallows Car in Ohio, Driver Escapes

ohio-sinkhole(AP) — A northwest Ohio sinkhole has swallowed a car traveling down a street and briefly trapped the driver, who climbed out after authorities gave her a ladder.

Toledo police Sgt. Joe Heffernan says a water main break beneath the road may have caused the sinkhole Wednesday. The hole is estimated to be at least 10 feet deep.

Police say driver Pamela Knox didn’t appear hurt but was shaken up and was taken to a hospital as a precaution.

Heffernan says Knox saw the vehicle in front of her start to slip into the hole but drive beyond it. He says Knox couldn’t avoid it.

Officials used a crane to pull the car from the hole. Repairs to the road are expected to take days.

Ethics Complaint Filed Against NE State Senator

senator-jim-smith
Senator Jim Smith

(AP) — A watchdog group is alleging that a Nebraska state senator failed to disclose travel expenses while visiting a tar sands mining area in Canada.

The Wisconsin-based Center for Media and Democracy filed a state ethics complaint Tuesday against Sen. Jim Smith, of Papillion.

Smith was one of nine U.S. state lawmakers on the trip, sponsored by the American Legislative Exchange Council. The tour included visits with TransCanada Inc., developer of the Keystone XL pipeline.

The complaint alleges Smith failed to disclose roughly $1,467 for a charter flight to a remote mining area.

Smith says he consulted with state disclosure officials before he took the trip, and he believes all expenses were properly reported. He says he paid for his own commercial airfare to Canada and for a hotel room.

Omaha Woman Who Fire Gun in Ambulance Was Arrested Shortly Beforehand

omahapopo(AP) — Omaha police say the woman whose gun discharged inside an ambulance on Monday had been arrested in connection with a stolen car shortly beforehand.

Police provided new details of the incident Wednesday.

Police say 24-year-old Justine Dubois was searched and handcuffed in a police cruiser Monday after officers confirmed she was driving a stolen vehicle.

Then Dubois appeared to have a seizure in the back of the police car, so paramedics were called. Dubois was cooperative with paramedics and asked to be taken to the hospital, so she was placed in the ambulance without handcuffs.

During the trip to the hospital, Dubois unbuckled herself, stood up and pointed a gun. A struggle ensued and two shots were fired, wounding Dubois and the paramedic.

Nebraska Man Convicted of Killing Daughter’s Attacker

gavel-and-scale(AP) — Prosecutors in Southern California say a father from Nebraska has been convicted of murdering a man who got into a fight with his daughter.

District attorney’s spokeswoman Farrah Emami (FAHR’-uh ee-MAH’-mee) says 41-year-old Cesar Marta of Omaha was convicted Tuesday of second-degree murder.

Prosecutors say Marta, of Omaha, was visiting family in 2010 when he beat 27-year-old Cesar Gutierrez-Hernandez as he was leaving his Santa Ana home, a month after Hernandez fought with Marta’s daughter.

An unknown accomplice of Marta’s held Hernandez’s friends back at knifepoint then stabbed Hernandez, who later died at a hospital.

When Marta was identified as a suspect, he was in federal custody in Council Bluffs, Iowa on immigration charges. He was extradited to California to face trial.

He is due for sentencing Aug. 9.

Colorado Man Pleads Guilty to Groping Flight Attendant

airline(AP) — A Spirit Airlines passenger accused of groping a flight attendant as she walked by has pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault.

Court documents made available Tuesday show Evan Nathaniel Castle, of Thornton, Colo., was sentenced to two years of probation. He also was ordered to attend alcohol counseling and pay a $250 fine.

According to court documents, Castle had several alcoholic drinks on Flight 562 from Las Vegas to Denver on April 8. A flight attendant said Castle told her she was beautiful, then later grabbed her buttocks when she passed by his row.

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