52-year-old Jose Gallardo pleaded not guilty in Dixon County District Court to kidnapping, first-degree false imprisonment, terroristic threats, third-degree sexual assault of a child and child abuse.

Authorities say the girl was in Graves Park in Wakefield last May or June when Gallardo grabbed her and put his hand over her mouth, forced her to a corner of the park behind a concrete wall and groped her under her clothes. An approaching car startled him and she was able to escape.

Gallardo was arrested after one of his co-workers told police Gallardo had confessed the crime to him.

The body of 55-year-old Eddie Myrick, of Stanton, was pulled from Maskenthine Lake around 11:30 a.m. Thursday.

Myrick had been missing since he was last seen Sunday riding his motorcycle on the ice of the frozen lake.

The lake search for Myrick was suspended Monday after Stanton County Sheriff Mike Unger said the ice was too thin to safely conduct a water search. An extensive ground search around the lake continued, but showed no signs of Myrick.

Unger says on Wednesday, a rescue team found Myrick’s helmet encased in ice.

The lake sits about 2 miles north of Stanton in Stanton County.

The Nebraska Humane Society says in a news release that that the Metro Fugitive Task Force arrested 25-year-old Ayeshea Colbenson on Wednesday in Omaha.

Officials say the pit bull carcass was seized Jan. 1 by animal control officers from Colbenson’s home after she called the Humane Society to report her dog had died. A necropsy showed it had starved.

Authorities say that when she was arrested, Colbenson already had obtained another pit bull, which was found along with a cat in her apartment. Both animals are being held by the Nebraska Humane Society.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The husband of a former York County public defender accused of theft has been sentenced for a crime in Lincoln.

Lancaster County District Court records say 64-year-old Dale Waldron, of Exeter, was sentenced last week to 280 days in Lancaster County Jail. He’d pleaded no contest after prosecutors lowered the charge.

The records say that between February 2015 and January 2017, while Waldron was employed at Lincoln Lumber Co., he had more than $6,500 worth of construction materials delivered to various parties and kept for himself their payments.

Nancy Waldron has pleaded not guilty in Fillmore County to accusations that she stole from two private clients.

BELLEVUE, Neb. (AP) — A man suspected of a fatal shooting in an Omaha suburb has been arrested.

Bellevue police say the man was found Wednesday night in Omaha and taken into custody. Sarpy County Court records don’t show the man’s been formally charged in the slaying of 23-year-old Brian Faeller. He also was known as Brian Faeller-Crom.

A court record says his girlfriend reported that he’d been shot a little before 9 p.m. on Jan. 15 after opening the door at a Bellevue apartment. He was pronounced dead later at an Omaha hospital.

Children’s Hospital and Medical Center filed court documents Wednesday saying Dr. Jason Miller, a plastic surgeon, and pediatric neurosurgeon Dr. Mark Puccioni weren’t in the operating room and haven’t reviewed the child’s medical records.

The surgeons filed a lawsuit earlier this month against the hospital, hospital CEO Dr. Richard Azizkhan and another pediatric neurosurgeon. The lawsuit alleged that the doctor’s incompetence led to the death of a 7-month-old child.

“For those familiar with the events in question, the unfounded nature of these allegations was clear from the beginning,” the hospital said in its filing.

The lawsuit also contends that Children’s suspended Miller and Puccioni’s privileges to practice there after they questioned the neurosurgeon’s skill and competence. Miller and Puccioni allege that they were intentionally driven away from the hospital and had their reputations attacked.

The hospital said the two surgeons are making false accusations to protect their business interests, and that the surgeons “have callously and intentionally used the tragic death” of a child to make their case.

Puccioni said he and Miller are happy to have the opportunity to tell the truth about the situation.

“Our only desire is to take care of the children of Nebraska in the safe and secure manner,” Puccioni said.

Miller is a board-certified plastic surgeon with training in craniofacial plastic surgery. He has held privileges for more than 10 years at several Omaha-area hospitals. Puccioni, a board-certified pediatric neurosurgeon, has had privileges at several local hospitals for over 17 years.

Federal prosecutors for Nebraska say 32-year-old Corey Hayes was sentenced Wednesday to 9 1/2 years in prison. He must also register as a sex offender.

Officials say Hayes in late 2015 engaged in an online chat and sent pornographic pictures to someone he believed was a 13-year-old, but who was actually an undercover Homeland Security agent. Federal agents say a search of Hayes’ home in 2016 found more than 150 files on electronic devices containing child pornography.

Hall County Court records say 39-year-old Kellie Murphy is charged with felony theft. The records don’t list the name of an attorney who could comment for her. Her preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 12.

Police say Murphy is suspected of taking the money between Jan. 3, 2017, and Sept. 3 last year while working for Integrated Life Choices.