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Man Shot Near Nebraska Capitol Takes Plea Deal

Tareik Artis
Tareik Artis

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A 19-year-old man shot near the Capitol in Lincoln has made a deal from prosecutors.

Online court records say Tareik Artis pleaded no contest Thursday to possession of a controlled substance and possession of a stolen firearm. Prosecutors dismissed two drug counts in return for Artis’ pleas. His sentencing is scheduled for April 11.

Authorities say Lancaster County Deputy Jeffrey Moeller and a deputy U.S. marshal shot Artis on Sept. 22 after he pointed a loaded handgun at them. Police say Artis was fleeing from a Lincoln officer after a traffic stop.

Lincoln Police ID Man Who Died After Being Struck by Pickup

car-pedestrian-accidentLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Authorities have released the name of a 47-year-old man who died after being struck by a pickup in downtown Lincoln.

The accident happened around 4 p.m. Wednesday. Police Capt. Mayde McGuire says the man stepped into a crosswalk in front of the truck, which had a green light to proceed. McGuire says the man was dragged several feet before the pickup could stop. He died later at a Lincoln hospital.

Police identified the man as Zed Whitney, a transient.

Papillion Police Officer Honored for Saving Burning Man

papillion-policePAPILLION, Neb. (AP) — A Papillion police officer has received an award from the American Red Cross after saving a man from a fiery car accident.

Officer Jobi Drefs, 45, was honored Wednesday as the recipient of the American Red Cross Public Servant Hero award.

Drefs was driving on Nebraska Highway 36 in Bennington on June 17 when she noticed a wreck and encountered an overturned, burning garbage truck over a hill crest.

Bennington Police Sgt. Tim Pittman and two civilians were trying to free 21-year-old Blaine Rageth, who was trapped inside. The four were able to pull Rageth from a broken window.

Drefs also won Papillion Police Department’s 2015 Officer of the Year Award, Lifesaving Award and Medal of Valor in February.

Police Release Name of Man Killed on Iowa-Nebraska Bridge

council-bluffs-policeCOUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — Authorities have released the name of a man who was killed while walking on an interstate bridge linking Nebraska and Iowa.

Officers were dispatched around 2:20 a.m. Wednesday to the Interstate 480 span that runs between Council Bluffs and Omaha. The man’s body was found in a westbound lane. Police suspect the man was a victim of a hit-and-run accident, and no arrests have been reported.

The Council Bluffs Police Department identified the man as 29-year-old Brett Jensen, of Council Bluffs.

Names of Omaha Fire Victims Released

fire-graphicOMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Authorities have released the names of two people who died after they were pulled from the basement of a burning home in southeast Omaha.

Authorities identified the pair as 21-year-old Bibiano Pacheco-Perez and 24-year-old Brenda Martinez-Palma. They died after being taken to hospitals. Authorities say at least 11 people were living in the home, but no other injuries were reported.

Fire officials say the fire began in the basement of the two-bedroom home early Wednesday morning, and flames were mostly contained there. The cause is being investigated.

Illnesses Force Southeast Nebraska District to Cancel School

schoolDEWITT, Neb. (AP) — Illnesses that have forced staff members and dozens of students to stay home have led to classes being canceled Thursday at a southeast Nebraska district.

Authorities suspect a norovirus outbreak at the Tri County Public Schools building that sits south of DeWitt. District officials say 57 students and eight staff members stayed home or went home sick Wednesday. The K-12 school has about 400 students and 70 staffers.

The virus causes stomach or intestinal inflammation, leading to stomach pain, nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting.

District officials canceled Thursday’s classes so the building could be disinfected and because the district doesn’t have enough substitutes to replace the number of teachers expected to be out ill. A decision about Friday’s classes will be made later Thursday.

3rd Teen Sentenced in Nebraska Animal Torture Case

gavel-and-scaleSTANTON, Neb. (AP) — The third of four northeast Nebraska teenagers accused of torturing a cat and an opossum has been sentenced.

On Tuesday in Stanton County Juvenile Court the boy was given a year of probation and 50 hours of community service — similar punishments handed two of the other boys. The fourth boy’s case is pending.

Authorities say the boys made an audio recording of the cat being tortured. Only two of the four participated in both incidents last fall.

An adult also has been charged: Kirk Van Pelt, a Stanton school board member and a former sheriff’s deputy. Van Pelt has pleaded not guilty to two counts of aiding and abetting and four counts of contributing to the delinquency of a child. His next hearing is set for March 22.

Man Walking on Bridge Struck, Killed, Iowa Authorities Say

council-bluffs-policeCOUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say a man walking on an interstate bridge linking Iowa and Nebraska has been killed.

Officers were dispatched around 2:20 a.m. Wednesday to the Interstate 480 span that runs between Council Bluffs and Omaha. The man’s body was found in the far-left lane of westbound I-480.

Council Bluffs police say the man likely is a hit-and-run victim. No arrests have been reported.

The man’s name isn’t being released until family members have been notified about his death.

Authorities Say Man, Woman Killed in Omaha Blaze

OMAHA-FIRE-AND-RESCUE-BADGE

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say a second person has died from injuries received in a southeast Omaha house fire.

Fire officials said early Wednesday that a woman died after being found in the house, where a fire had started in the basement. Officials later said a man found in the house and taken to a hospital also died.

Firetrucks were dispatched around 4:40 a.m. Wednesday. Fire officials say the man and woman were found in the basement of the home. Their names haven’t been released.

Fire Battalion Chief Doug Krysl says six children and four adults had been in the home. The fire cause is being investigated.

Omaha Man Gets 5 to 8 Years in Prison in Dad’s Slaying

Nicholas Burden
Nicholas Burden

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — An Omaha man convicted of killing his father on Christmas Day in 2014 has been sentenced after his family asked the judge to give the defendant minimum time.

Judge Timothy Burns sentenced 26-year-old Nicholas Burden to five to eight years in prison Tuesday.

Burden had pleaded no contest to manslaughter and using a knife to commit a felony in the slaying of his father, Christopher J. Incontro. He’ll be eligible for parole in 30 months — one month for each time Incontro was stabbed.

Burden had faced up to 70 years in prison. Incontro’s sister, Jeanette Incontro, asked the judge for a light sentence, saying that a harsh sentence would compound tragedies that both sides of the family went through.

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