FREMONT, Neb. (AP) — A Fremont woman implicated in her father’s nearly $2.5 million embezzlement scheme has been convicted of three misdemeanor counts.

Joleen Cameron pleaded no contest on Wednesday in Dodge County District Court to theft and two counts of attempted filing of false tax returns. Prosecutors had reduced the charges from felonies in exchange for Cameron’s pleas.

The 43-year-old Cameron and 51-year-old Kathy Springer-Hesman were accused of helping Cameron’s father, Dennis Hesman, steal from his employer. The 66-year-old Hesman, who died in August, had pleaded not guilty to accusations that he created fake grain receipts at the Fremont grain elevator he ran for Gavilon, the Omaha-based commodities company.

Springer-Hesman, who is Hesman’s daughter-in-law, and Cameron are scheduled to be sentenced on March 27.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Former Creighton University President John Schlegel has been diagnosed with inoperable pancreatic cancer

The Jesuit priest who led Creighton during a period of growth between 2000 and 2011 shared news of his diagnosis in a letter.

Schlegel asked for prayers from his family and friends as he decides whether to undergo chemotherapy or let the disease take its course.

He says this week’s letter may be his farewell, but he does not fear death.

Schlegel is currently pastor of Church of the Gesu in Milwaukee. He was born in Dubuque, Iowa, in 1943.

Before becoming president at Creighton, Schlegel was president of the University of San Francisco, another Jesuit college.

Earlier in his career, he also worked at Marquette University and John Carroll University.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A Missouri man has been convicted of a hate crime in connection to the October 2013 assault of a Marine in downtown Omaha.

The jury found 36-year-old Gregory S. Duncan guilty Thursday of third-degree assault for punching Ryan Lanenegger in the face after he and his friends used derogatory names regarding Lanenegger’s sexual orientation. The hate crime conviction is believed to be the first based on sexual orientation in Douglas County.

James Martin Davis, Duncan’s attorney, said Duncan’s friends were responsible for the derogatory slurs.

But deputy Douglas County attorney Jim Masteller said Duncan had no other reason to have punched Lanenegger, who Masteller said was peacefully defending his two gay friends.

Duncan faces up to five years in prison.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A former bank employee has been ordered to stand trial in Omaha, accused of stealing more than $46,000 from a dead woman’s estate.

Thirty-four-year-old Erica Smith, of Bellevue, is charged with felony theft by deception. She faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

First National Bank of Omaha officials told police that they’d discovered that Smith cashed a certificate of deposit belonging to the deceased customer on Oct. 1. The bank reported that Smith then began drawing money from the woman’s account. A bank official says Smith no longer works for the bank.

Smith’s attorney declined to comment to The Associated Press on Thursday.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A University of Nebraska-Lincoln professor has developed a tool that displays information about bridges that inspectors can use to improve their safety.

The Lincoln Journal Star reports (https://bit.ly/1DJ9NyV) that associate professor Zhigang Shen, a former construction manager with a degree in computer science, created a “big data tool” that allows inspectors to label the condition of a bridge’s individual elements with a color coding system. When you click on any of the elements, a photo of the problems or damage can be seen.

The program, which is funded by a Nebraska Department of Roads grant, is based on the facility management programs used to monitor heating and cooling systems.

According to the Federal Highway Administration, about 90 percent of the bridges in the United States are aging to the point of deficiency.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — A 31-year-old man has pleaded guilty in Woodbury County District Court to leading police on a high-speed chase and possessing drugs in October.

Chad Hughes of Pender, Nebraska, was sentenced Wednesday to seven years in prison.

He was charged with eluding, operating while intoxicated and possession of a controlled substance.

As part of his plea agreement, a misdemeanor charge of possession of drug paraphernalia and other traffic offenses were dropped.

Court documents state Hughes led police on a chase on U.S. Highway 75. Police were able to stop Hughes. He then fled his vehicle into a cornfield and was tracked down with the help of a police dog.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A Norfolk dog rescue group says it’s received donations as far away as Australia in treating a pit bull left to die with multiple gunshot wounds.

Furbaby Rescue says Grace the pit bull was shot three times. The group says surgery is required to remove a bullet from her shoulder and reconstruct her jaw.

It has raised more than $2,000 to help pay for Grace’s surgery costs after setting up an online fundraiser. The money also will be used to offer a cash reward for finding the person who shot her.

The organization says Grace was left for dead but was spotted by a hunter and his daughter southeast of Stanton over the weekend.

STANTON, Neb. (AP) — A 26-year-old Battle Creek man has been given 180 days in jail for vehicular homicide.

Court records say Trey Finkral was sentenced on Tuesday. He’d pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor charge.

Authorities say Finkral was driving his vehicle on Sept. 12 and was rammed by another vehicle when he didn’t halt at a stop sign south of Pilger (PIHL’-gur) in northeast Nebraska. A passenger in Finkral’s vehicle, 25-year-old Marcus Kamrath, died later at a Norfolk hospital.