News – Page 72 – North Platte Post Archive

Firefighters rescue man from under collapsed building

Posted on September 6, 2018

HOWELLS, Neb. (AP) — Authorities have rescued a man who called 911 for help while trapped under a collapsed building in northeast Nebraska.

The Stanton County Sheriff’s Office says 56-year-old Chris Pfeifer was working on moving a farm outbuilding northwest of Howells when it collapsed on him Wednesday. He was trapped for more than two hours before he could reach his cellphone and call 911.

Firefighters used air bags and other devices to free him.

The sheriff’s office says Pfeifer was flown to an Omaha hospital for treatment.

Omaha man sentenced to prison for shooting death

Posted on September 5, 2018

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — An Omaha man has been sentenced to 20 to 24 years in prison for the shooting death of another man during a fight outside a south Omaha home last year.

35-year-old Shawn Stewart was sentenced Tuesday in Douglas County District Court for the July 25, 2017, killing of 39-year-old Aristeo Pena-Robles.

Prosecutors say Stewart and Pena-Robles had been on a meth binge when the two argued about damage Stewart allegedly did to Pena-Robles’ car the night before. Officials say a fight ensued. Stewart’s defense attorney says Pena-Robles and another man were beating Stewart with a metal drapery rod when Stewart pulled out a gun and fired.

Stewart was originally charged with second-degree murder, but pleaded no contest to manslaughter and a weapons count.

High-speed pursuit ends with arrest in Lincoln

Posted on September 4, 2018

Troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol have arrested a man following a high-speed pursuit that originated on Interstate 80 in Lincoln.

The incident happened at approximately 7:50 p.m. Monday, September 3, when a trooper observed a westbound Ford Mustang traveling in excess of 120 miles per hour near mile marker 400 on I-80. Radio communication was made with another trooper further ahead on I-80. That trooper pulled over to wait for the Mustang. When the Mustang passed the trooper at more than 120 miles per hour, the trooper initiated a pursuit.

The Mustang exited I-80 at NW 48^th St. and began traveling north. The trooper then observed the Mustang increase its speed to 132 miles per hour in the 45 miles per hour zone on NW 48^th St. near Gary Gately St. At that point, the trooper discontinued the pursuit out of a concern for safety of the public.

A short time later, the vehicle was seen turning east into a neighborhood. The trooper was able to locate the vehicle as it parked in front of a home on NW 45^th St. The driver, Holden Ludwig, 20, of Lincoln, was arrested for speeding, willful reckless driving, and operating a motor vehicle to avoid arrest. Ludwig was lodged at the Lancaster County Jail.

2 Omaha women charged in fatal Aug. 23 shooting of man

Posted on September 2, 2018

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Police say two women have been charged and are being held on $1 million bail each in the shooting death of an Omaha man.

29-year-old Angel Wiley and 25-year-old Laquetta Flood-Drummond have been charged with being accessories to a felony in the fatal Aug. 23 shooting of 22-year-old Keith Chambers. Wiley faces two counts, and Flood-Drummond faces one.

Police say they are still looking for the person who shot and killed Chambers. Police say Chambers was shot outside an apartment complex in north Omaha. He died Monday at an Omaha hospital.

Investigators say Wiley drove the shooter away from the scene and that both women lied to detectives about what happened.

Police say man died at hospital after Bellevue collision

Posted on September 2, 2018

BELLEVUE, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say an 88-year-old man died after a collision in an Omaha suburb.

The accident occurred a little before 5 p.m. Thursday on Nebraska Highway 370 in Bellevue. Police say an eastbound vehicle turned left and struck the driver’s side of a westbound vehicle on the highway.

Police identified the man driving the westbound vehicle as 88-year-old Raymond Mills. He was pronounced dead at Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. The other driver was identified as 54-year-old Leslie Sharp, who suffered minor injuries.

A third vehicle also was hit. It’s unclear whether the unidentified driver of that vehicle was injured.

Man gets 10 years in Lincoln embezzlement case

Posted on September 2, 2018

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A man accused of stealing more than $2 million from his Lincoln employer has been sentenced to federal prison.

Mark Ackerman was given 10 years during a hearing Thursday in U.S. District Court in Lincoln. He’d pleaded guilty to 15 counts of wire fraud after prosecutors agreed not to pursue charges for money laundering.

The Crete resident had been the office manager for Vertical Horizons Contracting. The contractor services the telecom, manufacturing, oil and gas, and utility industries. The lawsuit says Ackerman began working there in October 2007 and was fired Oct. 13 last year.

$2.2M federal grant will help Lincoln add 15 firefighters

Posted on September 2, 2018

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Officials say a $2.2 million federal grant will help bolster the ranks for Lincoln’s firefighters.

Mayor Chris Beutler said Thursday that the three-year grant requires local matching funds. The grant covers 75 percent of the salaries and benefits for the first two years and 35 percent in the final year. The city pays the rest.

Fire officials say the grant will help reduce overtime costs and firefighter burnout as rescue calls rise with the city’s growth.

Man trimming trees in Lincoln yard electrocuted

Posted on August 30, 2018

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Police say a Lincoln man who was trimming trees in his south Lincoln backyard has been electrocuted.

36-year-old Zachary Francke died Wednesday afternoon after a tree limb fell on a power line and he tried to remove it.

Rescue crews were called to the home just before 2 p.m. Police closed traffic on South 40th Street as Lincoln emergency medical technicians attempted to save Francke.

Cattle feeders agree to penalties for water law violations

Posted on August 30, 2018

Federal regulators have reached settlements with two northeast Nebraska livestock feeders accused of violating the Clean Water Act.

The Environmental Protection Agency says in a Thursday news release that both facilities have agreed to pay civil penalties. Bar MK, LLC, has agreed to pay a penalty of $29,000. Cindy Stratman, doing business as Cindy Stratman Livestock, has agreed to pay a penalty of $22,000.

EPA inspectors say both facilities in the West Point area lacked adequate livestock waste controls to prevent discharges of manure and process wastewater. Feedlot-related pollutants discharged into an unnamed tributary of Plum Creek, which discharges into the Elkhorn River.

Both facilities have agreed to provide the EPA with correction plans.

Bellevue officer’s bond set at $1M on prosecutor’s request

Posted on August 30, 2018

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A Bellevue police officer remains behind bars four days after reporting that his girlfriend had shot and killed herself.

The Omaha World-Herald reports that a judge on Thursday set bail for 52-year-old Craig Wiech at $1 million. Wiech is charged with two counts of attempted assault on an officer or first responder after Omaha police say he was drunk and punched an Omaha officer who responded to his 911 call late Sunday night.

Police say Wiech reported in that call that 48-year-old Carrie Brown, of Omaha, had shot herself. Police say he became aggressive with officers and medics who responded.

A Douglas County prosecutor said Thursday that the circumstances of Brown’s death are still under investigation and asked the judge to set a high bail amount.

The Bellevue Police Department said Thursday that Wiech has been placed on administrative leave.