WEEPING WATER, Neb. (AP) — Authorities have identified a body found in woods west of Weeping Water as that of a 38-year-old Florida woman.
The Cass County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday identified Alicia Wilemon-Sullivan, of Orange City, Florida, who was last seen on Aug. 1.
Her body was found Saturday evening, and officials say foul play has not been ruled out.
The sheriff’s office says an autopsy was completed Sunday in Omaha, but the results are not yet being made public.
SOUTH SIOUX CITY, Neb. (AP) — One person has been taken to a hospital for smoke inhalation after an early morning fire at an apartment fire in northeastern Nebraska.
The fire was reported around 2:30 a.m. Wednesday at the Sunset Lane Townhomes in South Sioux City.
Fire Chief Clint Merithew says the fire began in the kitchen area of one unit, then spread up into the attic and over to the next door apartment.
Merithew says one person in the unit where the fire started and three people in the second unit have been displaced. Everyone in the second unit was able to escape safely.
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — Prosecutors say a man charged with killing a sheriff’s deputy and wounding another while escaping from an Iowa jail will plead guilty.
The Pottawattamie County Attorney’s Office says an attorney for Wesley Correa-Carmenaty informed officials of the change Wednesday. A news release from the prosecutor’s office says no plea bargain was made and that Correa-Carmenaty still faces charges of murder, attempted murder, escape, kidnapping and other crimes.
Correa-Carmenaty’s trial had been set to begin Tuesday. Now, a change of plea hearing will take place Tuesday morning in Council Bluffs.
Authorities say Correa-Carmenaty had just been sentenced on May 1 to 45 years in prison in an unrelated murder case when he grabbed one of the deputies’ guns while being transferred to the county jail. He shot them both and used the jail van to escape.
He was recaptured that day in Omaha, Nebraska, after carjacking a woman at gunpoint.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium has announced an “elphie” contest for a chance to win a behind-the-scenes elephant experience at the zoo.
The contest is being held to celebrate World Elephant Day on Saturday. To enter, participants are asked to post a photo of themselves with an elephant from the zoo’s herd on the zoo’s Facebook page. Participants must also answer one of two questions: Why do you love elephants? Or, what are you doing to help with elephant conservation?
The winner will be chosen by the elephant keeper staff and announced Wednesday on the zoo’s Facebook page.
The page will accept photo and answer submissions through Saturday.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Four men who robbed an Omaha bank have been sent to state prison.
Prosecutors say the four were captured soon after robbing a U.S. Bank branch in northwest Omaha on Sept. 10 last year.
Twenty-three-year-old Marcus Warren, 22-year-old Steven Muldrew and 25-year-old Shaun Murph Jr. were sentenced Tuesday to 20 to 25 years. Twenty-four-year-old Freddie Johnson IV was given 14 to 18 years. They all pleaded guilty.
The FBI says each of the men is suspected in other Omaha bank robberies.
NEW YORK (AP) — Frito-Lay is getting in on New York City’s restaurant week by opening a pop-up eatery with a menu full of Cheetos-themed cuisine.
The Spotted Cheetah opens its doors in lower Manhattan for just three days next week. Some of the dishes on the three-course menu created by chef Anne Burrell include Cheetos Crusted Fried Pickles, Mac n’ Cheetos and Cheetos Sweetos Crusted Cheesecake. Prices run from $8 to $22 per dish.
Frito-Lay says recipes created by fans inspired the company to “bring a full Cheetos culinary experience to life.”
The Spotted Cheetah is completely booked for its brief run that begins Tuesday, but Cheetos fans can add their names to an online waitlist.
Plano, Texas-based Frito-Lay is a division of PepsiCo.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Prosecutors say they’ve charged a Nebraska prison inmate whose state-required DNA test links him to four rapes reported more than 10 years ago in Omaha.
Court records say a judge ordered Monday that Brandon Weathers be held for trial on four counts of forcible sexual assault — one committed in 2002 and three in 2004. His attorney didn’t immediately return a call Tuesday from The Associated Press. Weathers already is serving 100 to 160 years for raping a 13-year-old child.
A June 5 court order gave officials authority to use force to obtain Weathers’ sample, which he’d refused to provide despite Nebraska law requiring it. Guards held him down and took a sample from a cheek.
Authorities say the Nebraska State Patrol lab connected the sample to the four cases.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — City engineers in Lincoln say they won’t follow an order from the City Council to create a school speed zone at an intersection near an elementary school because the designation would make the intersection less safe.
City engineer Lonnie Burklund told the council on Monday that engineering studies show drivers are less likely to pay attention to a slower school zone in part because the school isn’t visible from the intersection.
He says neither he nor his staff at the Public Works and Utilities Department will sign the required documents allowing the zone at the northeast Lincoln site. The council wants to reduce the speed from 45 to 25 mph.
Parents have been pushing for years to make the intersection safer. Burklund says staff will look for other options.
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SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say a man who tried to deposit what he presented as a $1 million bill has been charged with drug possession in Iowa.
A criminal complaint says Sioux City police officers were called to a Northwest Bank branch Thursday to talk to a man who tried to deposit the bill into his account. The officers asked 33-year-old Dennis Strickland whether he had any more of the bills and that a baggie fell out when he emptied a pocket. The complaint says the baggie contained methamphetamine.
The U.S. Treasury Department says it has never produced a $1 million bill.
Iowa court records say Strickland is scheduled to be back in court Monday. His attorney hasn’t returned a call Tuesday from The Associated Press.
BEATRICE, Neb. (AP) — A 48-year-old Plymouth woman who ran over and killed her husband in Beatrice last year has been sentenced to probation.
Tracy Jurgens was sentenced in Gage County Court to serve 18 months of probation for motor vehicle homicide, a misdemeanor. She also was ordered to perform 100 hours of community service. A second charge of careless driving had been previously dismissed.
Police say Jurgens and her husband, Alan Jurgens, were arguing Oct. 27 when he fell out of the vehicle as it was turning and was run over. Prosecutors say the man left the vehicle of his own accord, but that Tracy Jurgens left the scene of the accident, prompting the charges.
