BEATRICE, Neb. (AP) — Beatrice police have deployed a new weapon in their search for suspects: humor.

Officer Kris Gill is the brain behind the humorous Facebook posts that accompany security snapshots, and Gill says all of the individuals pictured in the posts have been identified. Gill says that’s a vast improvement from the limited results gained from previous postings.

Police Chief Bruce Lang said he was amazed by how fast some of the crimes were solved following the posts

He also says it’s tricky finding the right balance of humor and seriousness when dealing with suspected crimes.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Valentine’s Day specials are being planned at two Nebraska state parks.

The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission says dining specials will be offered at Eugene T. Mahoney State Park near Ashland, Feb. 12-14, and at Platte River State Park, Feb. 13-14. Mahoney has a lodging discount on Feb. 11 and special Valentine’s packages for people who reserve cabins or lodge rooms.

Birds and Breakfast is the theme of the Valentine’s weekend at Ponca State Park. This package includes participation in the Great Backyard Bird Count, as well as breakfast, lodging discounts and other activities.

Go online at OutdoorNebraska.org and click on Calendar for more information or to make a reservation. Park entry permits are required for vehicles.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — An Omaha man has been charged with misdemeanor motor vehicle homicide and driving under suspension for a December crash that killed another man.

The crash occurred Dec. 23 in northwest Omaha crash when a sport utility vehicle driven by 19-year-old DeAngelo Peak ran off North 120th Street and hit a tree. Police say there were icy patches on the roadway but that the primary cause of the crash was speeding.

A passenger, 20-year-old Marcus Haney of Bennington, died at the scene. Peak was injured.

An attorney for Peak is not yet listed in online court records.

 

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Omaha police say two men have been arrested on suspicion of killing another man last March.

A news release from police says 28-year-old Darryl Wellon and 25-year-old Michael Walker were arrested Friday and each faces charges of first-degree murder and weapons counts.

Wellon and Walker are accused in the death of 58-year-old Elston McCarthur, whose body was found by his ex-wife March 6 inside his house.

Both suspects were already being held in the Douglas County Jail on charges in unrelated cases when they were arrested and booked in the McCarthur case. Neither man could be reached for comment Saturday. Their most recent charges do not yet appear in online court records.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Lincoln police say one person has been killed and another injured in a one-vehicle crash.

The crash happened around 1:40 a.m. Saturday near Cornhusker Highway in Lincoln.

Lincoln Police Capt. Donald Scheinost says the car was eastbound on Adams Street when it crashed into an auto business and caught fire.

The business’ owner, Dan Hicks, says accident damaged the showroom and waiting room.

Police have not named the victims, pending notification of their family members.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Omaha police have charged a man with raping a woman and threatening to kill her teenage son.

Police on Wednesday charged 38-year-old Ryan C. Lamp with several charges, including first-degree sexual assault, terroristic threats and use of a deadly weapon.

Officers accused Lamp of raping the woman, threatening her with a knife and firing a crossbow at her. The arrow just missed her head and lodged in a wall. Police allege Lamp also threated to kill the woman’s 16-year-old son if he called police.

Authorities say they found several small explosives in the home.

A preliminary hearing is set for Feb. 16. Court records don’t list information about an attorney.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A judge will soon determine whether a former doctor accused of killing four people with ties to an Omaha medical school is competent to stand trial, which is now tentatively scheduled to begin in April.

On Thursday, Douglas County District Judge Duane Dougherty said he would rule within the coming days whether 42-year-old Anthony Garcia is mentally fit enough to stand trial after three experts testified that Garcia is competent.

Garcia is charged with first-degree murder in the 2008 deaths of the 11-year-old son of Creighton University pathologist William Hunter and the family’s housekeeper, and the May 2013 deaths of Creighton pathologist Roger Brumback and his wife.

Authorities say Garcia was motivated by revenge for being fired from Creighton’s pathology department in 2001

SEWARD, Neb. (AP) — A traffic stop along Interstate 80 has led to the seizure of nearly 51 pounds of marijuana and the arrests of two men.

The Nebraska State Patrol says a sport utility vehicle was stopped for improper passing a little after 5 p.m. Thursday in Seward County. The patrol says a drug dog alerted troopers to the odor of pot and says the pot was found in four duffel bags in the back of the SUV.

The driver and his passenger were arrested on suspicion of possession of marijuana for sale. Online court records don’t show that they’ve been charged yet.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska Supreme Court has upheld the second-degree murder conviction and lengthy sentence of a Norfolk man for the fatal 2010 stabbing of another man.

The high court’s opinion Friday was the second appeal by De’Aris Trice. Trice was first convicted and sentenced in 2013 for the stabbing death of 27-year-old Timothy Warren at a Norfolk house party. But the state Supreme Court ordered a new trial, citing problems with jury instructions.

Trice was again found guilty in 2014 and sentenced to 40 years to life in prison.

In his latest appeal, Trice argued the trial court was wrong to allow transcripts of statements from some witnesses into evidence. He also said his sentence is excessive.

The high court said it found no evidence that the trial court acted wrongly.

 

BELLEVUE, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say two schools in an Omaha suburb were briefly evacuated because people smelled what they thought was natural gas.

Bertha Barber Elementary and Mission Middle School in Bellevue were emptied around 9 a.m. Thursday as utility workers arrived to check on the reports. The workers gave the all-clear within an hour, so students and staffers returned to the school buildings.

A district spokeswoman didn’t immediately return messages from The Associated Press Friday.