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Experts: Lincoln Man Who Killed Wife Legally Insane

Kent Burklund
Kent Burklund
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Prosecution and defense experts have agreed that a Lincoln man charged with second-degree murder in the April 2014 death of his wife was legally insane at the time.

Lancaster County Attorney Joe Kelly said the experts agreed 42-year-old Ken Burklund suffers from a mental illness and didn’t know right from wrong when he killed 41-year-old Bettina Burklund at their home.

Burklund told investigators he was afraid of his wife and believed gang members had poisoned him.

District Court Judge John Colborn is expected to issue a verdict at a hearing next week.

If he finds Burklund not responsible by reason of insanity, as expected, Burklund would be evaluated at a state psychiatric facility and housed a mental health facility.

Woman Charged in Swift Ticket Scam Told to Avoid Casinos

judgeshipOMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A judge has ordered an Omaha woman accused of fraudulently selling tickets to two recent Taylor Swift concerts in Omaha stay away from casinos and keno parlors and undergo counseling for a possible gambling addiction.

42-year-old Samantha Graeve made her initial court appearance on Friday. Police say she was Metropolitan Entertainment and Convention Authority employee when she printed and sold 211 fraudulent tickets to Swift’s concerts on Oct. 9 and Oct. 10 at the CenturyLink Center.

She has been charged with one count of felony theft by deception. She faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted.

Her defense attorney told the court that she is on three medications for mental health issues and would be a good candidate for probation.

Former TierOne Bank President Testifies Against Ex-CEO

tierone-bankLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Former TierOne Bank President James Laphen has testified that he, the bank’s former CEO and other officers deliberately stalled ordering new and more realistic appraisals of construction developments starting in 2008 to keep bank and market regulators at bay.

Laphen’s testimony came Friday in the fraud and conspiracy trial of TierOne Bank’s former CEO and chairman, Gil Lundstrom.

Prosecutors say the 74-year-old Lundstrom and other bank officers hid million-dollar losses from regulators and shareholders. Regulators took over Lincoln-based TierOne in 2010, saying the bank had too many bad loans on its books and lacked sufficient capital to cushion losses. The bank’s assets were sold to South Dakota-based Great Western Bank.

Laphen has pleaded guilty to mail and wire fraud.

Body of Fremont Man Found in Crashed SUV in Eastern Nebraska

police-lights-redVALLEY, Neb. (AP) — Officials say the body of a Fremont man has been found inside a sport utility vehicle that had crashed into an eastern Nebraska lake.

25-year-old Brock Redding’s body was found Friday in the lake just west of Omaha.

Valley Police Chief Brett Smith says it appears Redding ran a stop sign, drove through trees and a fence and hit an irrigation pipe that sent the SUV airborne and into the lake.

Officials say the crash happened late Thursday or early Friday. It appears no one witnessed the crash, but the damaged fence and floating front bumper in the lake led authorities to the sunken SUV.

An autopsy was scheduled for Saturday.

Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for 2003 Nebraska Kidnapping

Rosario Betancourt-Garcia
Rosario Betancourt-Garcia
MADISON, Neb. (AP) — A 49-year-old man has been sentenced to life after being convicted of a 2003 kidnapping in northeast Nebraska.

Rosario Betancourt-Garcia was convicted in August in Madison County District Court of kidnapping, conspiracy and use of a firearm.

Court records say Betancourt-Garcia was identified by his then-21-year-old victim as having been one of two men who kidnapped and terrorized him on Nov. 15, 2003. The other man, Jose Luis Trevino, was convicted in 2005 and sent to prison.

Officials say Betancourt-Garcia was mistakenly deported to Mexico shortly after the crimes occurred. He returned to the United States and lived in Texas until he was arrested in 2013 and extradited to Nebraska.

He was sentenced to the mandatory life term on Friday.

Omaha Police Find Nearly 63 Pounds of Pot After Traffic Stop

POT-BUSTOMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say a man bound for Wisconsin has been arrested after officers found nearly 63 pounds of marijuana in the vehicle.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office says the sport utility vehicle was pulled over along Interstate 80 in eastern Omaha around 9:20 p.m. Thursday. A deputy became suspicious of the driver and called for a drug dog. The dog alerted officers to the back of the SUV, and the deputy reported finding the marijuana in three suitcases.

The Sheriff’s Office says 22-year-old Joshua Wolenec, a resident of Wisconsin, was arrested on suspicion of possession for sale and a tax stamp violation. Online court records don’t list the name of an attorney who could be contacted to comment on Wolenec’s behalf.

Records: Woman Died After Riding Disney’s Space Mountain

disney-worldORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Records show that a woman died after riding Walt Disney World’s Space Mountain this past summer

55-year-old Pamela Lynn Haynes of Kingsport, Tennessee, lost consciousness after getting off the ride in July. A report recently filed with the state of Florida says the woman was taken to a nearby hospital, where she died.

The Orange-Osceola Medical Examiner’s Office reports that Haynes died of cardiopulmonary arrest and septic shock. A doctor said she had a history of high blood pressure, congestive heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Haynes’ death was included in a quarterly report theme parks are required to submit to the state. The report was made public this week.

Nebraska Legislature Looks at Future of Center for Disabled

ne-legislature-13LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska state senators are considering what to do with a century-old institution for the developmentally disabled.

Senators heard suggestions Thursday on the Beatrice State Developmental Center. Its population is dwindling, and it costs an average of $450,000 per resident annually for the remaining 116 residents.

The center has had serious problems over the past 10 years with abuse incidents, overtime, turnover and loss of federal funding.

Chairman of the Developmental Disabilities Special Investigative Committee Colby Coasch said it wasn’t his goal to find a way to shut down the center. He said residents’ quality of life is better with a smaller population.

Michael Chittenden, director of advocacy organization The Arc of Nebraska, said the institution’s closure is long overdue.

Police: 1 Man Killed in Collision Near Mahoney State Park

fatal-accidentASHLAND, Neb. (AP) — A 25-year-old man has died after a car crash near Mahoney State Park in Cass County.

According to Cass County Sheriff William Brueggemann, Michael Briones was driving a straight truck a mile west of the state park Thursday morning when he crossed the center line and sideswiped a pickup truck pulling a trailer. Briones was taken to a hospital, where he later died.

Brueggemann says five members of a construction crew riding in the pickup suffered minor injuries.

The incident is being investigated by the Cass County Sheriff’s Office and the Nebraska State Patrol.

Feds Block Push by Colorado to Create Pot Bank

Colorado-MarijuanaDENVER (AP) — Colorado’s attempt to create a bank to service its marijuana industry has received a setback from the Federal Reserve.

The guardian of the U.S. banking system said in a court filing Wednesday that it doesn’t intend to accept a penny connected to the sale of pot because the drug remains illegal under federal law.

The filing came in a legal battle between the Federal Reserve and a would-be credit union backed by the state of Colorado that would serve the industry.

Last year, the U.S. Treasury Department issued rules for how banks can accept pot money. But the Federal Reserve now says marijuana proceeds can’t go into the banking system.

The would-be Fourth Corner Credit Union was set up last year to serve Colorado’s $700 million-a-year marijuana industry. But it can’t open without clearance from the Federal Reserve.

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