LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A man has taken a plea deal for reduced charges in the August slaying of a Lincoln man during a botched home invasion robbery.

Online court records say 20-year-old Joshua Carr pleaded no contest and was convicted Thursday of manslaughter, attempted robbery and use of a firearm. He’d originally been charged with first-degree murder.

Carr also pleaded guilty to an unrelated robbery charge. His sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 20. Carr also is known as Joshua Nootenboom-Carr.

He and three other men were charged after the Aug. 30 killing of Maurice Williams.

Records say 23-year-old Derick Lewis, of Alton, Illinois, pleaded guilty Tuesday to robbery conspiracy. In April 23-year-old Jason Holmes and 26-year-old Michael Nevels pleaded no contest and were convicted of being accessories to robbery.

NEBRASKA CITY, Neb. (AP) — A man paroled after serving 41 years for murder has been convicted of sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl in southeast Nebraska.

Laddie Dittrich was arrested on Nov. 23, accused of groping the girl at a rural home in Otoe County. A jury convicted him on Thursday.

Dittrich was one of three men convicted in 1973 of the slaying of Omaha trucking company official John Wisotzkey. Police said the men chased down Wisotzkey after he got into an argument with a prostitute over money, beat him and then stabbed him with a bayonet.

In April 2013 the Nebraska Pardons Board commuted Dittrich’s sentence of life in prison without parole to 80 years to life, which allowed Dittrich to seek parole because he’d already served more than half of the 80-year minimum.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Zoo officials in Nebraska say a 15-year-old lion was euthanized because the animal’s health had deteriorated from a yearslong battle with cancer.

Mr. Big, a male African lion at Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium, died Thursday.

The zoo says Mr. Big was diagnosed with cancer five years ago and his condition had been closely monitored since then. In June, staff noticed he was lethargic and had lost weight. They later determined the cancer had spread to both his lungs and liver.

Mr. Big had fathered two litters of cubs since 2012.

 

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Berkshire Hathaway’s RV maker, Forest River, has agreed to pay at least $5 million and reform its practices because regulators say it mishandled two recalls.

The company based in Elkhart, Indiana, will pay up to $30 million in additional fines if regulators find any additional violations in the next three years. The federal Transportation Department announced the agreement with Forest River on Thursday.

Forest River officials did not immediately respond to a phone message Thursday afternoon.

Regulators say Forest River was slow to report some required data and failed to swiftly launch two safety recalls after problems were found in nearly 1,000 of its camper trailers.

Forest River also agreed to hire an independent expert to audit its safety practices.

Forest River is owned by Warren Buffett’s Omaha, Nebraska-based conglomerate.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — An Omaha retired couple is resisting efforts by the school district to buy their home and the home they own next door.

The district wants Pam and Ernie Jackson’s land and 10 other properties as part of its plans for a new high school.

The Jacksons have lived in their home for 20 years. They have retained an attorney and posted “OPS, Hands Off Our Home” signs in their front lawn. They want the district to conduct a feasibility or traffic study to determine if buying their land is necessary.

District officials met with nearby homeowners last month to discuss the project, land negotiations and the possibility of eminent domain. The 10 other properties are a mix of residential and commercial sites.

EMERSON, Neb. (AP) — A 52-year-old Arkansas man has died after his pickup collided with a trailer in northeast Nebraska.

The Nebraska State Patrol says the accident occurred around 3:30 p.m. Wednesday on Nebraska Highway 35 near Emerson. State Trooper Brian Malone says Todd Benjamin, of Lonoke, Arkansas, was driving the pickup west when it ran into the trailer, which was being pulled by an eastbound sport utility vehicle. Malone says Benjamin’s pickup rolled after it struck the trailer.

Three people in his truck were taken to a Sioux City, Iowa, hospital for treatment of minor injuries. Malone says the two people in the SUV weren’t injured.

The accident is being investigated.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — An Omaha man accused of killing his girlfriend’s father, dismembering him and throwing his remains into a ravine has been sentenced to 20 to 40 years in prison.

John Moniz, who had pleaded no contest to manslaughter in a plea deal, was sentenced Wednesday. Prosecutors had asked the judge to give Moniz the maximum sentence of 60 years.

Prosecutors say Moniz killed 52-year-old Delbert Freemont Jr. in 2013 after an argument. Freemont had complained to relatives that he didn’t want Moniz dating his daughter or living at Freemont’s house.

Freemont’s remains were found on Dec. 9, 2013, when a dog took one of Freemont’s arms to a farmer. The rest of the remains were found near the Douglas County-Washington County line.

Prosecutors had said the plea bargain was necessary in part because they couldn’t prove how Freemont died.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A 12-year-old homicide suspect has waived extradition proceedings in Minneapolis and soon could be back in Omaha.

He is one of three suspects charged with first-degree murder in the June 29 slaying of 31-year-old Jamymell Ray near Omaha’s Miller Park. Prosecutors say Ray was shot when the boy and two teens lured him and another man to the area on the premise of a marijuana deal.

The other two suspects, ages 15 and 17, were arrested last week.

Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine said Wednesday that county officials plan to go to Minneapolis on Thursday and bring back the boy, who was captured Tuesday night while walking on a street in Minneapolis.

Editor’s Note: The Omaha Police Department has identified the suspects as 17-year-old Jamal Milton, 15-year-old Shuntayvious Primes-Willis and 12-year-old Jarrell Milton.