EMERSON, Neb. (AP) — Two people have been killed in separate rollover accidents in northeast Nebraska.

The Nebraska State Patrol says 21-year-old Chase Miller was pronounced dead at the scene of a crash near Emerson early Saturday morning. The other five people in the vehicle were taken to a Sioux City, Iowa, hospital.

The Thurston County Sheriff’s Office says a 17-year-old boy died at a Sioux City, Iowa, hospital after his car rolled about 6 a.m. Saturday on Nebraska Highway 16 just west of Pender.

The boy was identified as Francisco Rodriguez Madueno, of West Point.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa fugitive has been apprehended in northeast Nebraska’s Dakota County.

Iowa prisons spokesman Fred Scaletta said Monday that 42-year-old Cletus Armell already has been transferred to Woodbury County Jail in northwest Iowa.

Armell was listed as escaped on July 14 after he didn’t return to the Sioux City work release facility from an appointment.

Records show Armell escaped from a residential work release center in Sioux City in 2012. He was captured a short time later and was returned to prison.

In November 2013 he was again transferred to work release. His original sentence was 15 years for armed robbery.

WACO, Neb. (AP) — BNSF Railway officials are working to determine what caused a coal train to partially derail in York County.

Mounds of spilled coal shut down two tracks and a street in Waco on Sunday. A railway spokesman says the train was headed east when 28 of its 119 cars derailed. All but one of the derailed cars landed on their sides.

No injuries were reported.

The spokesman says it will likely take a few days to clean up the coal.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Lincoln firefighters say a carelessly discarded cigarette caused an apartment fire that sent a girl to the hospital and temporarily displaced four people.

Fire & Rescue officials say the two-alarm blaze on Sunday caused about $75,000 in damages to the downtown building. There were 19 people in the 12-unit complex at the time but no injuries were reported.

Firefighters say the cigarette caught the third floor deck on fire and spread to two apartments.

The Red Cross relocated four residents. The girl was transported to an area hospital for an evaluation.

One person is in custody following a pursuit which stemmed from domestic disturbance in Scribner.

Just before 12:30 p.m., troopers responded to reports of a possible assault and kidnapping in the Dodge County town of Scribner. Troopers encountered a Dodge County Deputy with a blue, 2005 Jeep Liberty stopped near Hooper on Highway 275. The vehicle took off from the traffic stop and a pursuit ensued.

NSP took over the pursuit near Highway 275 & 77, with the vehicle headed eastbound on 275 at speeds of 80-85 mph. The jeep continued eastbound on Highway 6/Dodge Street, where attempts to spike the vehicle’s tires were made.  The vehicle ran over a set of spike strips near 168^th & Dodge Streets, shredding a rear tire and reducing speeds to 55 mph. The driver continued eastbound onto the elevated Dodge Expressway. Four NSP units boxed in the vehicle in an attempt to stop it. The vehicle struck an NSP unit, and made contact with three other units before coming to a stop near 126^th & Dodge. The pursuit last approximately 30 minutes.

The suspect driver of the vehicle, Terence L. Dean, 32, Omaha, was taken into custody without incident. Dean was transported to Nebraska Medical Center for complaint of minor injuries. Once medically cleared he will be lodged in the Dodge County Jail on charges of Felony Flight to Avoid Arrest and Willful Reckless Driving.

The female victim in the car was uninjured and not transported.

PILGER, Neb. (AP) — A utility is offering free trees to Pilger residents to help the northeast Nebraska town recover from a devastating June tornado.

Black Hills Energy set up a website where Pilger residents can apply for the trees that volunteers will plant in early November.

Roughly three-quarters of Pilger, which had about 350 residents, was heavily damaged or destroyed by the June 16 storm.

The trees from an Arbor Day Foundation program will be 5-feet to 6-feet-tall when planted. An online tool can help people decide the best place to plant the trees.

The trees offered include Bur Oak, Swamp White Oak, Northern Catalpa, Water Birch and Serviceberry.

Each resident can receive one free tree by applying online at www.arborday.org/blackhillsenergypilger .

RAYMOND, Neb. (AP) — Collecting piles of scrap metal, including some tornadoes left behind earlier this year, is helping a 72-year-old Nebraska man lead his small congregation’s effort to raise money for a new building.

Since 2010, Lyle McKlem has raised about $40,000 for Raymond United Methodist Church by selling the scrap metal he collects.

McKlem said he got the idea of collecting large pieces of metal after the church held an aluminum can drive.

Through word of mouth the campaign has grown, and McKlem says he gets calls regularly now from farmers or landowners with scrap metal to donate.

BELLEVUE, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska man was fatally shot after breaking into an apartment in the Omaha suburb of Bellevue Saturday night.

Bellevue Police say 21-year-old Tyrell Dalia of Omaha was killed in the incident that happened after 9 p.m. Saturday.

Witnesses told police that Dalia had a gun when he broke into the apartment near 19th Avenue and Main Street in Bellevue.

One of the people inside the apartment confronted Dalia and shot him. Dalia died at the apartment.

Court records show that Dalia was out on bail while awaiting trial for a January incident. Dalia faced two felony charges for trying to escape from police after officers broke up a dispute between him and his ex-girlfriend.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — When Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer took over the department’s top post in 2012, the agency was struggling for ways to curb rampant gun violence. Two years later, homicides have dropped dramatically and tips from the public have helped solve some of Omaha’s most violent crimes.

Much of the credit is going to Schmaderer and his push to improve the department’s relationship with the city’s most crime-ridden sections.

The effort has involved weekly meetings by police with community organizations, churches and individuals. Police also host neighborhood events and community training sessions.

Since 2012, homicides have dropped from 41 through September 2012 to 22 through this September.

Schmaderer notes the percentage of homicides considered solved by police has climbed from 46 percent in 2012 to 81 percent so far this year.

 

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A man accused of assaulting a 76-year-old woman in Omaha now faces a second-degree murder charge.

Omaha police said Friday that the charge against 54-year-old John Gomez was upgraded after the woman died.

Police say Mary McAndrews was found with injuries in her home on Sept. 18. She was taken to an Omaha hospital, but succumbed to her injuries on Wednesday.

Gomez had initially been charged with first-degree assault. Online jail records didn’t indicate an attorney.