(AP) — A federal judge has declared a mistrial in a civil rights lawsuit seeking damages for six people wrongly convicted in a 1985 Nebraska murder.

U.S. District Court Judge Richard Kopf declared the mistrial Thursday, after three days of jury deliberation following a three-week trial.

Six of the 12 jurors told the judge that they were unlikely to reach a verdict.

James Dean, Kathleen Gonzalez, Debra Shelden, Ada JoAnn Taylor, Joseph White and Thomas Winslow served a combined 77 years in prison before DNA testing exonerated them in 2008. The estate of White, who died in 2011, and the surviving five sought at least $14 million in damages, saying their civil rights were violated and that they were coerced into damaging statements.

(AP) — Four men facing new charges in connection with the death of a 5-year-old have appeared in court for bond hearings.

20-year-old Vincent Hicks, whom police believe fired the bullet that killed Payton Benson on Jan. 15, has been ordered held without bond. He’s charged with first-degree murder, criminal conspiracy and two weapons counts.

Three others — 22-year-old Adonus Moses, 18-year-old Jaylen Montgomery and 21-year-old Jacob Brown — are all being held on $1 million bond each.

Moses is charged with criminal conspiracy to commit first-degree murder. Montgomery is charged with three weapons counts, and Brown is charged with two weapons counts.

Police have said Payton was eating breakfast in her home when she was struck by a stray bullet.

(AP) — A Hastings teenager has been accused of stabbing his father in the back following a physical fight between them.

The 17-year-old boy told police he and his father got into a fight around midnight Wednesday. The boy says his 42-year-old father put him in a headlock, so the boy pulled out a knife and stabbed him.

The teen is charged as an adult with second-degree assault and use of a deadly weapon to commit a felony. The Associated Press normally doesn’t name minors suspected of crimes.

The father was treated at a nearby hospital and released.

The boy is being held at the Adams County Jail. A hearing is scheduled on Feb. 7 to determine a preliminary hearing.

(AP) — State officials have agreed to consider reducing a Nebraska man’s sentence for playing a role in two cult-related murders in 1985.

The Nebraska Board of Pardons agreed Thursday to hold a commutation hearing in Timothy Haverkamp’s case sometime in the next couple months.

The 51-year-old Haverkamp was paroled in 2009. One of the victims, fellow cult member James Thimm, was beaten, sexually abused, shot and partially skinned while still alive.

Haverkamp is asking the board to commute his sentence so he can be free from supervision. He served 23 years in prison on a sentence of 10 years to life.

After pleading guilty, Haverkamp testified against cult leader Michael Ryan, who remains on Nebraska’s death row. He was also a key witness against Ryan’s son, Dennis Ryan.

(AP) — A Colorado man facing trial in a nationwide breast cancer charity fraud is being jailed after allegations of a similar scam, this one involving college scholarships.

Adam Cole Shryock was the man behind “Boobies Rock” and “Say No 2 Cancer” until a Denver judge issued a temporary restraining order in June.

Now authorities say Shyrock has been sending models out to sell merchandise, ostensibly to raise money for college scholarships.

The Colorado attorney general says a judge ruled Shyrock’s activity violates court orders and he also violated a court-ordered asset freeze.

Shryock was ordered jailed for two weeks for contempt of court.

Shryock’s lawyer says his client has appealed but he’ll turn himself in if the appeals court doesn’t respond before he’s due in jail Friday.

(AP) — A Cedar Bluffs man has been sent to prison in a child sexual assault case.

Saunders County District Court records say 50-year-old Richard Strenger on Monday was sentenced to five years for sexual assault of a child, first offense; 30 to 40 years for attempted sexual assault of a child; and 20 months to five years for felony possession of a controlled substance. The sentences are to be served at the same time. He was credited for 218 days already served.

Prosecutors dropped five other counts in exchange for Strenger’s no-contest and guilty pleas.

Investigators say a child was sexually assaulted at Strenger’s home on several different occasions.

(AP) — A man injured in an industrial building collapse in Omaha that killed two workers earlier this month is suing the company and its owner and president.

An attorney for Tomas Balderas, of Omaha, who was hurt in the Jan. 20 collapse of the International Nutrition plant, says the lawsuit is really an effort to find out what caused the accident.

The lawsuit, which was filed Tuesday, says the company and its owner and president, Steven Silver, should have been aware of the dangers that led to the accident. But Pearson says he doesn’t know what caused the building to collapse. He says he’s hoping the discovery process required by the lawsuit will uncover any federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration violations that could have caused the accident.

(AP) — A York man who was wounded in a gunshot exchange with a deputy has been sentenced to prison.

26-year-old Max McCall was sentenced on Tuesday. Judge James Stecker gave him two to four years for attempted assault of an officer and one to two years for trying to flee from arrest. Those terms are to be served at the same time and then followed by a five-year sentence for using a firearm to commit a felony. McCall had pleaded no contest to the three charges after prosecutors dropped other charges.

The incident occurred Aug. 11, after the deputy responded to a call about McCall threatening a relative. Prosecutors say McCall was shot after he fired at the deputy.

(AP) — A man convicted in the death of an elderly man following a house fire in north Omaha has been sentenced to life in prison.

A judge issued the sentence Wednesday for 31-year-old Terrance Hale. He was convicted of first-degree murder in November.

Prosecutors say Hale broke into the Omaha home of 83-year-old Raymond Vasholz and his wife, Elizabeth Vasholz, before attacking them and setting several fires throughout the house.

Raymond Vasholz was killed and Elizabeth Vasholz was injured.

Defense attorneys argued that Hale tried to help the couple escape the fire.