GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (AP) — A 26-year-old St. Paul man accused of using a hammer to kill a puppy has made a plea deal that resolves several cases against him.

Online court records say Michael Berst is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 5.

Berst pleaded no contest in Hall County District Court to felony mistreatment of animals and tampering with evidence for an April 15 incident.

A court document says Berst told a friend he’d first struck the dog for relieving itself on a floor and later used the hammer to kill the dog, telling the friend he was putting the 6-month-old animal out of its misery.

The other cases against Berst include one for felony burglary, two on forgery allegations and two misdemeanors.

 

BEATRICE, Neb. (AP) — Deer carcasses have been showing up in Gage County ditches and creeks.

Officials aren’t sure whether poachers are to blame or the carcasses are being dumped by hunters who legally shot the deer but don’t want to properly dispose of them.

Sheriff Millard “Gus” Gustafson says it’s tough to estimate how many cases of illegal animal carcass dumping occur because many go unnoticed or unreported.

Dumping carcasses in ditches is littering, a misdemeanor.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A 37-year-old Omaha man has been sentenced to federal prison for wire fraud and a weapons violation.

Federal prosecutors said Monday that Joshua Roth was given a year and a day in prison. He must serve five years of supervised release after he leaves custody and must pay restitution of more than $21,300.

Prosecutors say Roth came into possession of a bank account number, user name and password of a First National Bank customer. Prosecutors say he used that information to open a PayPal account and transfer money to it from the bank account. Then, prosecutors say, he used the PayPal account to buy items and have them shipped to his house.

UTICA, Neb. (AP) — A 24-year-old Denver man has died after a pickup he was riding in went out of control on icy Interstate 80 in eastern Nebraska.

The Seward County Sheriff’s Office says the accident occurred around 7:30 p.m. Sunday just west of the Utica interchange.

Deputies say an eastbound pickup carrying Anthony Morales and four other people hit a patch of ice and swerved toward another eastbound vehicle, striking it. The pickup then rotated 180 degrees, slid off the roadway and rolled after it ran down into a steep ditch.

The four others in the truck were able to get out on their own. Authorities say Morales was trapped inside and died before he could be freed.

The Sheriff’s Office reported no other injuries.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A 28-year-old Omaha teacher has been accused of having a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old student.

Online court records say Ty Warner is charged with two counts of sexually assaulting a child and one count of witness tampering.

Warner was put on paid administrative leave on Nov. 25 from his position at Alpha School, an alternative school for students with behavioral or emotional conditions. He’s been teaching at the school for five years.

Douglas County Jail records say Warner remained in custody on Tuesday. Online court records don’t include the name of his attorney.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Lincoln fast-food worker who was bound by a robber and left in a freezer has been found by customers.

Police say the armed man entered the Subway on North 27th Street a little after 9 a.m. Monday and demanded money.

The employee gave him some cash. He then taped her wrists together and put her in the freezer.

Police say customers found her there, cold but uninjured, about an hour later.

No arrests have been reported.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Authorities are investigating the discovery of a body covered by snow in eastern Nebraska.

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office says the body was found Monday in a wooded ravine near the Douglas County and Washington County line. It’s unclear whether the adult body belonged to a man or a woman.

Investigators went to the location after a tip that a body may be there. Sheriff Mike Robinson says the death is suspicious, but he didn’t release additional information.

Detectives from both Douglas and Washington counties were at the scene Tuesday morning processing evidence.

FREMONT, Neb. (AP) — A couple faces felony animal cruelty charges in the deaths of 30 animals at their Dodge County farm.

Roland and Lori Peterson appeared in court Tuesday in connection with the deaths of 30 dogs, cats, horses and goats between December 2012 and August.

Prosecutors say the couple intentionally and recklessly killed the animals. Dodge County Attorney Oliver Glass filed charges in the case after deputies found decaying animals in a freezer at the farm.

The couple denies the allegations. Lori Peterson tells the station that she believes a highly contagious disease called the canine parvovirus killed the animals.

The couple will make their next court appearance in Dodge County court on Jan. 14. They have been released on bond.

CANON CITY, Colo. (AP) — A 6-year-old boy has been suspended from a Colorado school for kissing a girl on the cheek.

School officials in Canon City are accusing the boy of sexual harassment and they want it on his school record.

The boy’s mother says her son was suspended once before for kissing the girl and had disciplinary problems, but the girl did not object to being kissed.

A School District RE-1 official says the repeat offenses meet the school policy definition of sexual harassment and they hope the tough standards will force the boy to change his behavior.