Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
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Area Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition and North Central District Health Department sponsored tobacco compliance checks in Antelope, Holt, Boyd, Pierce and Knox counties through a Region 4 block grant. Compliance checks are conducted by Nebraska State Patrol to check tobacco retailers to ensure they are complying with Nebraska laws regarding tobacco sales. In Antelope County, 17 retailers were checked and two failed resulting in a 88.3% compliance rate. Mr. S’s, City Limits, Dean’s Market, Neligh Vapor Shop, Elgin One Stop, The Home Tow...
United States Attorney Steven Russell recently released information on a United States District Court case regarding a methamphetamine conspiracy in the area. In May 2020, the Holt County Sheriff's Office, Nebraska State Patrol and the United States Postal Inspection Service began investigating Lindsey A. Rokahr and Dallas S. Rhinehart, 53, for their involvement in the distribution of meth in the Norfolk area. As a result of the investigation, it was determined that Katherine M. Tacheira, 51, of Walnut Creek, California, was the source of the...
A California woman and a Massachusetts woman, who had been traveling across the United States together, were sentenced to time served when they faced the Honorable Donna Taylor in the Antelope County courtroom in Neligh on June 7. Mandy L. Oliver, 40, of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, appeared on a charge of possession of psilocybin, a Class 4 felony, while Anabel L. Valenzuela, 35, of Clovis, California, appeared for possession of tramadol, also a Class 4 felony. Taylor appointed Antelope County public defender Pat Carney to represent Oliver and...
Mark A. Rasmussen, 65, of O’Neill faced the Honorable Kale Burdick in the Holt County courtroom in O’Neill on June 6 on charges of driving under suspension, March 30 and April 11. Burdick fined him $100 and $50 costs in each case. Rasmussen was self-represented. Kara K. Coufal, 44, of Madison appeared for arraignment. She waived her right to counsel and reached a plea agreement with Holt County attorney Brent Kelly. In exchange for Coufal’s guilty plea to Count I, DUS, a Class 3 misdemeanor, Kelly dismissed Count II, no valid regis...
Max S. Kerkman, 34, of Oakdale faced the Honorable Donna Taylor in the Antelope County courtroom in Neligh on June 7, for first hearing on a pair of Class 4 felony drug possession charges. He is accused of possessing methamphetamine and oxycodone June 6. If convicted, Kerkman faces up to $10,000 fine and/or up to two years incarceration for each count. He requested continuance and told Taylor that he would retain an Omaha attorney, Tom Peterson, who had represented him in prior cases. Taylor set preliminary hearing July 5 and continued bond....
Troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol removed 65 impaired drivers from the road during the annual Click It or Ticket campaign to begin the summer travel season. “Nebraska roadways have had a busy start to summer,” said Colonel John Bolduc, superintendent of the Nebraska State Patrol. “Our troopers were also busy over the last three weeks, working to help start the summer travel season safely across Nebraska.” During the campaign, which ran from May 15 through June 4, troopers arrested 65 drivers for driving under the influence. Trooper...
As the days in the George W. Norris Legislative Chamber dwindle down to a precious few, the Republican majority continues to trip over each other patting themselves on the back while the Democrats dig their trenches a little deeper and promise to give the home folks one to remember. There are still 32 Republicans in the officially nonpartisan Legislature and they are a mostly conservative lot. The Democrats are down to 16 with the recent defection of Omaha Sen. Meghan Hunt, who now identifies...
An Orchard resident appeared in the Antelope County courtroom in Neligh last week on a felony charge of failing to report his address to authorities. Wade Silbernagel, also known as Wade Perry and Wade Silbernagel-Perry, 28, of Orchard faced the Honorable Donna Taylor on May 19, charged with a Class 3A felony, violating the Nebraska Sex Offender Registration Act. The defendant's request for court-appointed counsel had previously been sustained and Antelope County public defender Pat Carney...
Harrison G. Eagle Hawk, 33, of Kadoka, South Dakota, faced the Honorable Kale Burdick in the Holt County courtroom in O’Neill on May 16 for arraignment on a Class 4 felony, possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine). Eagle Hawk requested court-appointed counsel. Burdick appointed Michael Sholes of O’Neill. The charge was amended by Holt County attorney Brent Kelly to attempted possession of a controlled substance, a Class 1 misdemeanor, and Eagle Hawk pleaded guilty. Burdick fined Eagle Hawk $1,000 and taxed him $50 costs of prosecu...
Summer is on the way. Memorial Day is right around the corner, which means the summer travel season is coming up quickly. Troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol, along with officers and deputies from dozens of agencies across Nebraska, are participating in the annual Click It or Ticket campaign. The effort began Monday, May 15, and runs through Sunday, June 4, encompassing the weeks before and after Memorial Day. “Statistics show that seatbelt use increases your chance of surviving a serious crash by 45%,” said Colonel John Bolduc at last wee...
Jennifer L. Trease, 54, of Orchard faced the Honorable Donna Taylor in the Antelope County courtroom in Neligh on May 3, to be sentenced for maintaining a dangerous building, in violation of an Orchard village ordinance. Village attorney Joe McNally told the judge he had recently driven by the property and didn’t see much progress. Trease said she was working on it and explained work that had been accomplished. Taylor fined Trease $100 and assessed costs of $50 for the November 2022 violation. The judge told Trease that she needed to c...
Hunter R. Cullen, 22, of O’Neill faced the Honorable Kale Burdick in the Holt County courtroom in O’Neill on May 2 to be sentenced on Count I, attempted possession of a controlled substance (concentrated THC), a Class 1 misdemeanor, and Count II, possession of drug paraphernalia, an infraction, both committed Jan. 15 in O’Neill. Burdick fined Cullen $500 on Count I and $100 on Count II. In addition, he was placed on probation for 12 months. He was ordered to pay $390 in probation-related fees and $60 costs of prosecution. As part of his proba...
The Nebraska State Patrol arrested multiple people during incidents at the Nebraska State Capitol Building during legislative debate on Friday afternoon. During the legislative debate, at approximately 2:40 p.m., multiple observers in the opponent balcony began yelling. Two individuals threw objects over the balcony onto the legislative floor. Those individuals, Lucia Salinas, 24, of Omaha, and Maghie Miller-Jenkins, 36, of Lincoln, were arrested for obstructing a government operation and...
A Ewing woman who had been facing four felony charges stemming from incidents occurring at a rural Ewing home, occupied by several children, one year ago, on May 12, 2022, has pleaded no contest to three misdemeanor counts. Jessica J. Snyder, 41, appeared in front of the Honorable Mark Kozisec for a change of plea hearing May 1, accompanied by her attorney, Justin Kalemkiarian from the Berry Law Firm in Lincoln. A plea bargain was announced, after which Kozisec allowed Snyder to withdraw her previous pleas of not guilty to Count I, terroristic...
Doug E. Lewis, 57, of Norfolk appeared in the Antelope County courtroom in Neligh on May 3 for pretrial hearing, alongside his attorney Ron Temple of Norfolk. Lewis is charged with Count I, third-degree assault, a Class 1 misdemeanor, and Count II, disturbing the peace, a Class 3 misdemeanor, both alleged Aug. 21, 2022, in Tilden. Temple requested a trial date be set, although he said the case may still be resolved. Jury selection and trial are set June 2. Gaylen L. Dredge, 60, of Neligh faced Taylor, accused of driving during revocation, a...
The Honorable Donna Taylor signed a bench warrant May 3 for the arrest of Ronald E. Murray, 59, of Norfolk, with bond set at $1,500, 10% cash. Murray failed to appear in the Antelope County courtroom in Neligh for a hearing April 19. A previous warrant for Murray’s arrest, issued Aug. 17, 2022, after he failed to appear June 15, 2022, was served April 7 by a Madison County sheriff’s officer and Murray posted a $1,500 personal recognizance bond April 11. Murray was cited May 5, 2022, by an Antelope County deputy, in Oakdale, for three cou...
The Nebraska Supreme Court listened to arguments in two cases, April 27, in O'Neill, as part of Law Day. Twenty-six Summerland students, along with sponsors Dan Roeber and Patty Sukup, got a first-hand look at how the court operates. Upon arrival at O'Neill High School, students went through a security check, conducted by the Nebraska State Patrol. Judge Kale Burdick explained what students would witness. After introduction of the justices, the court listened to two arguments, with lawyers...
Christopher B. Brady, 32, of Elgin appeared in front of the Honorable Donna Taylor in the Antelope County courtroom in Neligh on April 19 for re-sentencing after his admission to violating probation. Brady was placed on an 18-month term of probation Nov. 2, 2022, for a conviction of third-degree domestic assault. Violations included his admitted use of methamphetamine and positive alcohol tests. Tylor revoked probation and ordered him committed to the Antelope County Jail for six months. He was given credit for 23 days served previously. He was...
The Honorable Kale Burdick, when he presided from the bench of the Holt County court in O’Neill on April 11, set aside a conviction for Rebecca D. Strong, 48, of Ewing. The action nullifies Strong’s October 2020 conviction of a Class 2 misdemeanor, theft by deception. Burdick ruled that Strong is “unlikely to engage in further criminal activity and it is in her best interest and is consistent with the public interest” to grant the request. In her petition for set aside, Strong said she successfully completed probation, had no further convict...
A South Dakota man who was found sleeping in a rural Orchard living room in March appeared in front of the Honorable Donna Taylor at the Antelope County courthouse in Neligh last week. Douglas H. Jenkins, 36, of Brookings, waived his right to counsel and pleaded guilty to first-degree criminal trespassing, a Class 1 misdemeanor committed March 29. Jenkins told the judge he had been driving for more than 20 hours and thought the farmhouse was abandoned. “I know I must have,” he said. “I deeply apologize, it wasn’t my intent to enter anyone...
A St. Paul woman died Wednesday, April 5, following a crash in northern Antelope County. At approximately 2:50 p.m., a Ford Edge was southbound on Nebraska Highway 14 when the driver failed to stop at the intersection with U.S. Highway 20. The Ford then struck a semi/tanker trailer Antionette Kowalski, 53, was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the semi was not injured, according to Cody Thomas, spokesperson for the Nebraska State Patrol. Firefighters from Brunswick, Orchard, Royal and...
The illegal harvest and disposal of the carcass of a whitetail doe in January cost a Louisiana man more than $1,000. Cole Branden Thomas, 26, of West Monroe pleaded guilty, by waiver, to several counts related to shooting the deer without a permit and without the permission of a Holt County landowner. He was fined $150 and assessed $500 liquidated damages for taking the deer without a permit; fined $50 for no 2023 habitat stamp; fined $200 for killing the deer without permission from the landowner; $100 for failure to check a harvested deer...
Four defendants were each given six-month terms of probation and fines for DUI convictions when they appeared in front of the Honorable Kale Burdick in the Holt County courtroom in O’Neill last week. Raymundo Popocatl Perez, 32, of O’Neill appeared for sentencing on three counts, Count I, driving under the influence of alcohol, a Class W misdemeanor; Count II, speeding (78 mph in 65 zone), an infraction; and Count III, no operator’s license, a Class 3 misdemeanor. Burdick sentenced Popocatl Perez to a six-month term of probation, a $500 fine...
A Colorado man and an area teenager were both sentenced to jail last Wednesday, Feb. 22, by the Honorable James Kube when he presided from the Antelope County district court bench at the courthouse in Neligh. Both men requested probation sentences so they could take advantage of treatment for substance addiction. Although Kube ruled neither was a candidate for probation, he told them he would give them an opportunity for the structure and treatment options afforded by post-release supervision by the probation office. Both were given 18 months...
Troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol arrested the suspect of a gas station robbery Saturday morning following a pursuit north of Lincoln. At approximately 9 a.m., Saturday, NSP was informed of a robbery that had been reported at a gas station in Valparaiso. Troopers proceeded to the area and located a vehicle matching the description of the robbery suspect's vehicle within 10 minutes as it was traveling southbound on Highway 79 south of Raymond. The trooper attempted a traffic stop but the...
