Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Sorted by date Results 26 - 49 of 49
The Honorable Donna Taylor sentenced three individuals last Wednesday, May 20, in the Antelope County courtroom, while handling a variety of cases, from city nuisance violations and bad checks to violence and drugs. Mitchell B. Heine, 25, appeared for sentencing on two Class 1 misdemeanor counts, attempted possession of cocaine and attempted possession of hydrocodone, committed in May 2019. Taylor sentenced Heine to fines of $1,000 for each crime and $60 costs of prosecution. Heine pleaded guilty to the amended charges Feb. 19 after reaching a...
Douglas D. Carpenter, 43, of Neligh was resentenced, by the Honorable Mark Johnson in the Antelope County district courtroom for a 2017 crime last week. Carpenter admitted violating terms of probation ordered Dec. 19, 2018, pursuant to a plea deal. Johnson revoked probation and sentenced him to 69 days in the county jail on the original count of third-degree assault, committed Sept. 14, 2017, with credit for 30 days previously served. He was remanded to the custody of the Antelope County sheriff to serve the time. The violation stems from Carpe...
Christofer N. Carstens of Oakdale was sentenced to decades behind bars last week. Carstens, who has been in custody since his early June 2019 arrest on felony child abuse charges, after his infant daughter was hospitalized with severe injuries including fractures to her skull and multiple other bones, was sentenced by the Honorable Mark Johnson Wednesday, April 29, in the Antelope County district courtroom. Johnson sentenced Carstens to not less than 30, nor more than 40 years in a facility under the jurisdiction of the Nebraska Department of...
Douglas D. Carpenter, 43, of Neligh, who was scheduled to face the Honorable Donna Taylor for a bench trial in the Antelope County courtroom Monday, March 23, reached a plea agreement with prosecutor Joe Abler. Carpenter had pleaded not guilty in October 2019 to Count I, stalking, a Class 1 misdemeanor; Count II, disturbing the peace, a Class 3 misdemeanor; and Count III, resisting arrest, a Class 1 misdemeanor. Per terms of the agreement, Carpenter pleaded no contest to an amended Count I, criminal attempt – stalking, a Class 2 misdemeanor, a...
William M. Zohner, 63, of Norfolk appeared in Antelope County court March 4, facing the Honorable Donna Taylor for a pretrial hearing on three counts, driving under the influence, aggravated, a Class W misdemeanor, and two infractions, driving left of center and exceeding the speed limit 6-10 mph. A plea deal was announced. In exchange for Zohner’s guilty plea on Count I, the two infractions were dismissed by Antelope County attorney Joe Abler and there was a joint recommendation for a probation sentence. The DUI charge was enhanced due to a b...
Christofer N. Carstens, 21, of Oakdale was found guilty of felony child abuse last Wednesday when he appeared before the Honorable Mark Johnson in the Antelope County district court in Neligh. A plea agreement was reached, resulting in Carstens pleading no contest to the crime in exchange for prosecutor, Joe Abler’s agreement to file no further charges in the case and to recommend no more than 20 years imprisonment at sentencing, which is set April 29. Johnson ordered a presentence investigation report. Accused of injuring his infant d...
Joey Crooker, 37, of Ainsworth, formerly of Page, was sentenced by the Honorable Mark Johnson in the Antelope County district courtroom last Wednesday, Feb. 26. Crooker, who pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of sexual assault pursuant to a plea agreement reached in December, has a previous sexual assault conviction, in 2002. He was questioned by the judge prior to passing sentence regarding his understanding of his previous sentence. "I understood," Crooker replied. "I just lost my head."...
The Honorable Mark Johnson, one of two judges who serve the seventh judicial district of Nebraska, took the bench in the Antelope County courtroom last Wednesday, Jan. 29. Johnson and the Honorable James Kube alternate annually as presiding judges in the Antelope County district court. Johnson sentenced a Pierce County woman to three consecutive jail terms for felony convictions. Karen R. Stewart, 46, of Osmond will spend 120 days in the Antelope County Jail, providing she loses no good time. She was sentenced to 180 days for a conviction of...
Several defendants were arraigned and/or sentenced by the Honorable Donna Taylor, when she presided over Antelope County court in Neligh last Wednesday, Jan. 15. Andrew C. Schumacher, 40, of Columbus faced Taylor for arraignment and a motion to suppress on a Class W misdemeanor charge of driving under the influence of alcohol, second offense. A plea agreement reached in the case resulted in the charge being amended to DUI, first offense, withdrawal of the motion to suppress and a joint recommend...
Two defendants waived their rights to preliminary hearings and were bound over to Antelope County district court when they faced the Honorable Donna Taylor in county court Monday, Jan. 13. Robert E. Wagle, 35, of Summerville, South Carolina, appeared on three charges, Count I, theft by unlawful taking, more than $5,000, a Class 2A felony; Count II, first-degree false imprisonment, a Class 3A felony; and Count III, operating a motor vehicle to avoid arrest, a Class 4 felony, all alleged Dec. 5. Antelope County attorney Joe Abler dismissed Count...
Robert E. Wagle, 35, of Summerville, South Carolina, faced the Honorable Donna Taylor on Monday, Dec. 30, on three felony counts, theft by unlawful taking, more than $5,000, a Class 2A felony; first-degree false imprisonment, a Class 3A felony; and operating a motor vehicle to avoid arrest, a Class 4 felony, all alleged Dec. 5. Taylor set bond at $200,000, 10% cash, and set a preliminary hearing for Jan. 13. Antelope County public defender Patrick Carney of Norfolk was appointed Dec. 11 to...
The Honorable James Kube presided over Antelope County district court last week in the final 2019 session. The Honorable Mark Johnson will serve Antelope County in 2020. Kube arraigned two individuals on felony charges. Matthew C. Waters, 34, a South Dakota man currently held in the Antelope County Jail, faced the judge on two counts related to a multi-county pursuit that ended near Royal in November. He is charge with two Class 4 felonies, attempted assault on a law enforcement officer with a...
The Honorable Donna Taylor cleared a dozen cases from the Antelope County court docket during a busy morning last Wednesday, Dec. 4. Alexander E. Huffman, 33, of Neligh appeared without counsel for arraignment on a count of disturbing the peace, a Class 3 misdemeanor committed Dec. 2, in Neligh. Huffman waived his right to counsel and pleaded guilty. Huffman told Taylor he “got way too drunk and wanted to go to Valley Hope,” and although he couldn’t afford it, he was determined to drive there, which “would have been a very bad idea,” he said....
A 34-year-old Colton, South Dakota man, who led multiple law enforcement agencies on a pursuit across northeast Nebraska last Monday, made his first appearance in the Antelope County courtroom on Wednesday. Matthew D. Waters faced the Honorable Donna Taylor briefly on two Class 4 felony counts, attempted assault on an officer with a motor vehicle and operating a motor vehicle to avoid arrest. Waters requested court-appointed counsel. Taylor held an indigency hearing, appointed public defender...
The Honorable Donna Taylor sentenced several defendants when she presided over Antelope County court Wednesday, Nov. 6. Falisha A. Dewey, 31, of Afton, Missouri, appeared for arraignment on a Class 1 misdemeanor charge of third-degree assault, related to an incident at the Riverside Park campground in Neligh on July 31. Dewey, represented by Patrick Carney, Antelope County public defender, pleaded no contest to a charge of third-degree assault, fight by mutual consent, reduced pursuant to terms of a plea agreement with Joe Abler, Antelope Count...
The Honorable James Kube gave his stamp of approval on two plea agreements in the Antelope County district courtroom in Neligh last Wednesday, Oct. 31. Karen R. Stewart, 46, of Osmond, accompanied by public defender Martin Klein of Neligh, appeared on charges in four cases, two new cases and two dating back to 2018. In the first case, she faced a charge of possession of methamphetamine, alleged June 30, 2018, in eastern Antelope County, near Plainview. The second case involved another...
Jesse J. White, 27, of Creighton faced the Honorable Donna Taylor last Wednesday, Oct. 16. Originally charged with a felony count of leaving the scene of a personal injury accident, White was scheduled for a preliminary hearing. However, after a review of the charge revealed the statute cited had been removed from state law, Antelope County Attorney Joe Abler amended the complaint, charging White with two misdemeanor counts, false reporting, a Class 1 misdemeanor; and leaving the scene of a property-damage accident, a Class 2 misdemeanor....
A 27-year-old Creighton man was arrested on a felony charge after a Sept. 29 one-vehicle accident in Orchard. The Antelope County Sheriff’s Department was called to the scene, near 4th and Harrison streets, where a 2006 Silverado, registered to Travis Suhr of Creighton, had hit a tree at approximately 5:30 a.m. The reporting party told authorities two people had fled on foot. An investigation, by Deputy John Shaver, led to Suhr’s residence, where Jesse J. White was located with minor injuries allegedly sustained in the accident. He denied nee...
Danial C. Hohrein, 41, of Oakdale faced the Honorable James Kube for sentencing in the Antelope County District Court at Neligh last Wednesday, on a conviction of reckless driving. Kube was informed that a pre-court urinalysis was positive for THC. When asked by the judge, Hohrein denied smoking marijuana, saying he had used a topical product containing cannabidiol oil, a product derived from marijuana blossoms, for his back. Hohrein was convicted of the Class 3 misdemeanor July 31, after he...
The Honorable Donna Taylor handed down six sentences, bound two felony cases over to district court and scheduled a jury trial last Thursday morning, Sept. 26. Eli Jacob, 66, of Clearwater was scheduled for pretrial hearing on a count of theft by unlawful taking, alleged from Antelope County in January. A motion for continuance to Oct. 16 was filed by the defense Sept. 23, “for the reason that the defendant’s wife has a medical appointment.” Jacob is represented by Jason Doele of Norfolk. Joey Crooker, 37, incarcerated in the Antelope Count...
Two defendants, who appeared for hearings in the Antelope County District courtroom at Neligh last Wednesday, had bond revoked and were remanded to the custody of the county sheriff by the Honorable James Kube. Pre-court urinalysis showed the presence of methamphetamine in both defendants. Patrick Carney of Norfolk, public defender, represented both men. It was a repeat performance for Jeff J. Wilson, 42, of McCook, who was scheduled for sentencing on assault and disturbing the peace offenses, along with arraignment on a charge stemming from a...
A 37-year old registered sex offender faced the Honorable Donna Taylor last Wednesday in Antelope County Court in Neligh, on charges of sexual assault and manslaughter of an unborn child. Formal charges of third-degree sexual assault, a Class 2 felony, and manslaughter of an unborn child, a Class 2A felony, were filed by Antelope County Attorney Joe Abler against Joey W. Crooker on Aug. 12, following an investigation by Antelope County Sheriff Bob Moore and Steven Binkard, a Holt County deputy....
The Honorable Donna Taylor sentenced six individuals during the Aug. 21 session of Antelope County Court in Neligh. Jacob L. Boutwell, 41, of Oakdale appeared for a pretrial hearing on three charges. A plea agreement was reached with Joseph Abler, county prosecutor. In return for his guilty plea to a Class W misdemeanor count of driving under the influence of alcohol, second offense, charges of leaving the scene of an accident and driving during revocation/impound were dismissed. Taylor sentenced him to 90 days in the county jail, with credit...
Christofer N. Carstens, 21, of Oakdale pleaded not guilty to a Class 2 felony count, intentional child abuse resulting in serious bodily harm, last Wednesday, July 31, in Antelope County District Court in Neligh. The Honorable James Kube accepted the plea, setting a pretrial hearing for 9 a.m. Aug. 28. Trial is set Oct. 15. Antelope County Attorney Joe Abler said Carstens knowingly caused his minor child injury that endangered the infant’s life May 24 and May 25. A report filed by Antelope County Sheriff Robert Moore in June alleged Carstens ad...
