South Carolina man held in Antelope County Jail on $750,000 bond

Robert E. Wagle, 35, of Summerville, South Carolina, appeared before the Honorable Ross Stoffer on Monday in Wayne County court, telephonically from the Antelope County Law Enforcement Center in Neligh, where he is currently held.

Stoffer appointed Kathleen Jorgensen of Wayne as counsel but advised Wagle he may be responsible for all or part of the cost at a later date.

Further arraignment on eight counts is set for Jan. 6 in the Wayne courtroom. Stoffer also ruled, due to Wagle's difficulty hearing his rights clearly in the telephonic hearing, he must view a rights' video at his next hearing.

Wagle's Wayne County charges include four felony counts and four misdemeanors: Operation of a motor vehicle to avoid arrest, a Class 4 felony; three counts of assault on an officer using a motor vehicle, Class 3 felonies; resisting arrest and obstructing a peace officer, both Class I misdemeanors; willful reckless driving and operating a motor vehicle during suspension or revocation, both Class 3 misdemeanors.

Stoffer set Wagle's bond at $750,000, 10% cash, and signed an arrest warrant Dec. 10.

Wagle is accused in an incident that began after an auto theft was reported the morning of Dec. 5 in Antelope County. Area law enforcement agencies in northeast Nebraska were alerted to be on the lookout for the stolen 2017 Dodge Ram pickup. The truck was sighted on Highway 15 south of Wayne. Multiple agencies pursued the vehicle, which made contact with units from two departments.

The suspect subsequently fled south of Wayne and a short time later, a Nebraska State Patrol trooper located the stolen truck about five miles south of Wayne. The trooper notified NSP's Aviation Support Division, which tracked the vehicle from the air as it entered a minimum maintenance road. The pickup became stuck, the driver fled on foot, and was located a short distance from the vehicle by an NSP K9.