Former Hemingford Police Chief Mark Lindburg has been charged with felony sexual assault of a child and felony child abuse.

Charges filed in Box Butte County Court by special prosecutor John Freudenberg of the Nebraska Attorney General’s office state that Lindburg allegedly had sex with a 15-year-old girl during calendar year 2010.

Judge Russ Harford set bond at $100,000.

Lindburg is scheduled to appear in county court Thursday.

He served as the Hemingford Police Chief for five years from 2006 to 2011. He also was employed as a Box Butte County Deputy Sheriff for seven years.

Court documents indicate a Cheyenne man was driving at just short of 100 miles per hour, was legally intoxicated and possibly texting just prior to a fatal rollover that killed two Scottsbluff teenagers.  Four felony charges have been filed against 22 year old Ethan Kaufman, who was driving the vehicle that had six passengers when it crashed January 9th near the Wyoming/Nebraska state line.

Kaufman is charged by the Goshen County Attorney’s office with two counts of aggravated homicide by a vehicle in the deaths of 18 year old Alexis Wheeler and 19 year old Hallie Anderson,  Kaufman is also charged with drunk driving causing serious bodily injury regarding two of the passengers, 19 year old Tyler Hill of Lyman and Stetson Allen of Morrill.

The arrest affidavit says the investigation by the Wyoming Highway Patrol indicates the vehicle’s Crash Data Retrieval System showed it was traveling at 99 mph just prior to the accident. The document says Kaufman’s blood alcohol content two hours after the accident was measured at .08%, the reading required for someone to be legally intoxicated.

The documents says Stetson Allen told authorities Kaufman had a phone in his hand and was possibly texting right before the accident. The documents indicate the females in the car told Kaufman to slow down a couple times before the crash. The documents also indicate Kaufman lied to the investigating trooper about being a passenger in the pickup before an EMS responder said Kaufman told her he was the driver, and others confirmed it.

Circuit Court Judge Randall Arp set bond at $50,000 cash.

It’s taking the city of Chadron’s LB-840 Committee a little longer than expected to prepare a ballot measure for a 15-year extension the half-cent economic development sales tax that expires next year.

City Manager Wayne Anderson says the committee met last Friday to work on the wording of the proposal, which must be exact because of the requirements of state law.

Anderson had hoped to give the package to the city council at its meeting Monday night for action in two weeks on the 18th, but says the 18th is now probably when the council will get it for review…with action two weeks after that.

Anderson is also backing off a bit from shooting for an April 9th election, saying the first Tuesday of May might be a better choice.

That’s partly because of the delay in completing the language, but also partly because April 9th would be less than a week before federal income taxes are due, and people might be a little emotional about any tax at that time…even one that’s already been in effect for 10 years.

Chadron’s LB-840 tax brings in about $400,000 a year. Currently, 75% of that goes for bond payments for the new hospital and most of the rest for community development and betterment projects.

The tentative proposal being finalized for a vote would put 80% of the total toward infrastructure development, primarily a planned $4-million dollar upgrade of the storm sewer system, with the rest still going for community development and betterment projects.

 

Dear Parents and Friends,

Thank you to everyone who made Catholic Schools Week such a success. We had a great time. Thank you to Laurie Gould and our SAY group for planning the activities.  Thank you to the Catholic Schools Week Committee for running the morning assemblies. Thank you to Parent’s Inc. for the movie day, the wonderful treats that you supplied to the teachers and for the delicious lunch on Friday.

As many of you know, Mrs. Weare went into early labor and delivered her little boy, Mitch, on Thursday, January 31. He was not due until the middle of April. He weighed 3 lbs. 3 ozs. Due to his premature birth, he will have many challenges ahead of him. I have heard that Misty is doing well. Keep the Weare family in your prayers. Bridget Johnston has agreed to teach Mrs. Weare’s classes for the next couple of months. St. Agnes students will be selling Hot Stuff Pizza to help Mrs. Weare and her family with medical costs. Students will be bringing fund raising packets home next week. Thank you for helping us take care of our St. Agnes family.

Parent’s Inc. Candy Sales are underway. If you haven’t ordered your candy yet please see a St. Agnes student soon. Students, please make the effort and sell, sell sell!  Money and orders are due next Wednesday, February 13.

There will be NO school on Thursday, February 7, or Friday, February 8. Parent/Teacher conferences are Thursday, February 7. If you have a student in grades 4 -8, teachers will be available from 1 PM – 7 PM. The kindergarten through third grade teachers have set up appointments.

The Scholastic Book Fair will be held Wednesday, February 6, from 9 AM – 4 PM,and Thursday, February 7, from 2-8 PM, in the Parish Center Gym. We encourage everyone to stop and shop!

Miss Schmeits, Mrs. Weare, Mrs. Wood and I will not be here on Thursday. Mrs. Wood and I will be available to meet with you after school next week. You can call or email us to set up an appointment. My email is [email protected]. Mrs. Wood’s email is [email protected].

The boys basketball team plays at Hay Springs today at 5 PM. Go Big Blue!

Ash Wednesday is February 13. We will have an all-school Mass at the Church at 9 AM.

God Bless,

Theresa Park

The Main Street Players Community Theater in Alliance will present A Salute to Carol Burnett at 7pm Friday, February 8 and Saturday, February 9, 2013 at the Alliance High School Performing Arts Center.

The variety show will feature skits from the Carol Burnett show, as well as singing, dancing, and original skits. Tickets are $7 general admission and $5 for students and seniors. They are available at the the Alliance Chamber of Commerce, Thieles Gifts and More, from any cast member, or at the door.

Cast members include Jason Wentworth, Angela O’Leary, Meagan Shrewsbury, Kalin Krohe, Elaine Connelly Bleisch, William Graham, Emma Penkava, Elora Bleisch, Tara Stanec and Shawn Wiebert. Each will be playing various roles.

Skits will include an episode from the recurring sketches “As the Stomach Turns,” “The Old Folks” and “Alice Portnoy” as well as an Andy Hardy parody.

The show is produced by special arrangement with Contemporary Drama Service, Colorado Springs, Colorado.

A Chadron man arrested last May on 12 child molestation and child pornography charges in a joint Chadron-Rapid City investigation has accepted a plea bargain with reduced charges

30-year old James Savery was scheduled for an evidentiary hearing Monday morning in Dawes County District Court, but instead entered No Contest pleas to 2 counts of 1st-degree attempted sexual assault of a child and one count of sexually explicit materials in the presence of a minor.

District Judge Travis O’Gorman ordered a pre-sentence investigation and set sentencing on the 3 felony counts for March 19th.

Savery was originally charged with 8 counts of 1st-degree sexual assault of a child and 4 counts of possession of child pornography, but half the sexual assault and all the pornography charges were later dropped.

He waived a preliminary hearing last summer and was scheduled for trial in September, but proceedings were postponed three times before Monday.

Savery was arrested at his home last May 17 after a Rapid City police detective had contacted Chadron police about a Chadron man suspected of trafficking in online child pornography. A Chadron investigation resulted in search warrants for Savery’s home in north Chadron.

Items seized during the searches included computers, cell phones, data recording and storage devices, other electronic devices, a couch, and multiple CD’s.