A former Gering woman indicted earlier this month in the death of her two year old daughter more than 4-1/2 years ago is free on bond after surrendering to authorities and making her first appearance in court.

Charyse Geurts turned herself in to Scotts Bluff County authorities Thursday night, then appeared in Scotts Bluff County District Court on Friday on charges of accessory to a felony and providing false information…both connected to the July 2008 death of her daughter Juliette.

Defense attorney Bell Island says Guertz posted a $5,000 case bond after her hearing and after continuing to maintain her innocence.

Geurts, 26-year old Dustin Chauncey…indicted by the grand jury for the actual killing…were in the Gering home when Juliette died. Her mother said she found the toddler dead in her crib, but an autopsy showed that girl died of blunt force trauma to the head.

Island says in a statement that “not a day passes that Charyse does not think about her daughter,” has cooperated with police in the investigation, and does not know why she’s been charged.

He won’t discuss Geurts’ version of what happened on the day of the murder because of the pending legal proceedings, but maintains the she wants the person responsible for her daughter’s death prosecuted and punished. The case languished with no charges and no arrests until a petition drive last year was successful in calling the grand jury that indicted Charyse Guerts and Chauncey earlier this month.

Chauncey was sentenced to prison in Colorado last week on unrelated charges, but Scotts Bluff County authorities plan to seek his return to Nebraska through extradition. He’s charged with child abuse resulting in death and involuntary manslaughter in the death of Juliette Guerts.

     One suspect is in custody and a second is being sought in connection with Tuesday night spree in Chadron that saw a pickup stolen and more than 30 thefts from motor vehicles.

Chadron Police Lt Rick Hickstein says officers Thursday night arrested 18-year old Caleb Scherbarth of Chadron on 2 felony charges…Theft by Unlawful Taking and Theft by Receiving Stolen Property, and misdomeanor Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle. Scherbarth is being held in the Dawes County jail on $50,000 bond.

Hickstein says a tip information from multiple witnesses in Chadron led to a search warrant being served for Sherbarth’s home about 5:00 Thursday afternoon. Officers found some of the items taken in the Tuesday night thefts as well as small amounts of marijuana, drug paraphernalia and illegal fireworks.

Chadron police issued citations unrelated to the thefts to two other residents of Scherbarth’s home. 38-year old George Barron and 36 year old Shannon Barron were both cited for keeping a disorderly house, with George Barron also cited for possession of drug paraphernalia, illegal fireworks, and less than an ounce of marijuana.

Hickstein says it’s “very worthwhile when citizens come forward and provide tip information to law enforcement, which leads to the recovery of stolen property and the arrest” of those responsible…adding that “by working together with our community, we can make Chadron safer.”

Hickstein also says that the investigation into the thefts is continuing, focusing on the second individual still being sought by police.

The case began Tuesday night when a Chadron resident reported 3 suspicious suspects near his vehicle. Officers discovered it had been broken into and items taken, so they began searching for the suspects…uncovering over 30 thefts from vehicles.

While the search for the suspects was underway, a red pickup was reported driving recklessly and leaving a string of trash along the road to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.

Authorities believed the pickup was related to the thefts and contacted Oglala Sioux tribal police, who found the pickup about 10:00 the next morning…about 2 hours after the owner reported it stolen.

Chadron police say a stolen pickup recovered this morning on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation was apparently used in a string of more than 30 thefts from motor vehicles last night.

      The city of Chadron issued 4 fewer building permits last year than in 2011, but the valuation of those projects was $1.6-million dollars higher.

Zoning and Building Officer Janet Johnson says the 33 permits issued in 2012 had a total valuation of nearly $4.7-million dollars…reflecting some big projects including the Rangeland Center at Chadron State College,

The 33 permits was the smallest number issued in the past 5 years and 14 fewer than in 2010…the peak year in that period…but the total valuation was over 3 times that of any other year except 2011.

Chadron has zoning jurisdiction for the immediate 2-mile area outside the city limits, but Johnson says there was virtually no new construction there last year with just 4 permits issued. Two were for commercial structures…one at the Ridgeview Country Club and one for a diesel shop…with two others for home garages.

Looking ahead to this year, Johnson is expecting good construction numbers with several architects and builders talking about commercial buildings and some stick-built single-family homes.

The valuation of building permits should also jump again this year with the planned start of construction on two more multi-million dollar projects at Chadron State College: the Eagle Ridge housing development and the renovation and expansion of the Armstrong Building.

      Nebraska Northwest Development Corporation executive director Deb Cottier says 2012 was a very good year for the Chadron-based organization that supports economic growth in the northern Panhandle.

She’s most pleased with the expansion into Chadron last year of Transportation Services Inc…a major railcar repair firm…and with Chadron becoming the 36th community to earn the designation of Nebraska Economic Development Certified Community.

Chadron’s certification means all five of the  “cities of the first class”…those with between 5,000 and 100,000 residents…in the Panhandle now have Economic Development Certified Community status.

Certification took nearly 2-1/2 years from Chadron’s initial application, and Cottier says it wouldn’t have been possible without the strong support throughout the entire process of the city of Chadron, the NNDC members, and the organization’s board.

Cottier believes that being a Certified Community makes Chadron better able to respond to potential business opportunities, putting it “sort of a step above” most other Nebraska towns…competing “at a little higher level” for companies looking to expand or relocate.

Economic Development Certified Communities also have access to some Nebraska Department of Economic Development special programs and funding sources reserved just for them, allowing them to compete at what she calls “a little more professional level, a little more prepared level” that other similar communities.

NNDC held its annual meeting last week. Don Blausey is its new president with Rob Bila vice president.  Outgoing President Rob Wahlstrom was presented with a plaque of appreciation for his service on the board of directors since 2009.

Chadron projects and accomplishments cited in the Nebraska Economic Development Certified Community designation:

• NNW Railroad replaced bridges, switches and rails in 2012 through a $4.9 million federal TIGER II grant. NNW also attracted Transportation Services, Inc.,  a railcar repair company, to its facility in 2012.

•The 10-acre East Niobrara Street Industrial property, owned by the city of Chadron, is currently being developed to appeal to interested light industrial operations. The property is expected to be fully developed and put up for sale in 2013.

•A 2012 Labor Availability study was conducted, revealing that 27.3% of primary jobs held by Chadron residents and 30.2% of jobs held by Dawes County residents are located outside the county. The study indicated that many residents would prefer to work locally if similar positions and wages were created in Chadron.
Alliance Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad is the business with the highest number of commuting employees, indicating a potential pool for railroad-related jobs should Nebraska and NorthWestern Railroad attract additional, complementary businesses to share rail yard space.

•A municipal wastewater treatment plant built in 2010 modernized the facility, as well as offered additional capacity for potential new and expanding businesses and residential use.

•NNDC owns approximately 27.22 acres of land on western edge of Chadron with easy access to Highway 20 that could be developed into a prime business park location.

•Chadron is equidistant between the Black Hills in South Dakota and Wild Cat Hills of western Nebraska, and as such, attracts visitors on their way to Yellowstone National Park and the Annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.
This location not only makes it a hub of small retail activity, but a regional trade center, on which the city hopes to attract new and expanding main street businesses.

•Chadron State College, the only four-year educational institution (in Nebraska) west of Kearney, enrolls more than 3,000 students, and serves as a national leader in distance education and the city’s largest employer.

•Mobius Communications has spent $11 million in federal funds to upgrade its service for customers throughout the region. It is one of three companies in the area, including CenturyLink and Great Plains Communications, providing higher bandwidth. Verizon and Viaero currently provide 3G coverage, and Viaero plans to offer 4G service by 2014.

•The Chadron Information Technology Committee is partnering with NNDC to investigate the potential for operating a Chadron technology center. Fiber optic and broadband cable is currently installed throughout the city at a level that could attract Internet-based companies operating on cloud-base applications.

•Two build-to-suit duplexes are currently available and six others are in the planning and design stages. An additional housing development that offers larger residential lots was begun in 2012.

•Startup business planning assistance, along with eligibility determination for available local funding for business development and entrepreneurial assistance also is available thanks to a partnership between NNDC and the local Nebraska Business Development Center.

Chadron police say a stolen pickup recovered this morning on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation was apparently used in a string of more than 30 thefts from motor vehicles last night.

Lt Rick Hickstein says the case began about 10:30 when a resident reported 3 “suspicious subjects” walking away from the callers vehicle in the 300 block of Morehead Street.

The investigating officers found the vehicle had been entered, so they began searching the area…added by the Nebraska State Patrol and Dawes County Sheriff’s Department.

Hickstein says that during the search, officers found several other vehicles had been broken into and gone through. Owners reported a wide range of items missing…including purses, billfolds, currency, checkbooks, keys, and electronics such as MP3 players and GPS devices.

A little after midnight, while the search was continuing, police received a report of a reckless driver in a red pickup and followed a trail of trash that included food and beer cans north along Slim Buttes Road to the Nebraska-South Dakota state line at the reservation.

Hickstein says the officers felt the pickup was related to the thefts and contacted authorities on the reservation. The owner of the pickup reported it stolen about 8:30 this morning, and Oglala Sioux tribal police told Chadron police about 2 hours later that they had recovered the pickup and several stolen items.

An Alliance man accused of setting on fire the house in which he resided has pleaded not guilty.

40-year-old Isaac Gonzalez is charged with felony third degree arson, which alleges that during the early morning hours of December 13, he ignited a fire in the basement of the house.

The property, located at 1107 Grand Avenue, is owned by Barry Harris.

The fire caused a reported $100,000 damage to the home and its contents.

Alliance police discovered Gonzalez in the basement of the house and pulled him through a window to escape the flames and smoke.

Gonzalez was hospitalized in Scottsbuff and turned himself into police on January 8.

Wednesday morning, Box Butte County District Court Judge Travis O’Gorman set a pre-trial hearing for April 1.

Gonzalez is free after posting 10 percent of a $25,000 bond.

Winter illnesses continue around the region, and due to the ongoing respiratory issues in particular, Box Butte General Hospital is still restricting visitors to its facility.

No children under 18 are allowed to visit the hospital at this time. Children are allowed if they need medical treatment or testing.

“If you are sick, please do not visit the hospital other than to receive medical treatment or testing,” said Special Services Director Mary Mockerman, RN-CIC, CSW. “This includes having a sore throat, cough, fever, nasal congestion, cold or flu symptoms, vomiting or diarrhea.”

Ms. Mockerman urges the public to stay well by washing hands frequently to lessen exposure to sick people and staying home and away from public places if sick.

The public will be informed when the restriction is lifted.