Atlantic Mayor Dave Jones has plead guilty to dumping refuse into Missouri River floodwaters. According to the Omaha World-Herald, Jones accepted responsibility for polluting the water, and was fined $150 plus court costs. Another misdemeanor charge of violating an open-burning ban was dismissed as part of the plea agreement.

The charges stemmed from an incident near Tekamah, Nebraska in late September, when Jones, his friends, and family members removed and burned flood damaged furniture and mattresses from a cabin he owns near Tekamah. On September 24^th, some debris from the fire, including charred parts of furniture, slid off into an a slough (slew), or inlet, about 250-feet from the river. Jones said the debris most likely entered the inlet when the remains of the fire were doused. He claimed it was unsafe to retrieve those items that fell into the river.

The incident was reported to authorities in Burt County, NE, by a neighbor.