(Omaha, NE) – Officials with the Omaha Police Department, together with the Sarpy County (NE) Sheriff’s Office, Council Bluffs Police Department, and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation are working on various aspects of Saturday’s incidents involving 41-year-old Matthew Briggs. The incidents occurred in multiple local and state jurisdictions in Nebraska and Iowa.

In a statement released late Saturday night, authorities said “Omaha Police responded to a southwest Omaha residence shortly before 6 a.m. Saturday for a report of a domestic violence assault. It was learned that Mr. Briggs had physically assaulted an adult female after forcing entry into her residence. The female was able to run from the residence and call 911 from a separate location. Mr. Briggs left the residence prior to officers arriving.

“Through the investigation, it was learned that Mr. Briggs attempted to drive his 2005 red Buick Century sedan through the garage door of another southwest Omaha residence. He was unsuccessful at gaining entry. This occurred minutes after the above assault at the previous residence. Mr. Briggs would leave this residence and return a second time around 6:20 a.m. where he again drove into the garage door, this time gaining entry into the residence. The female resident was not home at the time of these incidents. Mr. Briggs shot at a neighbor attempting to check on him as he was leaving the residence. 911 was called shortly after.

Matthew Briggs

“Information was then provided to Omaha Police that led officers to 9927 Essex Drive shortly before 7 a.m. for a well-being check of the resident. Officers saw forced entry into this residence once they arrived. During a safety search of the house, they located Steven Donsbach, 52, inside who appeared to have been shot to death. Based on the information provided to Omaha Police and evidence uncovered during the homicide investigation, Mr. Briggs was a person of interest in this incident. Omaha Police immediately began to search for Mr. Briggs using multiple investigative resources and law enforcement personnel.

“At approximately 1 p.m., the public and local media were notified of the need to locate Mr. Briggs and his car after those investigative resources yielded no positive results. A citizen contacted 911 advising they located a red Buick sedan at Mandan Park near 6000 S 13th Street. Officers were able to confirm the car belonged to Mr. Briggs and it was found unoccupied. A search of the area using multiple OPD investigative units was conducted that included the Air Support Unit and K9 Unit.

“Shortly after 3:30 p.m., OPD was notified through 911 that there was a carjacking that just occurred south of Mandan Park in Sarpy County. The suspect description matched that of Mr. Briggs. The car that was taken was a blue Toyota Camry. Officers quickly located the car and a pursuit was declared. ABLE 1 also assisted with the pursuit. The pursuit crossed into Iowa and resulted in an officer involved shooting incident near College Road and Valley View Drive.

“An Omaha Police Officer and Council Bluffs Police Officer discharged their service weapons resulting in Mr. Briggs being shot inside the Toyota. Officers immediately provided medical aid to Mr. Briggs. He was then taken to Nebraska Medicine by medics where he died. Two firearms were located in the stolen car Mr. Briggs was driving.”

Authorities say an investigation is ongoing. The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation is conducting the investigation into the officer involved shooting of Matthew Briggs. The two involved officers from Omaha and Council Bluffs have been placed on paid administrative leave per department policies. Both officers will be interviewed at a later date by DCI investigators.

The investigation will be reviewed by the Pottawattamie County Attorney’s Office at its conclusion. Omaha Police say “We’d like to thank the various Iowa and Nebraska law enforcement agencies and the public for their assistance in this investigation.”

An updated news release will be provided by the Omaha Police Department Public Information Office related to the OPD investigations as more information becomes available.

(Council Bluffs, Iowa) – One person died this (Saturday) morning following a collision between a pickup truck and a motorcycle, in Council Bluffs. According to Council Bluffs Police, the crash happened at around 7:30-a.m. in the vicinity of the on-ramp to westbound Interstate 80 from Highway 6.

Upon arrival, police and medical personnel found the male operator of the motorcycle in the east ditch, after he had been ejected from their machine. The operator was transported to the University of Nebraska Medical Center, where he died from his injuries. His name was withheld pending notification of family. Authorities say he was from Omaha. The driver of the pickup, Dustin Harris, from Underwood, was not injured.

Police say their preliminary investigation determined both the pickup and motorcycle were entering I-80 westbound from Highway 6, with the pickup in front of the motorcycle. As they got close to merge, for reasons unknown, the motorcycle rear-ended the pickup. The collision resulted in the cycle hitting a guardrail, causing the operator to be ejected.

The on-ramp was closed for about 3-hours while an investigation was conducted. The accident remains under investigation.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Changes are coming ahead of the November City Elections. City Clerk Barb Barrick, Wednesday, explained to the City Council, the changes are a result of redistricing approved by the Iowa Legislature.

Barrick said with the change, Councilman James Behrens will have the opportunity to run for Atlantic’s 2nd Ward or, if he desires, the At Large position currently held by Elaine Otte. If he chooses not to run for either position, Ward 2 will still be required to have an election.

Barb Barrick said the changes also affect the Parks and Rec Board.

Remember also, the nomination filing period for City Office opens August 28th. Papers may be filed with the County Auditor’s Office. The filing deadline is 5-p.m. September 21st. The election is held November 7th. If there need to be a run-off election, that will be held on December 5th.

Lottery officials said Saturday (Today), the 14th largest prize in Mega Millions® history will be offered next Tuesday, July 11! Currently estimated at $480 million ($240.7 million cash), the jackpot keeps growing after no ticket matched all six numbers in the July 7 drawing – the white balls 8, 10, 17, 55 and 66, plus the gold Mega Ball 3. Tuesday’s drawing will be the 24th in this roll, which began after the jackpot was last won in New York on April 18.

As the jackpot rolls, the number of winning tickets at all other prize levels also continues to grow. In total, there were 1,175,091 winning tickets across all prize tiers in the July 7 drawing. One, sold in California, matched the five white balls to win the game’s second-tier prize. Across the country, 28 tickets matched four white balls plus the Mega Ball to win the third-tier prize. Three of those tickets are worth $30,000 each, because they included the optional Megaplier (available in most states with an extra $1 purchase), which was 3X on Friday night. The other 25 third-tier winning tickets are worth $10,000 each.

Since the last jackpot was won on April 18, there have been a total of more than 12.7 million winning tickets at all non-jackpot prize levels, ranging from $2 up to $3 million. These include 16 second-tier prizes of $1 million or more, won in 12 different jurisdictions from coast to coast: California, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, New Mexico, Ohio, South Carolina and Texas.

This year started out with six jackpot winners in less than four months – a number far more typical of a full year! The first was a big one – $1.348 billion won in Maine on January 13, the second-largest prize awarded in Mega Millions history. That was followed by three quick wins. The very next drawing, on January 17, produced a $20 million win in New York. Two drawings later, $33 million was won in Massachusetts on January 24, and just two drawings after that, Massachusetts repeated with another jackpot win, this time at $31 million. Then came two more wins in New York, at $483 million on April 14 followed by $20 million on April 18. That was the first time in Mega Millions history that two jackpots have been won in the same state in consecutive drawings.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – During the Public Forum portion of Wednesday’s Atlantic City Council meeting, Theresa Hohenberger, a citizen of Atlantic and a local landlord, discussed her concerns over the condition of some rental properties in the city, especially those rented by a certain group of ethnic residents.

Hohenberger and her husband James feel “If we wouldn’t live there, then we wouldn’t rent it out.”

City Administrator John Lund says there are some ideas “Percolating,” and they may gain some traction in the near future. That may include an HOA (Home Owners Association) with strict covenants on what is and what isn’t allowed. HOA’s are normally found in subdivisions in some parts of Iowa and other states.

Councilman Pat McCurdy, himself a landlord, said voluntary property inspections cannot be performed by a person or group of people, as Hohenberger had suggested. He said also, he blames some of the other landlords for allowing a number of people to occupy apartments or rental properties, and the resulting damage that occurs.

Landords do have to follow the City’s Maintenance Code Ordinance, which is the purview of Code Enforcement Officer Kris Erickson.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Fair will be open to the public beginning July 27th. That same evening, 14 youth will compete for a place in the Royal Court. Preliminary judging is set to take place on Monday, July 17th at the Cass County Community Center in Atlantic, with each candidate being interviewed by two judges.

Candidates vying for the title of queen include: Rachel Becker, Sydney Becker, Natalie Behnken, Ryleigh Harrison, Cecilia Hensley, Rio Johnson, Claire Pellett, Natalye Scholl, Quincy Sorensen, Trista Swain. The candidate selected as queen will advance to the Iowa State Fair, where she will compete in the statewide competition for the title of the 2023 Iowa State Fair Queen.The King candidates are Dylan Comes, Tristan Becker, Parker Brock, and Brett Dreager.

Judging criteria is based on leadership, citizenship within the community, poise, charm, appearance, personality, attitude, and the ability to communicate openly with honesty about current youth issues. Candidates competing for the Queen and King Position voted amongst themselves for a Miss Congeniality and Mr. Congeniality.

The crowning of the 2023 Cass County Fair King and Queen will take place in the north garden of the Cass County Community Center on Thursday, July 27th at 7:30 pm. The evening will kick off at 7:00 pm with the Little Miss and Mister contest. Cass County youth ages 5-through 8 can participate by signing up in the Extension Office by noon on Wednesday, July 26th. All contestants introduce themselves to the crowd before a winner is drawn out of a hat. The candidate selected as Queen will advance to the Iowa State Fair, where she will compete in the statewide competition for the title of the 2023 Iowa State Fair Queen.

Coordinating the event this year is superintendent Haley Schmidt, the 2022 Cass County Fair Royalty including, Queen, Keira Olson, Princess, Paige Jensen, King, Bryan York and Prince, Logan Evens. As always, the Cass County Fair is FREE. The are no parking or admittance charges. The Fair runs July 27th through July 31st.