The trial for a Defiance women charged with possession of methamphetamine and felony third-degree burglary, is scheduled to take place next month in Shelby County District Court. 18-year-old Sarah Nicole Caswell is accused of burglarizing a residence on Durant Street in Harlan on June 28^th.  While in the home, Caswell also allegedly damaged the residence.  Caswell also faces a Misdemeanor charge for allegedly being in possession of a small baggie of meth, which she allegedly tucked into her pants, and was discovered after Caswell was arrested on an outstanding warrant November 10^th. 

Caswell entered a plea of not guilty to the charges on December 12^th. Her pre-trial conference will take place on January 9^th, with trial set for January 31^st in Shelby County District Court. If convicted, Caswell faces a maximum sentence of six years in jail, with additional fines totaling $6,500.

For the second time in about three months, someone has released horses from an animal rescue facility near Glenwood. According to Omaha television station WOWT, someone opened the gates at the Hooves and Paws Rescue Shelter, letting loose the horses, endangering not only the animals’ lives, but those of motorists traveling on a nearby highway. All of the horses were returned to the corral, but Hooves and Paws owners Bill and Gina Stoops aren’t so sure they will stay put.

The couple got a frantic call Tuesday morning warning them that the horses were out, and dangerously close to the highway. Fortunately, the recovering horses couldn’t travel very far. Bill Stoops told the TV station all he had to do was shoo them into the corral and shut the gate. Three people also stopped by to lend a hand.

Stoops said the next time someone tries set the horses free, he will be ready for them. He says heavier chains and locks have already been added, and security cameras are being installed. The Mills County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the incident, along with the reported theft of at least two cameras stolen from their mounts on a nearby recreational trail.

NORFOLK, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say a vehicle has hit the Nebraska boyhood home of Johnny Carson. Police say an SUV plowed into the front of the two-story home Tuesday afternoon in Norfolk. The vehicle caused extensive damage to the porch, which collapsed. The vehicle ended up in the entryway. Norfolk Police Chief Bill Mizner says the driver was taken by ambulance to Faith Regional Health Services in Norfolk. His identity and condition weren’t immediately released.

Audubon County Sheriff Todd Johnson says an Exira man just released from the Cass County Jail on Monday, was arrested again on an outstanding warrant out of Audubon County. 44-year old Mark Wayne Rydl was taken into custody on a charge of Failure to Appear on a Driving While Barred charge. Rydl was being held in the Audubon County Jail on $2,500 bond. He’s scheduled to appear in court on Dec. 26th.

The Sheriff also said no injuries were reported following two separate accidents Monday morning, in Audubon County. The first occurred at around 7:30-a.m., on Highway 44 near Heron Avenue. Johnson says 51-year old Sandy Jean Andersen, of Audubon, was traveling west on Highway 44 when she lost control of her vehicle on the icy curve. The 2005 Subaru slid sideways into the north ditch, went over a field drive and rolled several times. Damage to the car was estimated at $10,000.

The second accident happened about a half an-hour later, on Highway 173, near 280th Street. Sheriff Johnson says 64-year old Marcia Louise Nelson, of Kimballton, was traveling south on Highway 173 when she lost control of her 2001 Chrysler on an icy curve. The vehicle rolled over after entering the east ditch, sustaining $5,000 damage in the process.