An officer has been charged with assault after a late-October incident at a local hospital.
February 3, 2021 9:25 am
LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) On Tuesday, a former Lincoln Police officer was cited for third-degree-assault after an incident occurred while working off-duty at a local hospital.
Lincoln Police Chief Brian Jackson said Wednesday morning that Benjamin Rieker had been an officer for 18 months before resigning on Jan. 26 for policy violations.
While working in an off-duty capacity at Bryan West hospital, a disturbance occurred that led to Rieker assaulting a man while he was leaving the hospital, according to Lancaster County Sheriff Terry Wagner.
The disturbance occurred on October 31, 2020, and then police chief Jeff Bliemeister was made aware of the incident on Nov. 12, and placed Rieker on an unpaid leave of absence from the department, and called for an internal investigation.
Sheriff: Burglar caught after getting stuck in driveway
It happened around 7:30 p.m. Monday at a home near Pawnee Lake on Northwest 98th Street.
Wagner said the homeowners noticed a Dodge Durango stuck in their driveway and went to see if the driver needed help. There was no one inside, but they saw a number of their belongings from a storage shed. Things like a fishing tackle box and motorcycle helmet.
Deputies followed fresh tracks in the snow to the neighbor’s house, where they found Alexander Janeke, 25, had walked to seek help.
Wagner said they arrested him on suspicion of burglary and theft. The Durango also had been stolen out of Lincoln.