FAIRBURY - Plea deals were reached in a child abuse case and a sexual assault case and opposite sentences were imposed in two unrelated drug possession cases in Judge David Bargen's Jefferson County District Court on Thursday. 

The following is a recap of some of the more notable decisions. 

State v. Brandon Myers

A child abuse case that has roots as far back as at least 2022 has nearly reached its conclusion. Brandon Myers was arrested in May 2024 after a teenager in the home disclosed to a school counselor that she had been sexually and physically abused by Myers multiple times, most recently in April. 

Jefferson County appointed Assistant Attorney General Gail VerMaas as a special deputy county attorney for the case, and initially charged Myers with intent to commit child abuse and third degree sexual assault of a minor (both Class 3A felonies) and third degree assault (a Class 1 misdemeanor).

Myers initially pleaded not guilty on all counts, but on Thursday submitted a no contest plea instead. In exchange, the misdemeanor count was dropped; the second charge of sexual assault was reduced to a misdemeanor; and the first charge of child abuse remained intact. 

Earlier this year, Brandon's wife, Bobbi, identified as the victim's mother, was issued concurrent sentences for child abuse and failure to report child abuse in a separate but very much related case. At that hearing, attorneys for both parties indicated that Bobbi would be used as a witness in Brandon's case, but now this case, too, will be finalized before a trial.

Bargen found Brandon Myers guilty beyond a reasonable doubt on both charges, which could carry a sentence of up to three years in jail if the court decides to go that route. Myers will learn of his fate at a sentencing hearing on September 4.

State v. Lynn Vieselmeyer-Scheets

Vieselmeyer stands accused of first-degree sexual assault on Halloween 2024, where he “subjected another person to sexual penetration without consent,” according to court filings. He pleaded not guilty to that charge in early January but attorney Ben Murray indicated Thursday that a plea agreement has since been reached. The defendant was not present for this update because he is being held in a correctional facility in Omaha and was not able to be transported to Fairbury for this hearing.

A jury trial had been established for August 27-28 but that has been removed from the docket with the expectation that Vieselmeyer-Scheets will accede to a plea agreement of some kind when he is due to appear in court next on August 7.

State v. Tina Hinrichs

Hinrichs was first implicated when an undercover operation uncovered her involvement in multiple meth deals in September 2022. Eventually, she was issued two charges manufacturing and possession of meth (a Class 1D felony) and intent to distribute (a Class 2 felony). 

She initially pleaded not guilty to the first charge but this month reversed course, entering a guilty plea to the second charge. As a result, the first charge was dropped, and Hinrichs has now been accepted into the Southeast Nebraska Drug Court. Her orientation is set for later this month.

State v. Jeffery Stotler

Originally arrested in April of last year when drugs and related items were uncovered in his residence, Stotler was initially charged with possession (a Class 4 felony) but earlier this year had that charge reduced to attempted possession (a Class 1 misdemeanor) in exchange for a no contest plea. 

Stotler has previous offenses and probation attempts in his history, and claimed that he's in "a different state of mind" now. 

"He's asking the court to look at him being in a different stage of his life, and he is prepared to make the necessary changes to move forward in a positive way, and prove to the court that he's not a danger to the community," defense attorney Lee Timan said. 

The court disagreed with that assessment, however: Bargen concluded that Stotler's checkered history with previous probation attempts made him an unfit candidate for the program this time around, concluding that "imprisonment is necessary for the protection of the public."

"A lesser sentence would depreciate the seriousness of the crime, and promote disrespect for the law," Bargen said in his address to the defendant. "Today's a day of accountability, and moving forward, I certainly hope you get the assistance you need so you never see me again."

Stotler was found guilty and sentenced to 365 days in jail, with credit for three days already served and a potential to subtract 175 from the sentence for "good credit."

State v. Heather Jones

This case nearly took a different turn when it appeared the defendant was not present for the hearing, which went on as scheduled and finished with the issuing of a bench warrant - but it turned out Jones was in the courthouse all along but was unable to get into the courtroom, so the hearing was redone with her present, with a significantly different outcome.

Just like the previous case, Jones was arrested in 2024 and charged with possession of a controlled substance. There was a date for a jury trial set, but that was removed when Jones entered a no contest plea in exchange for a charge reduce to attempted possession. 

"I would think that the tools available in probation are available exactly for a person like this," defense attorney Scott Gropp argued. 

Unlike in the previous case, however, this time, Bargen agreed with that conclusion and sentenced Jones to 12 months probation.

"This is your second chance," Bargen said in his address to Jones. "Please take this as your opportunity to turn things around so you never see me again."

"Deal," she replied.