May 20, 2013

Update: Omaha double homicide investigation

The Omaha Police Homicide Unit continues to investigate the murders of Roger and Mary Brumback Tuesday at their home at 114th and Shirley Streets. Police say they are following up on several leads and tips including any possible connections to other crimes.

The Omaha Police Cold Case Unit is assisting in this investigation to determine if there is any connection to a double homicide on March 13, 2008 at 54th and Davenport Streets. 11 year old Thomas Hunter and the family housekeeper Shirlee Sherman were both found dead inside the home.

There is one connection. Both Dr. Roger Brumback and the father of the boy killed in 2008, Dr. William Hunter both worked at Creighton University.

“The safety of our citizens is the top priority of the Omaha Police Department. We will leave no stone unturned to bring justice and closure to not only the families involved but to our citizen’s of Omaha as well.” – Chief Todd Schmaderer. Omaha Police do not plan to release additional information regarding details of the case in order to protect the integrity of the investigation.

There is a Crime Stoppers Reward for up to $54,000 for information leading to an arrest in the Sherman-Hunter homicide.

BBB warns of travel scam

The Better Business Bureau – Nebraska issued an alert to warn consumers about a business that calls itself Omaha Travel, an internet travel promotions company claiming to be located in Omaha. President of the BBB – Nebraska Jim Hegarty says they have received a number of complaints from consumers who responded to faxes offering travel and vacation deals. Hegeraty says they tried to contact Omaha Travel at the address in Omaha they posted on their website and they were not at that location. They also contacted the owner of the property and asked about the business and the BBB were told that company is not a client.

Hegarty says people find out about the “deals” being offered by Omaha Travel by receiving faxes at their place of employment. The BBB is not aware that any of the deals being offered are real and consumers who purchased packages are not getting their money back. He says the company is also falsely claiming to be a BBB accredited business and they are not. The BBB logo is on the Omaha Travel website.

Hegarty says it isn’t uncommon for scammers to use a name representing the Midwest because there is a trust factor with doing business with people located here. He believes this “company” is located off-shore and their goal is to scam customers. He says the BBB contacted the Federal Trade Commission and they are taking this investigation to the next level

The BBB advises those looking for travel packages to be suspicious of heavily discounted offers, a company that only wants cash or wire transfer money for payment and one call – last chance deals.

Staffer at Attorney General’s office snared in pot bust

A worker in the Nebraska Attorney General’s office has been fired after her arrest on drug charges.

The Nebraska State Patrol says 38-year-old Kimberly Meidell was taken into custody Wednesday at her Lincoln home.

Authorities seized more than a hundred marijuana plants, along with some pot that was cured and ready to sell.

Meidell and her boyfriend, 38-year-old Eric Trost, were charged with marijuana possession with intent to deliver.

The two had been under surveillance for months. Meidell had worked as a litigation assistant in the state Attorney General’s office the past nine years.

 

Nebraska dog kennels make HSUS list of nation’s worst

Three dog breeders in Nebraska are being named to the national “Horrible Hundred,” a list of so-called puppy mills put out by the Humane Society of the United States.

Kathleen Summers, spokeswoman for the organization, says the facilities on the list have slews of issues including thousands of dollars in fines for Animal Welfare Act violations, dead dogs and neglected puppies in need of urgent veterinary care.

“We selected 100 puppy mills that have been cited for multiple problems over the last couple of years and in some cases, over more than a decade,” Summers says. “What we’re trying to do is show the types of problems that are out there, not just with these 100 puppy mills, but actually at hundreds and hundreds of additional puppy mills across the country.”

The 100 facilities listed are located in 20 states, with many of them in the Midwest. Summers says the region is home to so many puppy mills because the central location is key to shipping animals to pet stores all across the nation.

In most cases, Summers says the facilities listed have been cited for violations by the U-S Department of Agriculture.

“The USDA regulates puppy mills that sell to pet stores but there are hundreds of additional puppy mills that sell over the internet through websites that make it look like it’s a small family breeder,” Summers says. “They sell puppies sight unseen to people across the country and many of those puppy mills are never inspected at all.”

For Nebraska families who are in the market for a canine companion, Summers recommends never patronizing a puppy farm and never buying a dog over the internet.

“If you do decide to go to a breeder, make sure you visit in person and see how the puppy’s mother is living, see where the puppy was born and raised and see if it’s the kind of place you really want your dollars supporting,” Summers says. “Another fantastic option is going to an animal shelter. Your money there will be used to help save more animals instead of supporting a potentially cruel facility.”

The facilities listed in Nebraska include: Barbara Crick of Cricks Kennels in Burwell, Linda Hager in Crab Orchard, and Janice and Steph McCutcheon and Krystal Wulf in Guide Rock.

See the full list at:

http://www.humanesociety.org/assets/pdfs/pets/puppy_mills/100-puppy-mills-list.pdf

 

 

 

 

Creighton University professor and wife killed in their Omaha home

114ShirleyOmaha police have identified the two victims in the double homicide Tuesday morning in west Omaha as 65-year-old Roger Brumback, a Creighton University professor, and  his 65-year-old wife, Mary.

Police were called to their home on a “well being” check and discovered both bodies.

The couple was planning to move to West Virginia next month and a piano mover arrived to pick up their piano and found a magazine clip on the floor. That prompted the call to 911.

Roger Brumback was a professor of pathology, psychiatry and neurology at Creighton University. The couple was moving when he finished his term.

Police have not released details on the cause of death or why they believe it is a double homicide.