Well, the marijuana actually wasn’t in the pickup tool box. It was contained in a false compartment inside a wooden tool box in the bed of the pickup.

The patrol reports the trooper stopped 29-year-old Alvin Sias of Henderson, NV when he failed to signal at the Bradshaw interchange on I-80. He and his passenger, 37-year-old Chad Baillargeon of Las Vegas were arrested and charged with possession with intent to deliver.

The patrol reports a trooper stopped a car for improper display of a rear license plate near the airport exit. A search of the car discovered nearly 24 pounds of marijuana contained in 20 individual packages, located in two totes in the cargo area of the car. 40-year-old Craig Bartmer of Lawndale, CA is in the Lancaster County jail, charged with intent to sell the marijuana.

Earlier near the same I-80 exit, a trooper stopped a car for an improper lane change and discovered three pounds of marijuana in a suitcase in the trunk of the car. Vincent Falco, 40, of Antioch, IL has been charged with intent to sell and also is incarcerated in the Lancaster County jail.

The Nebraska State Patrol reports a five-month investigation led to the arrest of 55-year-old Lewis D. Rakosnik without incident at his uncle’s home in Pawnee City. Rakosnik is charged with knowing and intentional abuse of a vulnerable adult.

The patrol states that a friend of the uncle contacted Rakosnik about a year ago, asking that he care for his uncle who was ill. Rakosnik moved into his uncle’s home. He was given durable power of attorney.

Authorities accuse Rakosnik of selling land, cashing out certificates of deposits and transferring money from his uncle’s bank account, liquidating more than $600,000.

Rakosnik has been incarcerated in the Johnson County jail.

This brings up the question in what situations can residents use guns or other weapons against intruders. Chris Zeeb is a spokesman with the Nebraska Firearms Association and says there are four instances where deadly force can be used. He says a person must be facing an eminent danger of death, serious bodily injury, kidnapping or sexual assault.

Zeeb says there is a discretionary line when shooting someone is justified and when not. He says you can not shoot an unarmed burglar if he or she shows no threat of bodily harm. However, Zeeb says pulling a gun on someone in that situation is justifiable as long as it is not fired.

The Attorney General’s office reports that 21-year-old Noah Hall will be sentenced in March in Richardson County District Court.

“Mr. Hall downloaded sexually explicit images of children being victimized,” Attorney General Jon Bruning said in a written statement. “This crime not only violates the law, it perpetuates the damage done by revictimizing each child involved.”

Bruning’s office says the plea stemmed from an investigation by the Attorney General’s Office Rural Cybercrimes Unit, which discovered multiple sexually explicit images of children on Hall’s computer.

Aaron Curry — 7:45 a.m. The 6’2, 275-pound defensive tackle will choose Nebraska and Iowa.

Alonzo Moore — 9 a.m. Nebraska, Northwestern State and Louisiana Tech. 6-’2, 175-pound athlete.

Devian Shelton — 11 a.m. 6’2, 185-pound cornerback, is considering Nebraska, Washington and Oregon State.

Andrus Peat — ESPNU will carry his live announcement at 12:30 p.m. The 6’7, 305-pound offensive tackle will pick between Nebraska, Stanford and USC

Vincent Valentine — 1 p.m. The 6’4, 313-pound defensive tackle narrows choices to Nebraska, Illinois and Florida

Raymond Ford — TBD. Nebraska, Washington State, Cal, or Utah are among the 5-’10, 165-pound cornerback’s choices.

The incident began with a high speed chase on I-80 east of the Odessa exit late Friday night. It ended at noon Saturday with the arrest of the second suspect in Minden.

The Nebraska State Patrol reports 22-year-old Aleksandr Voznyuk of Sioux Falls, South Dakota and 18-year-old Petr Strizheus of Harrisburg, South Dakota fled from the trooper when he attempted to stop them for speeding. The vehicle left I-80 for Highway 44. The patrol says several shots were fired from the vehicle at the trooper, striking the patrol car at least once. The car turned east onto Highway 6, heading toward Minden, before turning north on Highway 10.

The pursuit ended when the vehicle struck a ditch and the two occupants fled on foot. Additional troopers, dogs and the Aviation Support Division were called in to aid in the search.

Troopers arrested Voznyuk very early Saturday morning near the Ft. Kearney Feedlot after the pilot of the NSP helicopter located a heat signature in a field using Forward Looking Infrared. Voznyuk has been detained in the Buffalo County jail.

A librarian’s tip led to the arrest of the second suspect, according to the patrol. A librarian at the Minden public library reported to the Kearney County Sheriff’s Department that a suspicious subject was there. Strizheus was arrested without incident. He has joined Voznyuk in the Buffalo County jail.

Neither suspect was armed at the time of the arrest. The investigation continues.

The Nebraska State Patrol reports a drug dog sniffed out marijuana in the sports utility vehicle driven by Raul Verdugo Jr., 43, of Ashland, OR on Interstate 80. A trooper seized more than 103 pounds of marijuana stuffed in four large suitcases in the cargo area of the SUV.

Verdugo is now a resident of the Seward County jail.