CUSTER COUNTY— Custer County District Court was in session this week with three criminal cases on the schedule.
Jill Janssen, 57 of Broken Bow, appeared in person as she was accused of absconding in violation of her probation. Janssen pled no contest to amended charges of theft (class IV felony) from 2017. She was sentenced to three years of probation which began in July 2018.
During her hearing on Thursday, February 18 Janssen elected to represent herself in the case and also admitted to the probation violations which included failing to appear for drug testing and not notifying the probation office when she moved from her Broken Bow residence.
Judge Karin Noakes ordered an updated pre-sentence report be completed before Janssen is sentenced on March 18 at 10 AM. Deputy County Attorney Kayla Haberstick requested that Janssen be released on a personal recognizance bond with the condition that she contact the probation office within 24 hours. The request was granted by Judge Noakes.
Danielle Thomas, 32 of Chicago, Ill., appeared via Zoom for a pre-trial conference where she was facing ten charges including five counts of alleged 1st-degree forgery and five counts of alleged criminal possession of a forged instrument.
During her hearing, Thomas’ attorney, Aaron Bishop, informed the court that a plea agreement had been reached where if Thomas pled guilty or no contest to an amended charge of criminal attempt (class IV felony) the other nine charges would be dismissed. Also as part of the agreement, both attorneys would recommend the sentence be ran concurrently with a case in Buffalo County.
Thomas pled guilty to the amended charge and was sentenced to 180 days in jail to run concurrently with the sentence in Buffalo County. Judge Noakes also ordered Thomas to pay $336.75 in restitution to Trotter’s, Casey’s, and Dollar General jointly and severally with the co-defendants in the case.
Thomas was arrested when she and two others used counterfeit $100 bills to purchase items and then received back cash.
One of the co-defendants in the aforementioned case was Jaquan Rogers, 20 of Chicago, Ill., who appeared via Zoom to be sentenced on one charge of criminal attempt (class IV felony). Both Deputy County Attorney Haberstick and Rogers’ attorney, Christopher Wickham, asked the court to sentence Rogers to probation to run concurrently with the sentence in Buffalo County.
Judge Noakes agreed with the plea deal and sentenced Rogers to three years of probation to run concurrently with the case in Buffalo County. Rogers was also ordered to pay $336.75 in restitution jointly and severally with the other co-defendants. The probation was also transferred to Illinois.
