Nebraska

Wisconsin teen found safe, man arrested thanks to stranger in Nebraska

Published

9 months ago

April 4, 2025

Wisconsin teen found safe, man arrested thanks to stranger in Nebraska

MILWAUKEE – A pregnant teen from Beaver Dam will return home safe after weeks of searches and investigations, which spanned multiple states, thanks to a tip from a stranger nearly 500 miles from home.

The backstory:

An Amber Alert was issued in Wisconsin after Sophia Franklin was last seen at her home on Feb. 2. At the time, she was 16 years old and three months pregnant. Amber Alerts were later issued in Arkansas and Missouri.

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The teen was found on Wednesday – her 17th birthday – near Omaha, Nebraska. She was with 40-year-old Gary Day, who is now in custody. Police said he is the father of the unborn child, and the two began talking online roughly a year ago.

How were they found?

What they’re saying:

Nearly 500 miles from Beaver Dam, the “see something, say something” mantra ended the search for the missing teen.

“They observed an adult male and juvenile female, and they just thought it was suspicious – that maybe they just didn’t go together,” said Lt. Dennis Svoboda with the Sarpy County Sheriff’s Office.

After talking with the teen, a 911 caller went online and saw an Amber Alert for her, along with a photo of the man investigators said she was with.

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“They provided false information, some variety of names. Our people ran them through databases, couldn’t find them,” Svoboda said.

That is, Svoboda said, until a mobile fingerprint scanner confirmed Day’s identity, and he was taken into custody.

Dig deeper:

Police said Day was seen on surveillance near Franklin’s home in February. His booking photo looks a lot different from the photos shared in police social media posts and prior Amber Alerts.

Beaver Dam Police Department

“He definitely was trying to elude investigation and subsequent arrest, which makes him even more problematic,” said Stan Stojkovic, professor emeritus of criminology at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Day also changed license plates on the car he was driving, and Svoboda said the two may have hitchhiked around the country. That’s partially why Stojkovic gave kudos to all involved law enforcement agencies.

“This is a victory for law enforcement,” he said.

In custody

What’s next:

Day remains in custody in the Sarpa County Jail, where he faces misdemeanor charges. He has outstanding child abuse charges in Arkansas against a different child, on top of felony charges in Wisconsin tied to Franklin.

FOX6 News asked the Dodge County District Attorney’s Office about extradition for Day but did not hear back by the deadline for this story.

The Source: FOX6 News interviews Lt. Dennis Svoboda with the Sarpy County Sheriff’s Office and Stan Stojkovic, professor emeritus of criminology at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Information from prior coverage of the case was also referenced.

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Nebraska

Nebraska Court of Appeals upholds conviction of Grand Island man in sexual assault case

Published

7 hours ago

December 16, 2025

Press Room

Nebraska Court of Appeals upholds conviction of Grand Island man in sexual assault case

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. — The Nebraska Court of Appeals has affirmed the conviction and sentencing of a Grand Island man charged with sexually assaulting a minor.

Cory Gilmore was sentenced in June to 36 to 48 years in prison on two counts of first-degree sexual assault. Court records said he was initially charged with first-degree sexual assault of a child, first-degree sexual assault and third-degree sexual assault of a child, but pleaded no contest to the two sexual assault counts as part of a plea deal.

According to an arrest affidavit, a report of a possible sexual assault came into the child abuse hotline that Gilmore sexually assaulted a minor girl when he was intoxicated.

A Grand Island police officer later interviewed the girl – who is younger than 19 years old – who said she was sexually assaulted by Gilmore from early 2021 to December 2023.

In his appeal, Gilmore claimed the District Court abused its discretion by imposing an excessive sentence. He also claimed his trial counsel was ineffective in failing to take the deposition of the alleged victim and failing to move to withdraw Gilmore’s plea before sentencing.

In its ruling, the Court of Appeals denied Gilmore’s claim of ineffective trial counsel. In his appeal, Gilmore said that at sentencing, he notified his counsel that he wished to withdraw his no-contest plea as he didn’t want to plead guilty or to say he did something he didn’t do.

The Court of Appeals said that at no point did Gilmore inform the District Court that he wished to withdraw his plea and that the District Court asked him if he made his plea “knowingly and voluntarily.”

The Court of Appeals also said in its order that at Gilmore’s sentencing hearing, the District Court looked at Gilmore’s risk to reoffend, his criminal history and the fact that he “showed no remorse for the trauma he has inflicted” in imposing its sentencing. The Court of Appeals said this was appropriate and that his sentencing was not excessive.

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Nebraska

Nebraska collects $200k in child support from gambling winnings

Published

19 hours ago

December 16, 2025

Press Room

Nebraska collects 0k in child support from gambling winnings

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services has collected more than $200,000 from gambling winnings to go toward child support arrears just three months after implementing the program.

The Gambling Winnings Setoff for Outstanding Debt Act was approved through the passage of Legislative Bill 1317 and signed by Gov. Jim Pillen in 2024.

“This program ensures funds are being used to help support kids across Nebraska,” said Gov. Pillen. “Parents have an obligation to their children, and we’re guaranteeing their well-being by collecting these winnings.”

The collections began Sept. 2, 2025. The act requires gaming operators to withhold a portion of winnings from individuals who have an unpaid debt with the state and remit the funds to the Department of Revenue.

From there, the collected funds are distributed to various agencies, including DOR, Department of Labor, Department of Motor Vehicles, and DHHS.

Within the first 13 weeks, $529,091.47 was dispersed to these agencies, with DHHS receiving $215,852.98 for the Child Support Enforcement Program.

“By administering these dollars directly to families, the Child Support Enforcement Program is setting our state’s children up for success,” said Shannon Grotrian, director of the Office of Economic Assistance. “It’s making an immediate impact on their livelihoods and making sure they have what they need to grow and thrive.”

For more information on Nebraska’s Child Support Program, visit the DHHS website.

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Nebraska

Big Ten basketball power rankings: Look out for Nebraska

Published

1 day ago

December 15, 2025

Press Room

Big Ten basketball power rankings: Look out for Nebraska

Another week of college basketball action saw significant movement in the Big Ten Conference. Out of nowhere, the Nebraska Cornhuskers are 11-0 to start the season and are quickly ascending the national rankings. They dominated the Wisconsin Badgers on Wednesday night, handing Greg Gard the most lopsided loss of his coaching career.

Along with Nebraska, Michigan, Purdue, Michigan State and UCLA are tied atop the conference standings at 2-0. That top group will likely remain consistent over the next few weeks before the Big Ten schedule intensifies in early January.

As we enter the final stretch of nonconference play, here is an updated snapshot of the full conference power rankings. Michigan remains the leader.

Updated Big Ten Basketball Power Rankings (Dec. 15)

Michigan Wolverines (10-0, 2-0 Big Ten; No. 1 in KenPom) — No change
Purdue Boilermakers (10-1, 2-0 Big Ten; No. 6 in KenPom) — No change
Michigan State Spartans (9-1, 2-0 Big Ten; No. 12 in KenPom) — No change
Illinois Fighting Illini (8-3, 1-1 Big Ten; No. 14 in KenPom) — No change
Nebraska Cornhuskers (11-0, 2-0 Big Ten; No. 21 in KenPom) — Up 6
Iowa Hawkeyes (9-2, 1-1 Big Ten; No. 20 in KenPom) — No change
USC Trojans (10-1, 1-1 Big Ten; No. 38 in KenPom) — No change
Indiana Hoosiers (8-3, 1-1 Big Ten; No. 26 in KenPom) — Up 2
Wisconsin Badgers (7-3, 1-1 Big Ten; No. 37 in KenPom) — Down 4
Ohio State Buckeyes (8-2, 1-1 Big Ten; No. 39 in KenPom) — Down 1
UCLA Bruins (7-3, 2-0 Big Ten; No. 31 in KenPom) — Down 3
Washington Huskies (7-3, 1-1 Big Ten; No. 48 in KenPom) — No change
Northwestern Wildcats (6-4, 0-2 Big Ten; No. 58 in KenPom) — Up 1
Oregon Ducks (5-5, 0-2 Big Ten; No. 84 in KenPom) — Up 3
Maryland Terrapins (6-5, 0-2 Big Ten; No. 100 in KenPom) — No change
Minnesota Golden Gophers (6-5, 1-1 Big Ten; No. 108 in KenPom) — No change
Penn State Nittany Lions (8-3, 0-2 Big Ten; No. 107 in KenPom) — Down 4
Rutgers Scarlet Knights (5-6, 0-2 Big Ten; No. 147 in KenPom) — No change

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