BEATRICE – A Firth man charged in an incident where shots were fired into a Beatrice home, faces further hearing September 8th, in Gage County Court.
18-year-old Colten Anderson is charged with discharging a firearm near a vehicle or building, and use of a firearm to commit a felony. The charges, upon conviction, carry possible sentences of up to 50 years in prison, with a mandatory five-year minimum on each count. Anderson was excused from attending Thursday’s hearing.

Facing identical charges in the incident is 19-year-old Jordan Meyer, of Lincoln. Bond remains set at $1 million for each defendant.  Meyer faces further hearing in Gage County Court, September 1st.

Jordan Meyer (Lancaster County Detention Photo)
Jordan Meyer (Lancaster County Detention Photo)  

 
The two men were arrested on warrants at their homes for an early morning, August 3rd incident, where shots were fired into a home at the southwest corner of 14th and Lincoln, in Beatrice. No one inside the home was struck by the shots, which came from a shotgun and 40-caliber handgun.


In an affidavit for the arrest warrants, police said bullets that went through the house narrowly missed five people inside. Police recovered six spent 20-gauge shotgun shells and sixteen spent 40-caliber rounds, at the scene.  Beatrice Police said threats on Snapchat between Meyer and a juvenile living at the home, including verbal threats and photos of firearms were part of the evidence pointing authorities to the suspects.


Multiple reports had been received by the Gage County Sheriff’s Office of vandalism to mailboxes and a parked vehicle, outside of Beatrice…where the mailboxes and vehicle had been shot multiple times by a 20-gauge shotgun and 40-caliber handgun. Law officers collected spent casings from those scenes.


Lancaster County Sheriff’s officers also reported they attempted to detain four males caught painting graffiti on a bridge. Three escaped on foot, but the driver of a vehicle involved was caught. During a search of the car, officers located a 20-gauge shotgun and a defaced 40-caliber handgun. The driver told authorities that Meyer and Anderson had been shooting guns out in the county and shot up a house in Beatrice…and that he had driven the pair to Beatrice. The driver told police he parked in a nearby alley when the two suspects allegedly shot up the house.


According to the affidavit, the driver said they stopped on their way back to Lancaster County at a parked pickup along a county road, and the two men allegedly shot up the truck with the same shotgun and handgun.