Former Fillmore County Sheriff to pay fine after plea agreement in DUI case

SEWARD COUNTY, NE — A former law enforcement officer in southeast Nebraska will have to pay up after accepting a plea agreement in a driving under the influence (DUI) case. 

Former Fillmore County Sheriff Steve Julich made an appearance in Seward County Court Wednesday. 

He's been ordered to pay $250 plus court costs and fees after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge of reckless driving. In exchange, prosecutors lessened the charge from DUI to reckless driving. 

The sentence stems from an incident in March 2022. According to court records, police say Seward County Sheriff's deputies responded to a single vehicle crash early on March 20, 2022. 

According to police, Julich was the only one in the car when they arrived. Authorities say they could smell alcohol and that Julich told them he had been drinking that night. Per the arrest affidavit, Julich told police he was not the one driving, but police, through their investigation, believe he was. 

Julich was Fillmore County Sheriff when the arrest occurred. He was in the midst of a re-election campaign as well. 

Julich ended up being defeated by Steve Roemmich in the May primaries. Roemmich was officially elected into the role in November.