AUBURN - Kimberly Hoagland, 38, and Rickey Long, 41, both of Humboldt, have entered no contest plea in Nemaha County to misdemeanor criminal mischief involving damage to irrigation pivots in 2022.

A Nemaha County Sheriff’s Office affidavit estimates damage at nearly $50,000 and says All American Recycling in Murray provided investigators with two receipts to Hoagland for copper and aluminum.

Hoagland entered pleas to misdemeanors involving property of Lynn Binder of Table Rock, John Hawley of Auburn and Dwaine Rogge of Auburn. James Gerdes, Blaine Anthony and Tyler Binder were also listed as possible witnesses in an information filed by prosecutors.

The affidavit says seven irrigation pivots in Nemaha County had the wire and hardware stolen from them and additional pivots had wire stolen in Pawnee and Johnson counties.

In May of 2022, deputies were dispatched to Road 721 west of Highway 75 where wire had been cut from a pivot and the landowner found cigarette butts.

DNA analysis would later identify Long and Chase Ramer, 37, of Humboldt. A search of their Humboldt residence yielded metal scrap consistent with irrigation pivots.

The affidavit says Ramer told investigators that he and Long would walk along the top of the pivots and cut the wire with hedge shears.

Ramer said they would bend the metal tabs that held the wire in place with their fingers. He told investigators that Hoagland would gather the wire.

The affidavit says Ramer told investigators that he does not remember being at the location where the cigarettes butts were found

In an affidavit to obtain a DNA sample from Ramer, investigators told the court there were 14 pivots involved in a 30-mile radius of Nemaha and Pawnee counties and estimated the value of the loss at $90,000.

Long was earlier sentenced in Pawnee County to 36 months probation for felony criminal mischief. He entered no contest pleas in Nemaha County to criminal mischief involving property of Hawley, Gerdes and Anthony. Sentencing is set May 14.

 

 

 

Ramer is scheduled to enter a plea to six counts of theft in Nemaha County on April 23.