A recently-arrested repeat offender pleaded not guilty to the three counts he currently faces, and four other defendants are set to accept plea deals in their respective cases. Read on for a full roundup of the proceedings from Jefferson County District Court, with Judge David Bargen presiding, from Thursday, January 9.

State v. Jesse Durflinger

A Southeast Nebraska man with many past arrests failed to appear in court to face drug charges late last year. Now, he is in custody in Jefferson County and is pleading not guilty to the three counts he faces.

Jesse Durflinger was arrested in Alexandria in December, a couple of days after police issued a warrant for his arrest. Thursday, he pleaded not guilty to three charges dating back to October, including possession of a controlled substance (Class 4 Felony) and multiple driving infractions. 

A repeat offender, Durflinger is due back in court on March 5 and is being held in the Jefferson County jail.

In separate but similar cases, Lindsay Pingel (Durflinger) and Terra Schultz, both of whom were arrested around the same time in December, both pleaded not guilty to their own possession of a controlled substance charge. They will also face a pretrial hearing on March 5. 

 

State v. Tammy Howey

When Tammy Howey was released from jail in July 2024, she wasn't given some of her personal property back, including her cell phone. That's when police say she became belligerent and threatened to kill police deputies. She was re-arrested, eventually awarded a space at the Lincoln Regional Center, and was ultimately declared competent to stand trial in December. 

She initially faced four total charges in this case, and had a separate legal proceeding in front of her as well. In this month's plea deal, the state is reducing the first two counts from third degree assault and terroristic threats - both 3A Felonies - to Class 1 Misdemeanors. Howey is pleading guilty to those two charges, and the other two terroristic threats charges - as well as the second, separate case - will all be "dismissed with prejudice."

The 60-year-old from Fairbury will face sentencing on March 5. She has been released on bond until then. 

 

State v. Richie Styers

Styers was first arrested in mid 2024 when he was caught reportedly trying to break through the doors of Plymouth apartment complex with a steel bar, then resisting arrest. Developments in the case have been percolating ever since - the case was delayed multiple times in 2025 while Styers received psychiatric care and the court determined whether or not he was competent to stand trial.

Finally, this month, it was determined that he was fit enough. By that time Styers' team had accepted a plea deal to dismiss two of the four counts against him and reduce the other two down to third degree assault and resisting arrest, both Class 1 Misdemeanors punishable by up to a year in jail. Judge Bargen handed Styers the 365-day sentence, but Styers received credit for the 477 days he had already served through the court process. He was granted immediate release with credit for the time served. 

 

State v. Donald Boomgaarn Jr. 

Boomgaarn was first arrested in October 2024 when Jefferson County law enforcement was alerted to the fact that Boomgaarn had attempted to contact and solicit a 15-year-old girl through the social media app Discord. Or, at least, that's what he thought he was doing: the girl was in fact a member of a Texas-based sting operation called Predator Poachers, which endeavors to catch people in situations just like these and expose them to law enforcement. 

Far from an open-and-shut case, it was nearly dismissed in county court before it was eventually accelerated to Bargen's district court last year. The state's case throughout 2025 hinged on the nuanced difference between attempted child enticement versus actual child enticement. Since Boomgaarn was never actually communicating with a minor, no actual minor enticement occurred. And, county attorney Joe Casson said, though Nebraska statute considers enticement an illegal act, since the organization who uncovered and reported the act is not a legitimate member of law enforcement, attempted enticement must be the charge. 

The state claimed that multiple members of Predator Poachers were prepared to testify had the case gone to trial, which it was close to multiple times. In the end, Boomgaarn pleaded no contest to a reduced charge of attempted minor enticement, a Class 1 Misdemeanor that could come with a year in jail or a fine, plus a 15-year stint on the sex offender registry. The 26-year-old will be sentenced on March 5. 

 

State v. Justin Cribbs

Cribbs was first arrested in this particular case in August 2025 when county police pulled him over for a traffic stop, during which they found a knife for which he did not carry a proper license. Further, Cribbs does carry a prior felony conviction in Jefferson County for possession of a controlled substance, so possession of a knife would have warranted another felony charge. 

Cribbs agreed to accept a plea deal this month reducing his first charge down to attempted possession of a weapon, which carries a sentence of up to two years in prison or a $10,000 fine. In exchange, the other three counts against him were dismissed. He pleaded guilty to the reduced count; the 46-year-old from Diller will be sentenced on March 5.