Area births

HAMER To Cameron and Brenda (Jones) Hamer of Dunning, a son born Feb. 9 at Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney. Grandparents are Glen and Vernelle Jones of Greenfield, Iowa and Bill and Judy Hamer of Scotia.

RUZICKA To Brad and Geneva (Rivera) Ruzicka of Grand Island, a son born Feb. 17 at Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney. Grandparents are Jim and Lola Ruzicka of Grand Island and Maria C. Rivera of Shelton. Great-grandmother is Margie Mundt of Grand Island.

Other births

COUVILLON To Mike and Stacy (Emery) Couvillon of Des Moines, Iowa, a daughter born Feb. 10 in Des Moines. Grandparents are Dave and Janet Emery of Lincoln. Great-grandparents are Gil and Virginia Emery of Grand Island.

STIPSITS To Scott and Tamra (Eppenbach) Stipsits of Olatha, Kan., a daughter born Feb. 12 at Overland Park Regional Medical Center. Grandparents are Gerry and Sherry Eppenbach of Omaha, formerly of Grand Island. Great-grandmother is Dorothy Thomsen of St. Paul.

Police/Sheriff

Anyone with information about any crime in the state may call the Grand Island-Hall County Crime Stoppers, 381-8822. Crime Stoppers guarantees that callers will remain anonymous.

A reward of up to $1,000 will be paid after law enforcement agencies have determined the seriousness of the crime and the usefulness of the information.

Inmate custody status can be obtained by calling the VINE hotline at (877) NE 4 VINE. Information is available 24 hours a day.

If you see a crime happening, call the Grand Island-Hall County Emergency Center 911.

Grand Island Police

The following felonies were reported:

* Janelle Brown, 715 Hagge Ave., reported a burglary there.

* Howard Elementary School, 502 W. Ninth St., reported a theft there.

* Mendy Chaon, 2426 Del Mar Ave., reported a burglary there.

Hall County Sheriff

Law enforcement arrested 12 people on warrants in 16 cases. The following felony was reported:

* Cindy Bond, Alda, reported an attempted burglary at 100 E. Front St. in Alda.

For more information visit www.hallcountyne.gov and click on the sheriff link.

Court report

Hall County District Court

* Oscar A. Rodriguez, 28, Grand Island, was sentenced to one year, two months to two years in prison for second-degree assault, reduced from first-degree assault, for a Jan. 16, 2007, incident involving Edilberto Heredia Garcia. He was also ordered to pay $17,000 in restitution.

* Sandra L. Ellis, 41, Hastings, pleaded not guilty to theft by unlawful taking for a May 9, 2007, incident involving property of Elizabeth Ruon. Her trial is scheduled for April.

* Raymond Hawkins Jr., 35, 1820 S. Lincoln Ave., pleaded not guilty to terroristic threats, stalking and willful reckless driving for a Dec. 12, 2007, incident involving Nickcole Hawkins. His trial is scheduled for April.

* Scott C. Fitzgerald, 44, 4306 Blauvelt Road, pleaded not guilty to possession of methamphetamine for an Oct. 31, 2007, incident. His pretrial is scheduled for March.

Hall County Court

* Johnny M. Ellis, 30, Gibbon, was fined $50 for attempted second-offense writing an insufficient/no funds check for a July 17, 2007, incident.

* Gonzalo Luevano, 55, 904 W. North Front St., was charged with possession of methamphetamine for a Feb. 18 incident.

* Andre D. Midgyett, 34, 517 W. Lincoln, was charged with possession of methamphetamine and possession of less than an ounce of marijuana for a Feb. 16 incident.

* Joshua J. Lewis, 20, 515 Meves Ave., was charged with third-degree assault on a police officer and minor in consumption of alcohol for a Feb. 16 incident.

* Kara K. Smith, 30, 115 W. Ninth St., was charged with theft by unlawful taking for a Feb. 18 incident involving property of Lindsey Monk.

* Dennis A. Castro, 40, Alda, was charged with possession of methamphetamine and false reporting for a Feb. 18 incident.

Driving under the influence

Gerardo Martinez, 31, Lexington, second offense, $500, 30 days in jail, one year no driving; Jason R. Casares, 19, 518 E. Capital Ave., Lot No. 34, $400, two years probation, six months no driving, seven days in jail; Gregory S. Lehechka, 51, 2429 Park Drive, $400, six months probation, 60 days no driving; Michael T. Kunze, 48, 1204 Kennedy Drive, second offense, $500, 10 days in jail, 18 months probation, one year no driving.

Correction

Lewandowski makes Wesleyan honors list

Quinn Lewandowski from Marquette made the Nebraska Wesleyan Academic Honors List for the fall semester. Lewandowski is a junior at Wesleyan and a 2005 graduate of Aurora High School. His name was inadvertently left off a list in Sunday's Independent.