Regional News
Sioux Sheriff Costello convicted of two misdemeanors
Published Saturday, May 30, 2009 at 11:02 AM
The 2-man, 4-woman jury deliberated 2 hours after a day long trial. Judge Randin Roland of Sidney hopes to set a sentencing date for early July.
The false reporting charge carries a maximum of 1 year in jail, while abuse of public records has a maximum of 6 months. Both have a maximum fine of $1,000.
Sheriff Costello will remain free on a personal recognizance bond as he has since the citations were issued last November.
Assistant Attorney General Doug Warner, who served as special prosecutor in the case, said in his closing arguments that the entire Costello family had lied to try to take a pickup awarded Ken Otis in his divorce from Sedonia Costello Otis.
Warner said Sheriff Costello lied to a police dispatcher when he said District Judge Brian Silverman, who handled his daughter's divorce, wanted the truck listed as stolen, and that any experienced law officer knows judges don't get involved in such civil disputes.
At the heart of the prosecution's case were recordings of 3 phone calls that seemed to contradict Costello's claim he never told anyone he'd talked to the judge or that Silverman wanted the pickup recovered.
Defense attorney Bell Island argued there was no evidence or testimony that the sheriff intentionally filed a false report or tried to hurt his former son-in-law either by taking his truck or having it listed as stolen in hopes of having Otis or his live-in girlfriend Pam Goss stopped and arrested.
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This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Nebraska Headlines from AP
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- © 2008 Rural Radio Network. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.