An arrest was made early Friday in connection to the four people found dead in a small Nebraska town on Thursday, according to the Nebraska State Patrol.A press conference is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. CT Friday.The four were found dead in two separate homes in Laurel, a northeast Nebraska town, and authorities said fire was involved at both locations. Authorities believe gunfire also played a role in the deaths.Investigators believe the fire in the 500 block of Elm Street may have started around the same time as the reported explosion in the 200 block of Elm Street. Both are believed to have happened shortly after 3 a.m. Three people were found dead in the second residence and fire crews worked to preserve evidence while putting out the fire, according to Nebraska State Patrol. According to the state patrol, foul play is suspected in the death of the four people at two different crime scenes that are about five blocks apart in Laurel, which is in Cedar County, is home to fewer than 1,000 people, and is about 100 miles northwest of Omaha. Officials are waiting on autopsies for the causes of death."This is a tiny, safe community. We aren't sure if they knew each other, but everyone knows everyone in this community," Cedar County Sheriff Larry Koranda said. "If people see something out of the ordinary, call the state patrol."Shortly after the second fire, a silver sedan, reportedly driven by a Black male, was seen leaving Laurel and may have picked up a passenger before leaving town, according to the Nebraska State Patrol.

What started as a rescue call ended with a moment of kindness thanks to police officers in Nebraska.Karen Ressegieu recently woke up to find her husband unresponsive. "I woke up at 1:30 a.m., and he was still breathing. So, I, evidently, I went back to sleep, I'd never heard him. And at 6:15 a.m. I got up because we had a funeral that morning," Ressegieu said. When medics arrived, they performed multiple rounds of CPR before telling Ressegieu her husband had died.Despite the devastating news, Officer John Danderand said Ressegieu still kept putting everyone else first."She had a lot going on, she had some neighbors stopping by trying to figure things out, get information from her. And she had mentioned about three times that she had to get a cake frosted, they were supposed to attend a funeral that morning," he said. Danderand decided to jump in to help."They said, 'Karen, can I frost that cake?'" Ressegieu said.Sgt. Kraig Gomon said he snapped a couple of pictures to serve as a memory down the line, but it captured a part of the job that goes on behind the scenes. "She was just more worried about everybody else than herself. And that was what struck me the most as her kindness. And for me, it was a small gesture for us to be able to try to return that to her," Gomon said. Ressegieu said that morning was a blur, so having officers she could rely on helped her through the loss of her husband. "And they said, so where does it go? And I pointed to where, so they delivered the cake, too," Ressegieu said. It was a somber day made a little sweeter by a simple gesture. "They just showed lots of kindness, you know, going out of their way," she said.

The Nebraska State Patrol said a 13-year-old girl led troopers on a high-speed chase on Monday night.Her passenger was an 11-year-old boy, according to authorities. The state patrol said they were the only two people in a Nissan Pathfinder traveling about 35 mph on Interstate 80 near Kearney.When a trooper tried to stop the vehicle, investigators said the 13-year-old girl sped away.She hit more than 100 mph before the patrol said they put stop-sticks in her path.Troopers had to use a tactical maneuver to end the chase after about 12 miles, according to authorities.The kids, both from Colorado, also had a gun and a small amount of marijuana in the vehicle. The juveniles were placed in protective custody.

Susan Inks believes the killing of Rodney Pettit, 41, at a bar in Omaha, Nebraska, should have never happened if prosecutors would have charged the same suspect in her son's death two years ago.Omaha police said Pettit was assaulted before midnight Saturday and died Monday morning at Nebraska Medicine.Over the weekend, police released photos of Parliament Pub patrons they wanted to question in Pettit's assault. Inks saw the photos on social media and her heart dropped."I immediately, of course, recognized him and said, 'Yes, that's him,"' Inks said. "I immediately emailed Omaha police and said, 'His name is Nolan King.'"Inks knows King as the man who killed her son, Shane Inks, 31, in September 2019 at 33rd and Howard streets. "He was stabbed over 17 times in the face neck and chest," she said.Police never charged King, who was 19 at the time. Detectives said the stabbing was self-defense.Inks said she's angry and took to social media posting how another person is dead and King is the suspect. "It's pretty heartbreaking. It opens a lot of old wounds," she said.Now Pettit's family and friends are feeling the same pain."We had a meeting and pulled the whole team together. There was not a dry eye in the house," David Dunn said. "They were talking about how willing he was he would do whatever it took to help them be successful and I think that sums him up." From Oklahoma, Pettit's boss at Legend Driven Honda described how important Pettit was to the success of their car dealership during COVID-19.Pettit moved to Lawton from Omaha two years ago to work as the general sales manager.Dunn said he and Pettit, a father of four, with a 3-month-old, just had a nice conversation last week about finding his happiness. "Great changes in his life, recently married, brand new baby...he felt like things were coming together, as well as they had for him and his life. It's so devastating," Dunn said.Inks hope Pettit's family will get the justice she's been waiting for."He should have gone to jail when he killed my son and then his daughter would have a dad," Inks said. Police booked King for first-degree assault with a weapon, but not a gun.Those charges are expected to be upgraded. Police are not saying how Pettit died.His friends said he was in town for a networking event.

OMAHA, Neb. —

Susan Inks believes the killing of Rodney Pettit, 41, at a bar in Omaha, Nebraska, should have never happened if prosecutors would have charged the same suspect in her son's death two years ago.

Omaha police said Pettit was assaulted before midnight Saturday and died Monday morning at Nebraska Medicine.

Over the weekend, police released photos of Parliament Pub patrons they wanted to question in Pettit's assault.

Inks saw the photos on social media and her heart dropped.

"I immediately, of course, recognized him and said, 'Yes, that's him,"' Inks said.
"I immediately emailed Omaha police and said, 'His name is Nolan King.'"

Omaha Police Department

Inks knows King as the man who killed her son, Shane Inks, 31, in September 2019 at 33rd and Howard streets.

"He was stabbed over 17 times in the face neck and chest," she said.

Police never charged King, who was 19 at the time. Detectives said the stabbing was self-defense.

Inks said she's angry and took to social media posting how another person is dead and King is the suspect.

"It's pretty heartbreaking. It opens a lot of old wounds," she said.

Now Pettit's family and friends are feeling the same pain.

"We had a meeting and pulled the whole team together. There was not a dry eye in the house," David Dunn said. "They were talking about how willing he was he would do whatever it took to help them be successful and I think that sums him up."

From Oklahoma, Pettit's boss at Legend Driven Honda described how important Pettit was to the success of their car dealership during COVID-19.

Pettit moved to Lawton from Omaha two years ago to work as the general sales manager.

Dunn said he and Pettit, a father of four, with a 3-month-old, just had a nice conversation last week about finding his happiness.

"Great changes in his life, recently married, brand new baby...he felt like things were coming together, as well as they had for him and his life. It's so devastating," Dunn said.

Inks hope Pettit's family will get the justice she's been waiting for.

"He should have gone to jail when he killed my son and then his daughter would have a dad," Inks said.

Police booked King for first-degree assault with a weapon, but not a gun.

Those charges are expected to be upgraded. Police are not saying how Pettit died.

His friends said he was in town for a networking event.

An Iowa teenager is turning to surgery, hoping an expensive procedure will give her a new smile. Since she was a little girl, Liberty Williams’ mouth curved a bit different than those around her. Now after years of bullying, she said she doesn't feel free to smile wide. "Do I have a crooked smile?" At 4 years old, Liberty asked her mom that question.Dusty Williams said her daughter's preschool teacher had brought it up to her.It broke her heart, so they tried to find a fix."There was nothing, we had no diagnosis at all,” Dusty Williams said.So for 15 years, Liberty lived with one side of her mouth being different. And bullies have always noticed."It was hard because I know I’m different from other people and people would just see me differently than I do, so I just want to be seen as normal and have a normal mouth but it’s hard when people keep saying things,” Liberty said.This past year the bullying took a big turn.Liberty got an anonymous text message calling her names and saying, "You have no point in life and nobody wants you here. I don’t know how you get friends with that messed up mouth.""It didn’t have a phone number or anything, I didn’t know what to do. I went straight to my mom,” Liberty said."She was just sobbing in a ball on her bed, just sobbing and I was angry,” Dusty Williams said.After calls to the police, the school, the phone provider and the county attorney with no answers, the Williams family felt at a loss.But, that reignited their search for a doctor who could help.A surgeon in Omaha, Nebraska, tried, but once Liberty was under anesthesia, Williams said the doctor came out with bad news."This surgery was unsuccessful. We went in, we cut her open we dug around and there’s actually no nerves or muscles in the entire side of her face,” Dusty Williams said.He was able to place gold in her eye, which allowed her to finally close her eyes completely.That doctor referred them all the way to a surgeon in Beverly Hills. They believe he can do a facial reanimation."They can’t fix anything internally but on the outside, they can make her smile a little more symmetrical and change some of the things about her that she's uncomfortable with,” Dusty Williams said.A GoFundMe will pay for the expensive surgery.A friend is offering photoshoots, with the proceeds going to the Williams family.Money is also being raised by the sale of anti-bullying T-shirts in Liberty’s name.“That’s what’s more important is that they stop treating her that way to me than fixing who she is, like that’s who she is,” Dusty Williams said.In the end, it’s Liberty's choice. "I think if I got the surgery I’d be happier with my smile but I feel like other people are winning if I do. So, I don’t know what to do,” Liberty said.

When Jonathan Johnson was in the hospital battling COVID-19, his nurses said his outlook wasn't always good. "He was as sick as you could be without passing away," said Amy Waldstein, critical care nurse at Methodist Jennie Edmunson in Iowa.But they said he was a fighter throughout the journey. "It was admirable about how he fought the whole time, he did every possible thing he needed to do to get past COVID," Waldstein said.Johnathan finally got off the ventilator and his condition improved, but before he left the hospital, he had another goal in mind."When I finally woke up from being on the ventilator for three and a half weeks, and I was feeling a little better, and was able to breathe, I thought to myself, you know, I want to marry this one," Jonathan said.He wanted to surprise his fiancé Mariah, so Jonathan and his nurses started planning.Critical care nurse Jenna Harvey said it was a little unorthodox."There was no flower girl. However, I did throw some petals here and there for them," Harvey said.The couple had been engaged for more than a year and Mariah says when she went to the hospital, she had no idea what was in store for her. "We get in there, he told me, and I was completely blown back," Mariah said.Harvey said the couple needed to celebrate after Jonathan's long battle."It's something they both deserve after going through such a tragic time in their relationship," Harvey said.While it wasn't the wedding the couple had planned."She wanted to do a Halloween theme wedding, but I didn't know how long I was gonna be in the hospital," Jonathan said.Jonathan says surviving his battle gave him some new perspective. "I didn't want to have any regrets because after coming off the ventilator, you view a lot of things differently in life," Jonathan said.Watch the full story in the video above.

A Nebraska pediatrician is encouraging pregnant women to get the COVID-19 vaccine after her maternal vaccination protected her newborn son at home.The American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology reports vaccine-generated antibodies are present in umbilical cord blood and breastmilk after maternal vaccination."It's 100% safe to get vaccinated," said Dr. Natalie Fleming, who works at Methodist Health System in Omaha. "It's now recommended. Your OBGYN will recommend it, your pediatrician will recommend it and we're going through it ourselves. We're doing it ourselves."Fleming received her dose of the Pfizer vaccine when she was 20 weeks pregnant in December. When she and her vaccinated husband Max brought their son Miles home, their daughter Melanie had just resumed daycare with other children after a 15-month break due to the pandemic.Melanie got sick. Natalie thought her daughter had a common cold for the first week. When symptoms lasted into a second week, the self-described "Fleming four" got tested for COVID-19.Three-year-old Melanie was positive for the virus.Natalie, Max and baby Miles were negative."I hadn't even considered that that was a possibility for my daughter just with how quickly she recovered and her lack of serious symptoms," Dr. Fleming said. "At that point, I wasn't sure if my son would test positive or negative."The pediatrician recommends parents reinforce the importance of masking unvaccinated children in schools since 11-year-olds and younger aren't yet eligible for COVID-19 vaccinations.Dr. Fleming says her daughter has since recovered and will be vaccinated once she's eligible. The Methodist pediatrician recommends you do the same, whether you have a young one or plan on having one soon.

According to court documents, 80-year-old John Kotopka said he was exhausted from caring for 78-year-old Janet Kotopka who was diagnosed with the degenerative memory disease two years ago.It was early Sunday morning when a marriage of 57 years ended in a Lincoln, Nebraska, house.Kotopka told police he was in the living room with his wife, Janet, when he went upstairs to fully load and get his revolver, according to court documents. He then came down and shot her once in the head. Documents state that Kotopka said he started thinking about seriously hurting her 10 days before and that.Now police and health leaders want you to know, you are not alone, and help is available if you need to get a loved one into a memory care facility."They’re there, they're available and we suggest that they always look at those avenues, prior to taking drastic actions," Lincoln Police Department’s Acting Police Chief Brian Jackson said."Caregivers themselves can experience medical problems simply because of the stress of caring for their loved ones at home," Legacy Pointe Rehabilitation Center’s Chadd Russell said. Russell said the biggest problem is most people don't know there are options."The sad reality of situations like this is many times, they're avoidable," Russell said. Court documents said Kotopka also said he was worried about the financial responsibility of putting Janet in a nursing home."For people who are struggling financially, that support is available to them through the state Medicare office," Russell said. Kotopka has been charged with first degree assault and the use of a firearm to commit a felony.He's being held on 10% of a $500,000 bond.Lincoln police said now that Janet has died, they are going to review the charges as they do an autopsy.Click here to find resources for help.

You've heard of a vow renewal.But have you ever heard of a second proposal? And no, she didn't say no the first time. An Omaha, Nebraska, couple is celebrating 20 years of marriage with a special surprise.Ring in hand, in a tuxedo and this time with help, Charlie Burkett waits to propose to his wife."Hopefully she says yes,” Burkett said. "I met my wife 23 years to the day ago at Family Fun Center and I asked her to marry me 21 years ago to the day here at 72nd and Dodge,” Burkett said.Burkett sent Olly the Trolly to pick up Felicia and her family all those years ago while he waited at the place they met to propose. That time he wore a t-shirt and shorts and had a broken arm.Not Sunday."My best friend picked me up this morning. We went out to breakfast and we started to get ready for a fun afternoon out,” Felicia Burkett said.Felicia had no idea anything was up until a trolly pulled up in her driveway.It was full of family.Everyone except her husband and five kids.You guessed it, they were at 72nd and Dodge and the trolly drove straight past it. "That’s instantly when I knew. When I saw the boys and Charlie standing under the marquee,” Felicia Burkett said.Felicia lost her ring playing football with her sons. Her second proposal comes with a brand new ring to replace it.“I like the big dramatic, its 20 years, 20-year anniversary you’ve got to do something,” Charlie Burkett said.“I am so blessed. God has blessed me with an amazing family and friends, and I am just one blessed girl,” Felicia Burkett said."Marriage is not always easy even though we see these fairy tale moments, it really is our relationship with God and each other that has kept us going."