Two hearings for individuals charged in separate theft cases took place during the July 16 session of Antelope County Court in Neligh.
In both cases, the defendants failed to appear before the Honorable Donna Taylor.
Angel Martinez, 30, of Huron, South Dakota, faces one count of theft by unlawful taking, $5,000+, a Class IIA felony. Due to his failure to report to court, Martinez’s attorney, Martin Klein, requested to withdraw, due to lack of contact with his client. Taylor approved of Klein’s request.
Martinez was arrested June 7, after Antelope County Deputy Steven Mills stopped a gray Mazda 3, driven by Martinez. According to the probable cause affidavit, a plate check instigated by Mills led to discovery that the vehicle was stolen out of South Dakota.
Once stopped, Martinez allegedly told Mills the vehicle belonged to his cousin. While at the location of the traffic stop, on Highway 14 in the Elgin business district, Mills contacted the police chief of the Lake Norden, South Dakota, police department, who had entered the stolen vehicle report.
Chief Mark Morgan alleged that Martinez obtained the vehicle from another party to purchase it, did not pay any money, and had no further contact with the seller, which prompted the seller to report the stolen vehicle.
….see more at this week’s Elgin Review.
