Casey Heinen, an Arapahoe man who pleaded no contest to and was convicted of sexual assault and child abuse in February, was sentenced in Furnas County District Court Thursday. After about 45 minutes of testimony from an OB-GYN, Dr.

BEAVER CITY - Casey Heinen, an Arapahoe man who pleaded no contest to and was convicted of sexual assault and child abuse in February, was sentenced in Furnas County District Court Thursday.

After about 45 minutes of testimony from an OB-GYN, Dr. Ann Sjulin, and Heinen’s sister, Catherine Bowers, as well as closing arguments from Furnas County Attorney Morgan Farquhar and defense attorney Justin Daake and a statement from the defendant, District Court Judge James Doyle sentenced Heinen to 30-40 years in prison for each count with the sentences to run consecutively.

Over a six-hour period during the monthly Nebraska State Board of Education meeting on April 2, the eightmember body heard testimony from 79 individuals. All but three of those making public comments were there to voice their opinion on the 60-page proposed Department of Education Health Standards document that was released in March. Sixty persons went on record in opposition to the proposed standards with only sixteen testifying in support of it.

Two men who had been charged in the Furnas County sex trafficking investigation reached plea deals with prosecutors and were convicted before District Court judges Thursday. Thursday morning, Justin Brooks, a 31-year-old from Arapahoe, pleaded no contest to an amended count of Child Abuse without Injury, a Class 3A felony.