Scotts Bluff County Attorney

The Scotts Bluff County Attorney is an official elected to a four year term of office. The County Attorney is considered the top law official in Scotts Bluff County. He is responsible for the criminal prosecution of all felony and misdemeanor crimes that occur within all of Scotts Bluff County. The office also performs a number of other duties as defined by Nebraska State Statute. The County Attorney and his deputies also serve as the County Coroner.  Representation of Scotts Bluff County in civil lawsuits and involuntary mental health commitments, determination of inheritance tax and tax foreclosures are other duties of the County Attorney.

The County Attorney oversees Tom Hunter with the Victim/Witness Assistance Unit, Vicky Moreno as the Special Investigator, Stacey Albright as the Diversion Coordinator and Child Support Enforcement.

Mission Statement

The mission of the Scotts Bluff County Attorney’s Office is to provide justice to the citizens of Scotts Bluff County by prosecuting local and state law violations, including at times negotiating with defendants to ensure adequate treatment and punishment of crimes; initiating and defending civil actions as needed; filing for and enforcing paternity and child support orders; providing assistance to victims and witnesses of crimes; and, promoting safe and healthy lifestyles to all citizens regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, disability, religion, or other classification.

Location

Top floor of the Scotts Bluff County Court House
1725 10th Street
Gering, Nebraska 69341

Hours

Monday through Friday
7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. - open through the lunch hour
(Closed Holidays)

2007 Annual Report      

Contacts

Tiffany Wasserburger , County Attorney
(308)436-6674

Criminal Division

John Childress, Chief Deputy County Attorney
Mark Berton, Deputy County Attorney

Todd Morten, Deputy County Attorney

Family-Juvenile Division

Andrea Longoria, Deputy County Attorney

Tom Hunter, Victim/Witness Advocate

Vicky Moreno, Special Investigator

Stacey Albright, Diversion Coordinator

Karen West, Bad Checks Division

Child Support

(308)436-6671

Child Support Enforcement ~ Customer Call Center

1-877-631-9973

(You will need to know your County No. and Case No. - Scotts Bluff County No. is 21. - If you do not know your Case No., you will need to contact the local Child Support office during regular business hours.)

Send payments to:
Nebraska Child Support Payment Center
PO BOX 82600
Lincoln NE 68501-2600

Programs

• Victim/Witness Assistance Unit
• Special Investigations
• Diversion
• Bad Checks
• Child Support Enforcement
  

Frequently Asked Questions

When and where is my next court date?
For a County Court case, contact the Scotts Bluff County Court at (308)436-6650.
For a District Court case, contact the District Court of Scotts Bluff County at (308)436-6641.

If I am charged with a crime, can I talk to the prosecutor?
If you have retained a defense attorney, you should speak with your attorney. You should not speak to the prosecutor without your attorney being present.

Can obtain copies of the police reports and other evidence relating to my pending charges?
If you have retained or been appointed a defense attorney, your attorney should request these materials.  Your attorney will need to make a motion to the court to obtain reports and the court must sign an order before these documents will be released.

If you are pro se, you will need to make the request in person and present photo identification.  You can only obtain this report for yourself after you have appeared in court for your arraignment and declined counsel.

The charges for obtaining these materials are: $0.25 per page.

Can I drop the charges in a case?
No, charges are filed by the County Attorney on behalf of victims and can only be dropped by the County Attorney’s Office. You may call the prosecutor or the victim advocate to discuss the issue.

I received a subpoena to appear in court. Who can I talk to about what will happen in court?
You can call the victim advocate and he will talk to you about what will happen.

Some Definitions

Arraignment: Court hearing when a defendant pleads guilty or not guilty, after a preliminary hearing. Witnesses do not have to testify.

Bond: Money or property that is promised or given to the court to make sure that a defendant will come back to court after being released from jail.

Continuance: When the court delays a hearing.

Defendant: A person who is accused of committing a crime.

Disposition: The resolution of a case.

Motions Hearing: A hearing where the judge decides what evidence will or will not be allowed at trial.

No Contact: A condition of bond that means a defendant cannot have contact with a victim by phone, letter, through a third party or in person.

Plea Agreement: A defendant pleads guilty in return for a certain sentence recommendation or agrees to plead guilty to a different offense.

Preliminary Hearing: A hearing to determine if there is enough evidence to go to trial. This is the first hearing when witnesses may have to testify.

Pre-Trial Conference: A meeting between the County Attorney and the defendant and his attorney to discuss possible pleas (i.e. plea bargaining).

Restitution: After conviction, a defendant can be ordered to pay the victim for “out of pocket” financial losses. Talk to a victim advocate for more information.

Subpoena: An order to come to court, which is either mailed to the witness or personally delivered.

Downloadable Forms

Links

• Gering Police Department
• Scottsbluff Police Department
• Scotts Bluff County Sheriff’s Department
• Nebraska State Patrol
• Health and Human Services
• Nebraska Child Support Payment Center
• Nebraska State Bar Association
• Nebraska Attorney General
• Project Extra Mile
• DOVES
• Nebraska Judicial Branch (Forms and Information on Application for a Protection Order)

If you need to report a crime in progress or have information relating to a crime, please call the Gering Police Department at 436-5088, Scottsbluff Police Department at 632-7176 or Scotts Bluff County Sheriff at 436-6666 for non-emergencies and 9-1-1 for emergencies.

If you would be interested in having a member of the County Attorney’s Office speak to your group or organization please contact Stephanie Todd via e-mail at countyattorney@scottsbluffcounty.org or via telephone at (308)436-6674.