Wilke testifies his innocence, jurors acquit
By Catherine Blalock
Staff Reporter '
Lincoln Police Officer Luke Wilke has been
found not guilty of third-degree misdemeanor
assault in the arrest of Francisco Renteria.
Testimony in the days prior to the verdict
concentrated on both autopsy results and W ilke ’ s
own testimony.
On June 16, Officer Wilke took the stand to
testify in his own defense. As Wilke approached
the witness stand he appeared very nervous
before a packed courtroom of his family, fellow
officers, the Renteria family and the media.
Under direct examination from John Stevens
Berry, Wilke said it had been a longtime dream
of his to become a police officer.
‘7 told him in a loud voice he
was under arrest. ”
■
LUKE WILKE
Lincoln Police Officer
He went to school in Kearney, majored in
Criminal Justice, with the goal of becoming a
police officer. Right after graduation he went to
work for the Norfolk Police Department. He
worked there for three years and then came to
Lincoln.
Wilke testified about the night of Sept. 30.
He said that about ten minutes before ten in
the evening, his dispatch assigned him to a
disturbance call in the area of 24th and
Holdredge.
When Wilke arrived at 24th and Holdredge,
he saw Officer Charlotte Veskma backing away
from Renteria in a defensive manner.
He yelled for the man to stop, but there was
no response. He grasped the left arm and Renteria
pulled away.
Wilke thought that Renteria was drunk and
was Martinez, the man in question. He began to
arrest him for violating a lawful order.
“1 told him in a loud voice he was under
arrest,” Wilke said.
He said Renteria was a lot stronger than
Wilke was and so he decided that the Lateral
Vascular Neck Restraint (LVNR) was a good
choice.
Wilke demonstrate the technique on Officer
Mike Woolman.
Tanna Kinnaman / DN
Officer Luke Wilkie stands outside the city-county building, 555 S. 10th St.,
after closing statements on Monday.
First, he began to place the left arm around
the neck to protect the trachea. Next, he began
to bring the two palms together and encircle the
neck. Then, he pushed hi s knees into the subj ect ’ s
legs to make the subject lose balance.
“I was never able to get far enough to get my
hands together,” he said.
Renteria used movements similar to rear
escape techniques that the police are taught,
Wilke said. *
Wilke became scared that Renteria might
throw him so he tried another technique.
Wilke notice they were now on grass, so he
began trying to trip Renteria. It didn’t work. He
then tried LVNR again.
There are three levels of LVNR:
1) Mild pressure (encircling the neck)
2) Sight pressure on the neck
3 > Firm pressure on the neck
Wilke was only able to get through level one
and was starting to use level two, but never got
that far.
The second LVNR was unsuccessful so he
held onto the clothing of Renteria until someone
else arrived to help.
While waiting, Wilkeheard someone yelling
that the subject did not speak English.
Two plain-clothed officers arrived to help.
Wilke rocked Renteria to the left and both
fell, with Wilke falling on Renteria’s feet.
Another officer brought Renteria’s arm back
and Wilke handcuffed it. Renteria was still
struggling and moving around after the hand
cuffs were applied.
Wilke took a couple of steps back.
“I wanted to catch my breath,” Wilke said.
Renteria was still kicking his legs and some
one asked for Wilke’s rope, he said.
“I tried to make the loop big enough to fit
over his right foot,” he said.
Wilke demonstrated use of the rope.
Both feet have the rope tied around them and
then it has a metal clasp that connects to the
handcuffs.
As Renteria was moved to the cruiser, W i Ike
filled Captain Rowe in on the situation, after
Rowe arrived at the scene.
Medical assistance was called after Renteria
vomited on the backseat of the cruiser.
“I’ve told the truth,” Wilke said when asked
if he had lied under oath.
Under cross-examination by Robert Bartle,
Wilke admitted that Renteria did not fit the
description of Chico Martinez.
Martinez was wearing a dark blue jacket
and blue shirt. Renteria was wearing a white and
black checkered shirt and no jacket.
People do not always fit the description that
the dispatch gives officers, Wilke said.
Wilke also testified that no one hit Renteria
in the neck or the head.
On June 19, both attorneys gave closing
statements.
Bartle began by talking about the critical two
and a half minute time frame that occurred from
the time Wilke arrived at the scene until Renteria
was in custody.
The whole time officers were trying to arrest
Renteria, all he was doing was trying to walk
away, Bartle said.
In his closing statements, Berry brought up.
the fact that the words “arrest”, “police” and
“stop” are similar in both English and Spanish.
After almost nine hours of deliberation, a
seven-man, five-women jury found Wilke not
guilty.
Wilke stood before about twenty co-workers
Renteria family
tended the trial from the beginning was not
present when the verdict was read.
Wilke close his eyes and sighed as Majorie
Hart read the verdict.
Bartle said he will accept the decision and
move on to his next case.
“I think Lincoln will leam and grow from
this,” he said. “I hope that all members of the
community and all constituencies will accept
this verdict.”
Lt. Kent Woodhead of the Lincoln Police
Department said, “I don’t think it’ll affect the
police department. We think the community has
been behind us.”
Officer Stephen Shellpeper has been charged
with third-degree misdemeanor assault trial
begins June 26. The grandjury for Danny Wright
with the Lincoln Fire Department will recon
vene this week.
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Tuition rates to be higher
as regents approve increase
By Becky Keasling
Staff Reporter
The University of Nebraska Board
of Regents recently approved a 6.2
percent tuition increase.
The increase will go into effect this
fall and will bring in an extra $390,000
of revenue to the university. This will
cost most UNL students an additional
$119 each year.
James Griesen, Vice Chancellor
for Student Affairs, said, “The money
is needed for the engineering program
in Omaha, salary increases, library
improvement, and to hire additional
temporary professors.
“We need to hire additional tempo
rary help because the university may
be facing a 400-500 increase in first
time undergraduate students.”
If this happens, the university will
need to offer additional basic classes
such as English, history and math,
Griesen said.
“Although it is difficult to adjust to
the new lower division demand, we
will get help,” he said.
Also, half a percent of the $390,000
has been set aside for a scholarship
fund for students with financial need.
“It seems appropriate to give money
to students through scholarships and
grants,” Griesen said. “It shows that
UNL makes students a high priority.”
Furthermore, there has also been a
large increase in the number of students
who requested on-campus housing.
Seven hundred more students than
last year have reserved the housing.
Griesen said he is not concerned
about this increase, and the university
would not accept more contracts than
it could handle.