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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 10, 1996)
By Chad Lorenz Senior Reporter A 2 1/2 year legal battle came to an end Monday when former Nebraska football player Tyrone Wiliams pleaded no contest in District Court to reduced charges for a 1994 shooting. One of two felony weapon charges was low ered Monday to third-degree assault — a mis demeanor. Wiliams was originally charged with vio lating the state’s drive-by shooting law and use of a weapon to commit a felony for a January 1994 incident. The plea bargain led to Williams’ convic tion on the day his long-awaited trial was sched uled to begin. Wiliams was accused of firing a .22-cali ber handgun at a car occupied by then-Ne w York Jets player Kevin Porter and a UNL student near 17th and L streets. Joe Kelly, Deputy Lancaster County Attor ney, said after the hearing that he lowered the charges in order to “save everybody the time and expense of a trial.” Wiliams made no statements during the hearing. Sean Brennan, Wiliams’ attorney, later said Wiliams wa&grateful to the county attpraaffe The incident was Wiliams’ only run-in with the law, Brennan said. He added that people shouldn’t judge the former Nebraska comerback based on the shooting. During Wiliams’ career at UNL, he proved he was a hard-working student and athlete, Brennan said. “He developed into someone who is a first class person,” he said. The third-degree assault conviction didn’t mean that Williams intended to hurt anyone, Brennan said, only that he threatened the victim. The county attorney’s office couldn’t have convicted Williams on the original felony charge without showing intent, he said. “They didn’t have evidence that Tyrone meant to hit people in that car,” Brennan said. The case swayed in and out of Williams’ favor during its 31 -month history. At Williams’ first arraignment, he argued that charging him with both felonies was double jeopardy — trying him twice for the same act — and violated his constitutional rights. He appealed the charges to the Nebraska Supreme Court, which refused to review the case in March. Before that, the next lowest court, the state Court of Appeals, ruled Williams could not appeal until he was convicted. Brennan said Williams will focus on his ca reer with the Green Bay Packers now that the case is behind him. He said Williams probably would not be suspended from playing for the Packers. “I don’t think they’re worried about him getting into any more trouble,” Brennan said. NU Football Coach Tom Osborne released a statement saying he was “glad to see there has finally been some closure” in Williams’ case. ‘*t^rone"hsB not bee® in trouble before or since this incident and we hope he is able to move on with his fife and continue to be suc cessful,” Osborne said. Green Bay Packers representatives had not prepared a statement by Monday evening. Williams will be sentenced on Nov. 19. He faces a maximum penalty of six years in jail and an $11,000 fine. Guide to help communities prevent juvenile delinquency By Todd Anderson Staff Reporter In an effort to direct community support and keep juveniles out of trouble, Gov. Ben Nelson announced a planning guide for communities across Nebraska. During a conference call Monday from North Platte, Nelson voiced his support for the “Partners in Planning” Community Planning Guide for 1996 to 1998. The guide is intended to promote and preserve families and to pre vent juvenile delihquency. The guide is provided by the Nebraska Crime Commission to assist communities in develop ing a comprehensive and specific plan to address juvenile justice and other community issues. The guide is part of the “Partners in Plan ning” process. “This comprehensive planning approach brings community leaders together with statewide assistance teams to identify local problems and implement solutions that are tailored to the needs of that particular community,” Nelson said. Through the program, a coordinator, a state wide assistance team and a network of people will help the communities. These “Partners in Planning” team members are trained to introduce community leaders to the plan, identify and mobilize a local planning council, develop and carry out a plan and find funding, said Jeff Hart, the Crime Commission’s Juvenile Justice Planning Specialist. The original planning guide was released in 1993 and is used by more than 50 communi ties, Hart said. It was revised using input from 45 Nebraska communities. Five hundred planning guides will be dis tributed this month, Hart said. \' .-NLiUr. Scott Bruhn/DN RICHARD DURSX new dean of UNL’s College of Fine and Performing Arts, held the same position at the University of Minnesota-Duluth for seven years before coming to Lincoln. New arts dean: Students shouldn’t be so modest By Erin Schulte Senior Reporter Students from Nebraska are just too mod est. That’s what the new dean of the College of Fine and Performing Arts thinks. And if he has his way, that’s something that is go ing to change. Richard Durst started as the college’s new dean on Aug. 1, after spending seven years at the University of Minnesota in Duluth (UMD) as dean of the School of Fine and Performing Arte, “In Minnesota, we called it ‘Minnesota nice,’ Durst said. “Everyone was so modest” . But convincing arts students to come to UNL and getting donors to help fund the Please see DURST on page 3 Hagel, Nelson downplay contributions from tobacco PACs By Matthew Watto Senior Reporter In a campaign climate stacked against both tobacco and special-inter est money, Nebraska’s Senate candi dates are not worried about the appear ance of campaign donations from ciga rctte companies. According to information released by die Federal Election Commission, Democratic Gov. Ben Nelson has tafcec $3,000 in tobacco political ac tion committee money duringthe 1996 election season. IBs opponent, Repub lican businessman Chuck Hagel has reported taking $1,000 from tobacco PACs. But Hagel campaign staffers are 1 quick to point out that Nelson has taken in mote than $15,000 in tobacco PAC money since 1990, when he first ran for governor. Hagel said he was against smok ing and that he tells everyone he knows who smokes to stop. But he also said government should be care ful when getting involved in tobacco issues. “This is not a risk-free society,” Hagel said. “We need to go bade to exercising some personal responsibil ity and discipline §p This is not a risk-free society ” Chuck Hagel Nebraska Senate candidate I__ interests in Nebraska away from to bacco. He used &JR Nabisco as an example. The tobacco giant also makes food products. During his time as governor, Nelson said, he has tried to get tobacco companies to voluntarily move ciga rettes behind counters and move vend ing machines to places where minors can not get access. The .governor also echoed Hagel, by saying government’s role in regu lating tobacco should be limited. Per sonal responsibility, Nelson said, should be stressed. ' “It’s a very delicate balance/to make sure government isn’t oveneajbh ing,”he said.