By CARRIE PITZER
Publisher

He was an Eagle Scout. She was a Gold Medal Girl Scout. Both reached the highest level of their scouting programs. Together, Kevin and Katy Armbruster have become the faces of the Stanton Cub Scouts — not that either will admit it.

“It’s about the kids. It’s what they’re doing — not us,” Katy said.

Stanton’s Cub Scouts are seen at every home football game, raising the flag before kickoff. They will hold a flag burning ceremony in August at the Stanton County Fair. They were also part of Monday’s Memorial Day program, which is just the second year the youth were asked to hold flags during the service.

“It’s important to me to have the kids involved, so they know the day isn’t about a barbecue or a day off of work,” Kevin said. “They asked us last year to be part of Memorial Day because they are running low on numbers with the VFW, so we’re happy to be there.”

Tracy Yost, senior district executive of the Diamond Dick District, said Stanton’s humble leaders are making a huge difference in rejuvenating Stanton’s troop.

“We hit the jackpot with Kevin and Katy. They are genuinely great people, and I’m glad they’re all involved in scouts,” Yost said. “We have kids who have been together since the first grade who have bridged onto Boy Scouts, which is something I credit to them as leaders. If parents are involved in scouting, the kids are more involved. They’re a big reason why we have parents and kids in Stanton so involved in scouts.”

Married for nearly 14 years, Kevin and Katy are both graduates of Stanton Community Schools. Called “a dynamic duo” by Yost, Kevin was recently named Cubmaster of the Year for the Diamond Dick District — nominated by someone in the community outside of the troop. Yost said although both Kevin and Katy were nominated, the award could only go to Kevin as the Cubmaster.

“Kevin actually modified the award and added Katy’s name,” Yost said with a chuckle, referring to the piece of tape on the award with Katy’s name. “That’s fantastic because they really are such a dynamic duo. It’s phenomenal to watch them in action because what one doesn’t do, the other does. We’re really lucky to have them.”

The Armbrusters said they enjoy scouting because it builds a foundation of lifelong skills and community involvement.

“It teaches a lot of the morals, ethics and skills they may not learn in school anymore or other places,” Kevin said. “Service to the community is something I push a lot because I believe in community service very strongly. We do a service project every month during the summer and several others during the year. Raising the flag at a football game is a small thing, but it’s an important value.”

Kevin began as a Cub Scout in the first grade and worked his way through the levels to reach Eagle Scout in 2000 during his senior year at Stanton. He returned to scouting six years ago when their youngest son, Josh, became a Lion in kindergarten.

“That’s when they started allowing kindergarteners to join the scouts. He was part of the pilot program for the Lions,” Kevin said. “The next year he became a Tiger, and I became the Cubmaster.”

Yost said it’s been a great asset having an Eagle Scout as the Cubmaster in Stanton.

“He brings a lot of experience and knowledge to the position,” she said. “I get a little choked up thinking about having such great people leading them. They are phenomenal people and very humble.”

Having three sons, Katy said it was inevitable that the family would be involved in scouting. Josh, 11, is a Boy Scout; Jake, 9, is a Bear in Cub Scouts; and Sam, 6, will join Cub Scouts as a Lion this fall in kindergarten.

Their son, Josh, was in the first group of Cub Scouts when Kevin became Cubmaster. It began with Josh and Collin Rutten as Lions. Six years later, five Cub Scouts recently transitioned to the Boy Scouts, which tripled the number with the Stanton’s troop.

Many other communities, including Neligh and Creighton, don’t have the numbers for their own troop and commute to Norfolk for weekly meetings. The Armbrusters said having a local troop in Stanton has kept more youth active in scouting.

“It’s hard for parents because of the traveling. That’s how you lose parent involvement,” Katy said. “There are a lot of options for kids these days, besides scouts.”

Katy took on the role of den leader five years ago when Kevin became the Stanton Cubmaster. Yost said it’s not uncommon for couples to share duties because of the amount of paperwork and meetings involved with being in a leadership role.

During her youth, Katy — a 2001 graduate of Stanton — was involved in Girl Scouts and advanced to its highest level. Helping her niece, she volunteered as Girl Scout leader in Stanton for several years until their sons started scouting.

“Everything we do with our kids we do together, so it was inevitable that I’d be involved, too,” Katy said. “We have a very long history with scouting.”

It is the mission of the Mid-America Council, Boy Scouts of America to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the scout oath and law.

Kevin said Stanton meets two Sundays a month as a pack and then breaks into their dens. Some of the older youth help with activities to work on their own leadership skills with core activities. Electives are often completed on their own. Kevin said it’s fun to watch scouts find their niche and excel in those areas.

The Armbrusters said scouting is more than the traditional activities of knot tying and camping — although both admitted the outdoor activities are among their favorites as leaders.

“Anything outdoors — that’s what I like,” Kevin said. “I hunt and fish on my own time, so I enjoy anything outdoors with the kids. I also do some medal working and woodworking, so I try to pass that along.”

Kevin has been a firefighter and paramedic with Norfolk Fire since 2004, so he teaches the first aid. Katy said there’s definitely a level of safety by having Kevin and Scott Rutten, who is a sergeant with the Nebraska State Patrol, involved in Stanton’s scouting program.

“We want the kids to have a fun and enjoyable time, so having Kevin and Scott involved does provide a level of safety, which is awesome,” Katy said. “The parents we have a very involved and realized this is a family-based organization.”

The Cub Scouts spend the winter months mostly working on projects to accomplish their core loops while the summer months include more outdoor activities, including camping trips. The Cub Scouts also try to camp at least once a year with the Boy Scouts.

They are involved with scouting for food, which benefits the local food bank, as well as cleaning up the rural cemeteries and other other community service activities.

While Stanton’s scouting group is growing, Katy said they always welcome new faces and hope the pack continues to grow and see more youth reach toward being an Eagle Scout.

​“We’d love to have more kids join,” she said. “It’s a great program that gives them a really great start to being good people. It’s not just about being a good student or good athlete — it’s being a good person. I think that’s something every kid can use. It’s helpful to have scouting, and I don’t want to see it go away in Stanton. That’s why we’re going to stick with it as long as we can with our kids.”

A Germany-based data company that had planned to build its “flagship location of North America” in Stanton County this year has reportedly “hit the pause button.”

According to officials, the $20 million project located about 5 miles outside of Stanton near the NPPD substation has been pushed back to the beginning of 2023 due to the uncertainty of the global energy situation, along with supply chain issues.

Northern Data purchased 39.81 acres for the site and had met with the county to discuss the road leading to the facility.

Officials said the company appears to still be committed to the project, however, will be waiting to proceed in Stanton County until there is more certainty with the situation.

Northern Data describes itself as a global B2B technology company developing, using and selling solutions on vertically integrated high-performance computing infrastructure.

Monte Stahl, managing director of Northern Data, North America West, explained to Stanton County officials during meetings in December that the company works “business to business” for cloud-based computing.
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The Stanton County project is slated to bring 25 new jobs to the community.

A rollover involving teenagers led to a 16-year-old female being life-flighted to Omaha on Monday afternoon.

According to the Stanton County Sheriff's office, the accident occurred near Norfolk close to 3421 Old Highway 8.

Another 16-year-old — a male driver — allegedly fled on foot but was located by deputies. 

Just after midnight on Thursday morning, the Stanton County Sheriff’s office was notified of a break-in and sexual assault that had just occurred at a rural residence in southern Stanton County north of Leigh, according to the sheriff's office. 

The report was that a male armed with a handgun had broken into the residence and sexually assaulted the female after tying her up and threatening to shoot her.  After the attack, the male stole the victims SUV and fled the area towards Hwy 32.  

Within 10 minutes the vehicle was observed by the Sheriff’s office traveling east near the junction of Hwy 32 and 15.  The vehicle was followed into Cuming County until a second unit was present and at that time emergency lights were activated and then the vehicle failed to stop and continued east as a pursuit was initiated. according to the sheriff's office.

About two miles west of West Point, the Cuming County Sheriff’s office deployed a deflation device and the front left tire of the SUV was deflated.  After another half mile the vehicle pulled onto the south shoulder and the lone male suspect fled south into a field through the passenger door leaving the vehicle in gear. 

A perimeter was set up by the Stanton and Cuming County Sheriff’s office along with the Nebraska State Patrol and at about 2:40 a.m. the suspect was taken into custody after he was found hiding on the top of a livestock trailer at a nearby farm residence, according to the sheriff's office.

The suspect is identified as Gabriel Safty, 17, of rural Leigh and he was booked on felony charges that include: Burglary, Possession of Burglar Tools, False Imprisonment, First Degree Sexual Assault, Armed Robbery, Terroristic Threats, Use of a Weapon to Commit a Felony, Theft of a Motor Vehicle and Operating a Motor Vehicle to Avoid Arrest.  He was jailed at the JDC in Madison pending a detention hearing. 

​The female victim was taken to FRHS by Creston Rescue for treatment.  A handgun, Knife and other items connected to the attack were seized during the arrest. The Dodge County Sheriff’s office also assisted with a K-9 unit as did Stanton County Emergency Management with a thermal drone that was deployed.

On Tuesday morning 10 Northeast College students were arrested by the Stanton County Sheriff’s office following an investigation into more than 30 election signs that were stolen in and around Woodland Park and Stanton last week over several different nights, according to a press release.

The signs were both large plywood and smaller yard signs for the (Re-Elect Unger Sheriff) campaign. Thirty-one signs were recovered by the Sheriff’s office from a residence north of Stanton that was also the scene of a large MIP party last fall that was broken up by the Sheriff’s office with multiple MIP citations issued.

The ten young men confessed to their respective parts in the separate thefts and mounting them as trophies on the wall of the rural Stanton residence. They further admitted to the theft of one other campaign sign for another Sheriff candidate. Several of the signs and mounting wires were damaged during the thefts.

All ten were booked at the Sheriff’s office on theft and criminal mischief charges and released on citations with court dates set for June. The theft or damage of any election sign is illegal and taken serious as is any theft of property by the Sheriff’s office, according to the release. 

In a separate incident more than 30 election signs (Re-Elect Unger Sheriff) were damaged or destroyed last week in Stanton by two pre-teen males who were observed damaging the signs by riding their bikes over only a certain candidates signs and avoiding others and admitted the damage when confronted by the Sheriff’s office. They were released to their parents with a caution due to their age and informed to make restitution for the damages.

An Omaha ma was lifeflighted to a Sioux City hospital following a one-vehicle accident south of Pilger Saturday morning.

At about 7 a.m. on Saturday morning, the Stanton County Sheriff’s office was notified of a one-vehicle rollover injury accident near the intersection of Highway 15 and 834th Road about six miles South of Pilger. 

The accident occurred when a northbound car driven by a 41-year-old Omaha man left Highway 15 and entered the steep east ditch striking a creek bed and rolling.  The lone occupant was found outside the vehicle by a passerby and it is unclear when the accident occurred or if the driver was ejected. 

​Seatbelts did not appear to be in use and the driver was stabilized on scene by Pilger Fire and Rescue and then transported from the scene by LifeNet medical helicopter to a Sioux City, IA trauma center.  The accident remains under investigation by the Sheriff’s office.

A Wayne man was arrested after he attempted to flee law enforcement Tuesday morning, leading to Sheriff Mike Unger shooting out his tire. 

At approximately 11:25 a.m. the Stanton County Sheriff’s office responded to a suspicious vehicle complaint on 826th Road about six miles north of Leigh in southern Stanton County just off Hwy 57.  A lone male was located inside the vehicle in a compromising situation involving sex paraphernalia.  During this contact illegal drugs and contraband were observed in the plain view and the male was removed from the vehicle. 

During this contact, the Sheriff's office said the male refused to cooperate with the lone law enforcement officer and re-entered his vehicle and refused commands to exit and show his hands as he reached into the back seat.  He continued to refuse to exit and placed the running vehicle into gear in an attempt to drive off. 

At that time, the vehicle was disabled by a gunshot from Sheriff Mike Unger to the front left tire to prevent a vehicle pursuit of an obviously impaired person.  The male was again physically removed from the vehicle and placed on the ground at which time he again physically resisted and began to run towards Hwy 57 and was finally subdued.   The male suspect, Jeffrey Olsufka, 37, of Wayne and Sheriff Unger were both medically cleared on scene by Leigh Fire and Rescue. 

​Olsufka was then jailed on charges of Driving While Intoxicated-4th offense, Resisting Arrest, Possession of Controlled Substance (methamphetamine), Possession of Marijuana, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and Prohibited Acts (under the influence of illegal drugs).  Olsufka was out on bond in both Stanton and Wayne counties on drug charges.

A Norfolk man died in a one-vehicle accident on Thursday night in Stanton County.

According to the Stanton County Sheriff's Office, at about 8 p.m. 71-year-old Merl Thelen was driving westbound on Highway 275 when for unknown reasons the vehicle left the roadway and went down a steep embankment where the vehicle rolled and became airborne landing across a creek about 300 feet off the highway. 

Thelen was extricated from the wreckage by Norfolk Fire and Rescue and was being prepared for a medical helicopter to transport him when he went into cardiac arrest and was taken to FRHS by ambulance.  He was later pronounced deceased at the hospital. 

Seatbelts were not in use and the vehicle was a total loss. The Sheriff’s office was assisted by the Madison County Sheriff’s office and Stanton County Emergency Management.

Four people were transported to the hospital following an accident involving a car and a Stanton School bus on Monday morning.

Sheriff Mike Unger said three kids and one adult were transported — all with non-life threatening injuries. The accident occurred northwest of Stanton.

This story will be updated when more information becomes available. 

A Stanton law enforcement officer was recently given a “code save” award from  the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Service.

Sheriff Mike Unger was recognized for performing CPR on two separate occasions last year.

According to the NDHHS, these awards are given to individuals who assisted a patient in cardiac arrest which had a positive outcome. Nominations are made online by going to the NDHHS website.

According to a press release from Unger, he began chest compressions on a local man last October and was able to re-establish a pulse.

In another incident in November, Unger said he assisted with another man not breathing and performed CPR on him.
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Unger is a member of the Pilger Fire & Rescue.

To nominate someone for a code save award, please click here.

To read the full press release, please click here. 
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