May 19, 2025
OPEN LETTER TO MEDIA
RE: Our Broken System Involving Juvenile Probation
*I encourage the media to look into these concerns and feel free to share the information that I’m stating and the frustration with detaining juveniles and Probation detention*
This past weekend the Stanton County Sheriff’s office was dispatched to a disturbance call involving a 14 year old female who is on probation and caused a disturbance in the rural family home to the point that her mother was so concerned with her safety that she locked/barricaded herself into her bedroom away from her daughter. The response by the Sheriff’s office was immediate and swift and upon arrival the 14 year old was taken into custody for being an Uncontrollable Juvenile and Disturbing the Peace (A jailable offense for all adults). She was detained and transported to the Sheriff’s office where state probation was contacted and required to do an intake on the juvenile and this specific situation. Again the 14 year old is already on probation for similar behavior and her actions have led to multiple law enforcement responses by the Sheriff’s office.
It should be noted that no juvenile can be incarcerated without the permission or approval of the probation office prior to an actual custodial hearing by a judge held days later. Therefore, whatever they decide we are stuck with. On this occasion it was determined the juvenile female would not be detained and therefore was to be released. At this time, she was taken home by a probation representative to the same house her mother feared for her life and called 911 for help. Our hands are tied because our Nebraska state legislature believes it knows best as to when juveniles can be detained in a juvenile facility. I would love to mention multiple incidents involving the same inability to detain and house dangerous juveniles within Stanton County and Northeast Nebraska, but I cannot because all juvenile records are sealed by the court after adjudication.
The problem is simple the “System is Broken” and needs to be addressed sooner than later by those that can make a difference. Law Enforcement officers for the most part are not a trained social worker or counselor, yet we are doing the best we can with the abilities we have and then only watch with frustration as the problem is sent home to where the problem often lies. You have 11 year olds recently involved in homicides in our larger Nebraska cities and they can’t even be charged or detained and are often sent home to parents that can’t or won’t take responsibility for them. I just don’t think the public realizes this issue and how large a problem it has become for every law enforcement agency in the state, no matter the size of the agency. Someone has to be responsible and often it’s only the fear of media attention that gets things done. I have threatened many news conferences to get immediate action and it usually gets something positive done immediately. I have been doing this job for 41 plus years in Nebraska and we used to be able to detain and jail juveniles as needed and it worked. Now we have no say and most agencies don’t even call probation anymore as they know the answer and don’t want to waste more of their valuable time.
Most probation officers that we deal with do a great job in a very difficult profession and they only get to play the cards dealt to them by those in Lincoln. Everyone deserves second chances, but giving problem kids and adults multiple chances and committing violation after violation before something more is done to correct their behavior is not the answer. As a steward of Stanton County funds, I don’t like to spend more than $200.00 a day sometimes to house a juvenile offender. But, sometimes you have to swallow hard to protect the community we serve. Another incident this weekend in Stanton also shows the ill-effect of Probation. A 31 year old male from Lincoln, had recently moved there from California after his prison release. He shows up in Stanton completely under the influence of methamphetamine and extremely paranoid. After contact with the Sheriff’s office he was transported by Norfolk Fire EMS to the Norfolk hospital where he refused treatment and caused another disturbance at that location. He also was on probation and when contacted about him, his PO seemed less than concerned and he wasn’t in Lincoln anymore. I believe the public needs to know these incidents happen all the time and maybe they just don’t care about that our “Broken System”!
I believe from my own youth and being a parent and grandparent that kids know right from wrong at fairly early ages and that consequences occur when you don’t act appropriately or follow rules no matter the size and development of your brain. The nuns and priest in my youth had no problem getting that point across and I thank them every day for helping me realize obeying the rules and law gets you a lot farther in life.
Respectfully,
Michael S. Unger Stanton County Sheriff