Former officer found guilty

A former Nebraska City police officer will be sentenced July 27 for criminal trespassing.

Lance Bennett, 29, was found guilty after pleading no contest to second-degree criminal trespassing on Monday. It's a misdemeanor that carries maximum penalties of a $500 fine and three months in jail.

His lawyer, John W. Voelker of Nebraska City, declined to comment Wednesday. Bennett, who resigned from the police department after he was charged in the Aug. 6 incident, could not be reached for comment.

According to a criminal complaint, Bennett improperly went onto a Nebraska City couple's property.

Their dog started barking about 10 p.m. The husband said he found Bennett, dressed in his uniform, crouching on the back porch. His wife was bathing at the time.

A neighbor told the couple that he saw a man looking into a lighted window at the back of the house. — Leslie Reed