KPD releases details following Innis arrest at NE GOP convention

KEARNEY, Neb. -- Authorities have released details following an arrest at last weekend's Nebraska GOP convention.

On Saturday just before 11:00 a.m., Kearney Police received a call for a disturbance at Younes Conference Center.

Officers arrived and contacted members of a private security company, which was contracted for the event.

According to Kearney PD, several of the security officers were off-duty police officers. Officers were informed that 51-year-old Matt Innis, a political activist from Crete, was previously barred from attending the event by the organizer and had attempted to force his way inside the conference center, pushing a security officer to the ground.

According to the involved security officer and witnesses, Innis approached the security guard at the main entrance to the conference center demanding entry. The security guard reportedly attempted to block the entrance, at which time Innis allegedly tackled the security guard to the ground, according to a KPD press release.

Additional members of the security team, including off-duty police officers, assisted with placing Innis in custody.

Additional witnesses were interviewed, with similar accounts of the incident, according to the KPD press release.

Innis was arrested for third-degree assault and second-degree criminal trespass, both misdemeanors.

Innis was transported to the Buffalo County Jail and booked for the listed offenses. The case has been turned over to the Buffalo County Attorney’s office for charging. Innis was able to post bond after the booking process and released from the custody of the jail the same day.