KEARNEY, Neb. — A Kearney man accused of threatening a police lieutenant and stalking the city’s police chief is entering into plea agreements in multiple cases.

59-year-old Marcus Ditchman made the plea deals on Friday. The first case dates back to May of 2023 when Ditchman is accused of threatening to have his dogs attack a police lieutenant outside of the police station. Police arrested Ditchman, who was live-streaming the interaction on his Facebook page, and the county attorney charged him with terroristic threats.

The plea deal lowers the felony charge to third-degree assault, which is a Class l misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in prison. The plea bargain says the state will ask for an 18-month term of probation with the added condition of no internet use or social media presence during that time. 

The second case dates back to Sept. 2023. The county attorney charged Ditchman with five misdemeanors, including two counts of stalking. Court documents list Kearney Police Chief Bryan Waugh and his wife as victims, but details of the investigation are sealed. A judge placed new conditions on Ditchman's bond in August.

Ditchman pleaded no contest to one count of stalking in exchange for the state dropping the four other charges. The plea bargain includes the state recommending a sentence of six months supervised probation to run consecutive to the assault case.

Ditchman is set for separate sentencing hearings in district court and county court on Dec. 19. If the judges follow the sentencing recommendations, Ditchman would serve two years of probation.