BEATRICE – A 48-year-old Syracuse man serving a prison term from Lancaster County has been ordered to serve a two-year prison sentence for a Gage County District Court conviction of drug possession.


Jason Rohrs’ sentence announced by Judge Rick Schreiner will be served at the same time he’s serving his Lancaster County term.
"There's a part of me that's quite pleased to see you sitting in front of me in handcuffs and a jail uniform, because I thought you were dead."


Rohrs had failed to appear for a prior sentencing hearing in Gage County District Court and the judge had reviewed a pre-sentence report in the case, back in August.


"It's an extremely sad set of circumstances. Mental health may have caused, I suspect it did some substance abuse. But when that took over....you said, yourself, methamphetamine destroyed my life. I lost my job, my kids, my wife, my house, my car, my freedom and my respectability. And, you're correct."


Rohrs was arrested in Gage County in May of 2019 after law officers got a report of a man trying to get into a home along U.S. Highway 77 near Pickrell. Authorities found Rohrs inside a vehicle parked in a garage, displaying animated an paranoid behavior. He told officers he had taken methamphetamine.


In the Lancaster County cases, Rohrs was sentenced to 3-to-5 years in prison last month in two criminal cases for an attempted possession of a firearm during a felony, possession of cocaine, cri

In another case, a bench warrant was issued for a Beatrice man who failed to show for a pre-trial hearing on Wednesday.  Gage County District Judge Schreiner issued the warrant for 50-year-old Dexter Robinson and revoked his bond…setting a new bond amount at $75,000.

Robinson earlier pleaded innocent to a charge of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, which carries a 20-year to life-in-prison sentence. The Gage County Attorney’s office is also seeking a designation of Robinson as a habitual criminal. 

Robinson has a prior conviction for firearm possession by a prohibited person and for armed robbery.  He was ordered to serve three and six-year prison terms on those convictions.  Assistant County Attorney Michael Wehling says Robinson has active warrants for his arrest in both Gage and Johnson Counties.