Murder cases still making way through court system

    The murder trials of Kevin German and Keonna Carter probably won’t happen any time soon.
    German, 24, of Colorado Springs and Carter, 22, of Utah face charges of first degree murder; German is also charged with two kidnapping counts and Carter with one. Each of those charges carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.
     They are charged in connection with the November 2019 disappearance and death of Annika Swanson, 22, who was reported missing by her father three days before her body was found about five miles south of Imperial. German also is charged with the kidnapping of Eve Ambrosek of Imperial.
    The Chase County Clerk of District Court’s office said Carter is scheduled for a status hearing Aug. 25 and her attorney has filed a motion to waive a speedy trial. German was scheduled for a status hearing by telephone Monday. Status hearings are a chance for both sides to inform the court where they are in the case.
    The two remain in the Lincoln County Jail in North Platte, with no bail.
Hitchcock County cases
    Two other court cases in the area also are both making their way through the court system, although one will be resolved soon.
    A sentencing hearing for James Hicks, 42, Palisade, is scheduled for Aug. 6 in Hitchcock County District Court.
    Hicks pleaded no contest to child enticement by electronic communication, a Class IV felony punishable by a maximum of five years in prison or a $10,000 fine.
    Hicks was arrested Jan. 17 after a search of his Palisade home.
    The case of Ace Anderson, 30, Trenton, has been bound over to Hitchcock County District Court and a motion hearing will be held Aug. 6.
    Anderson is charged with being a felon in possession of a deadly weapon. He is accused of pointing a gun at a deputy during a Feb. 11 incident in Trenton.
    The charge is a felony with a maximum penalty of 50 years in prison and a mandatory minimum of three years.
    Court documents said in 2015, Anderson was convicted of third degree assault on an officer and sentenced to 20 months to five years in prison.