A Nebraska man who vanished with his wife and children has changed his plea to guilty in the theft of a fire department truck from South Dakota.

Matthew Schade entered the plea to grand theft Friday. In
exchange, charges of burglary and petty theft were thrown out.
Schade had pleaded not guilty to the charges last month.

His wife, Rowenna Schade, also appeared in court. She pleaded
guilty to misprision of a felony for failing to report the truck
theft. Their sentencings are scheduled for November. Both face prison
time.

The Schades vanished with their children from their Creighton,
Neb., home in March after being questioned on domestic abuse
allegations. They turned themselves in 18 days later. A search
extended to remote areas of South Dakota before winding back to
Nebraska.

The truck stolen from the Silver City fire department was found
in Antelope County, Neb., a few days before the Schades turned up.
One of the family's vehicles was abandoned near Silver City.

The Schades faced probation violations in Nebraska for the
800-mile roundtrip. Matthew Schade was also sentenced in Nebraska to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a gun.