Kearney man charged with stalking police chief

KEARNEY, Neb. (KSNB) - Buffalo County prosecutors have charged a man with stalking Kearney Police Chief Bryan Waugh and his wife.

Marcus Ditchman, 58, Kearney, faces two counts of misdemeanor stalking, two counts of operating a vehicle with rotating or flashing colored lights and one count of no operator’s license. A Buffalo County judge sealed court documents which detail the offenses, but the charging documents indicate that Ditchman is accused of stalking Waugh and his wife on Sept. 6 at a residence in north Kearney.

A conviction for stalking carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a $1,000 fine. Ditchman pleaded not guilty to all five charges and a jury trial is scheduled for Jan. 8, 2024.

Ditchman is also charged with terroristic threats in connection with an incident at the Kearney Law Enforcement Center on May 21. Court records indicate that Ditchman is accused of threatening to release two dogs on Kearney police officers. He is currently free on $1,000 cash bond in that case. However, after the stalking charges were filed, prosecutors also asked the court to revoke Ditchman’s bond. A hearing on that request is set for Monday at 1:30 p.m.

He is scheduled to be arraigned on the terroristic threats charges Oct. 2. At arraignment, a suspect typically pleads guilty or not guilty to the charges faced.