By KALIN KROHE
Panhandle Post
An Alliance man has seen multiple criminal charges filed against him recently in Box Butte County Court.
38-year-old Chad Kelley was arrested on a warrant and could be charged with many felonies and misdemeanors.
On June 30, Kelley was charged with a Class 3 Misdemeanor for unauthorized use of a propelled vehicle.
On July 10 Kelley was issued a citation for possession of drug paraphernalia in the 500 block of East Third Street.
July 18 Kelley was charged with a Class 3 Misdemeanor for failure to appear or comply with a citation. He failed to appear in Box Butte County Court on July 5 dealing with his first case.
July 21 Kelley was charged with a Class 4 Felony for possession of Alprazolam, possession of Fentanyl, a Class 3 Misdemeanor for unauthorized use of a propelled vehicle and an infraction for possession of drug paraphernalia.
According to court documents, on July 19, the Alliance Police Department assisted the Nebraska Stae Patrol due to a stolen 1997 Ford F-150 in the 200 Block of Howard Avenue.
Officers spoke with a person on the scene who told them Kelley borrowed the vehicle four days prior.
According to court docuements, Kelley told that person, “that he lost a blue fentanyl pill in the truck and wished to find the truck to retrieve it.”
Officers asked the vehicle's owner/driver what was in the vehicle the last time they left it parked. The driver told them only a screwdriver and a jumper box.
Officers searched the vehicle and found a clear plastic baggie with a fentanyl and Alprazolam pill.
At the scene Kelley emptied his pockets. Court reports said, “At this time officers viewed multiple items fall out of Kelley’s pockets. Amongst these items, officers viewed a small piece of straw, a ball point pen tube, and a clear plastic baggie. The straw and the ball point pen tube were viewed to have a white residue inside and recognized as drug paraphernalia.”
On July 22, Kelley was charged with two Class 2A Felony counts of burglary, a Class 4 Felony of theft by unlawful taking, $1,500-$4,999, and a Class 1 Misdemeanor for theft by unlawful taking, $501-$1,499.
These charges come from burglaries at the BNSF Railway maintenance building on June 20 and 21.
Kelley stole an impact wrench from a BNSF truck inside a locked garage. Video footage also revealed Kelley trying to break open a vending machine inside the building and stealing multiple items inside the building.
A BNSF supervisor told police that Kelley was fired from the company in 2020.
On June 13 and 14, Kelley stole other iteams from the BNSF maintenance building.