Woman who allegedly had duo stab her gets prison

BEATRICE, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska woman has been sentenced to a year in prison for allegedly having two male acquaintances stab her so she could get out of going to a probation appointment — a scheme the judge described as taking "stupid to an extreme."

Jessalyn Stierwalt, Scott Roberson-Turman and Jerry Duke II, each pleaded no contest to misdemeanor obstruction of government operations in exchange for reduced charges, the Beatrice Daily Sun reported. Gage County District Judge Paul Korsland on Wednesday sentenced Stierwalt and Roberson-Turman to a year in prison, each, and Duke's sentencing was set for Thursday.

Prosecutors allege that Stierwalt, of Beatrice, and asked Roberson-Turman, of Fairbury, and Duke, of Beatrice, to stab her in the abdomen and shoulder last July so she could avoid going to a probation appointment the next morning because she needed time to "sober up."

Korsland sentenced Stierwalt and Roberson-Turman to the maximum possible term for the offense, rejecting Stierwalt's request for leniency.

"You have taken doing something stupid to an extreme that I don't think I've seen before," Korslund told Stierwalt. "I've thought about how to describe this, and the word 'stupid' just keeps coming back."

He said Stierwalt was shown leniency when prosecutors dropped a felony conspiracy charge to a misdemeanor.

Korslund gave Stierwalt credit for 112 days in jail awaiting trial. She'll be eligible for parole in about three months. Roberson-Turman will be eligible for parole in about six months.

A no contest plea is not an admission of guilt, but is treated as one for sentencing purposes.

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Information from: Beatrice Sun, http:// www.beatricedailysun.com