Lancaster County Attorney’s Office
Lincoln, Nebraska
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 25, 2023
Lancaster County Attorney Completes Review of Investigation into Death of Gene Oltman,
No Criminal Charges to be Filed
Contact: Patrick Condon Lancaster County Attorney Tel: (402) 441-7321
Lincoln, Nebraska:
The Lancaster County Attorney’s Office has worked closely with the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office regarding their investigation into the death of Gene Oltman that occurred on July 11, 2022. Their investigation is now complete.
Pat Condon, Lancaster County Attorney, stated that “I have reviewed the investigation with Sheriff Wagner and his team into Mr. Oltman’s tragic death. The Sheriff’s investigation has been detailed and comprehensive. After said investigation, there is probable cause to arrest a person of interest, however, due to circumstances outside of law enforcement and the prosecution’s control, criminal charges will not be filed and therefore no warrant for the arrest of the person of interest will occur.”
A suspect or person of interest, or someone arrested and charged, are presumed innocent unless and until they are found guilty in a court of law. Under Nebraska law, criminal prosecution cannot proceed if the person responsible is mentally incompetent to stand trial. See Neb. Rev. Stat. § 29-1823.
The Lancaster County Attorney’s Office has reviewed the medical records of the person of interest, including psychiatric records both prior to and after Mr. Oltman’s death. These included a recent Competency Evaluation completed by a forensic psychiatrist, a medical doctor who specializes in the application of the criminal law and the evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of mental illness. The forensic psychiatrist’s findings were consistent with previous medical professionals and concluded that the person of interest is not competent to stand trial and would not be able to be restored to competency in the future. With this finding, the Lancaster County Attorney’s Office does not feel it can ethically proceed with filing charges in this case.
Mr. Condon concluded by saying, “I want to thank the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office for their dedication in completing this extensive investigation. My office’s decision has been shared with the Oltman family