By John Ferak
Omaha World-Herald
Copyright 2007 Omaha World - Herald
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News
PLATTSMOUTH, Neb. — A Cass County District judge today refused to lower the $1 million bail for a 58-year-old man who pleaded not guilty to six felony charges in the shooting of an Ashland firefighter.
At his arraignment today, Stanley Bjorkman entered not guilty pleas to all charges: attempted second-degree murder, second-degree assault, attempted second-degree assault of an officer and three counts of use of a firearm to commit a felony.
Cass County Attorney Nathan Cox said he wants to make sure Bjorkman spends the rest of his life in prison. The charges carry a maximum of about 210 years in prison, if Bjorkman is convicted.
Bjorkman has been charged with shooting Ashland volunteer firefighter Rodger Alley, 43, in the arm on June 6. Alley and other firefighters had responded to a neighbor’s complaint about trash burning on Bjorkman’s property at Horseshoe Lake, near Mahoney State Park.
Bjorkman has been held at the Cass County Jail since early June. His attorney, James Martin Davis, argued that Bjorkman’s bail should be lowered to $150,000, meaning he could post 10 percent of the amount, $15,000, to go free until trial.
“I understand the serious nature of the charges, but a $1 million bond is unreasonable,” Davis told the judge.
“He’s not a flight risk. He has no relatives outside of the regional area. Look at the man, judge, he’s 5-foot-4, 200 pounds, he’s got a pacemaker and degenerative arthritis. He’s in bad physical shape and bad psychological shape. That’s why I want to get him to a shrink,” Davis said.
About 10 minutes into the proceeding, Bjorkman trembled while standing in front of District Judge Randall Rehmeier. The judge gave him permission to sit. Cox offered him a chair from the prosecutor’s table.
Cox said Bjorkman wielded two handguns during the June 6 confrontation. After shooting Alley, he fired several more shots at two of the Ashland firefighters, then fired at a sheriff’s deputy’s patrol car, the prosecutor said.
After 20 minutes of arguments, Rehmeier denied Davis’ request for lower bail and scheduled a jury trial for early December.
Afterward, Davis said he plans to pursue a mental illness defense for Bjorkman.
“I don’t know if there’s an insanity defense here,” Davis said. “First, we need to determine my client’s competency. If he’s mentally ill, you don’t punish those people. Nobody knows why he did what he did. There was no motive for him to do what he did. He was seemingly a nice, ordinary guy.”