By John Ferak
Omaha World-Herald (Nebraska)
Copyright 2007 The Omaha World-Herald Company
PLATTSMOUTH, Neb. — A 58-year-old man charged with trying to kill an Ashland firefighter will have to dig into his personal bank account to hire a lawyer and get out of jail.
Cass County Judge John Steinheider rejected Stanley Bjorkman’s request Tuesday for a public defender, saying he has enough money to hire private counsel.
The judge also set $1 million bail in connection with the June 6 shooting of Ashland volunteer firefighter Rodger Alley, 43, who was shot in an arm. Alley was treated at an Omaha hospital and released.
Alley and other firefighters had responded to a complaint about trash being illegally burned at Bjorkman’s house at Horseshoe Lake, a development near Mahoney State Park.
During Tuesday’s court hearing, Bjorkman told the judge that he was illiterate after the judge asked whether he understood the nature of his charges.
“From what? I can’t read,” Bjorkman told the judge.
County Attorney Nathan Cox spent the next few minutes reading the formal charges verbatim.
Bjorkman faces six felony 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.
“What is all this second-degree stuff?” Bjorkman asked. “What is the difference between first and second degree? I didn’t understand the degree stuff.”
The judge explained the differences in degree and penalties.
Cox said outside court that the felony charges carry about 210 years in prison and that he intends to put Bjorkman in prison for the rest of his life.
“We feel these are solid charges that put us in a good position to move forward,” Cox said.
According to court documents, Bjorkman shot Alley, then retreated inside his residence, grabbed a rifle and shot at the patrol car of Sgt. Larry Bonnema, a Cass County sheriff’s deputy.
Members of the State Patrol SWAT team later shot Bjorkman during a standoff.
Bjorkman, described by neighbors as a heavy drinker and a recluse, was released from an Omaha hospital after treatment of a shoulder wound.
Investigators recovered 20 guns and about 175 rounds of ammunition from Bjorkman’s residence.
In Bjorkman’s living room, authorities said, they found a handwritten note on a coffee table stating, “I just wanted to be left alone.”
Bjorkman told the judge that if he lowered the bail, he would not be a flight risk.
“I don’t have any family to help me leave the country,” Bjorkman said. “I don’t have a passport.”
Bjorkman must post 10 percent of the bail amount, or $100,000, in order to go free until trial. He was being held in the Cass County Jail.
“I have mixed feelings about the bond,” said Doug Peters, a Horseshoe Lake neighbor, in a telephone interview.
“I think it’s high enough to keep him in jail, but I don’t know if he has other family members willing to help him out. I’m really hoping that he goes to jail or prison or wherever for the rest of his life.”
Bjorkman asked Steinheider to appoint a public defender to represent him. He told the judge that he had been unemployed since 1993 and that his sole source of income was a $911 monthly disability check.
The judge probed further, asking whether had any bank accounts or real estate.
“I have a house, it’s paid for; a car; a pickup. I have a savings account,” Bjorkman said. “I think it’s about $27,000.”
The judge grimaced when Bjorkman indicated that some of his mutual funds were worth about $60,000.
“Your assets are well above what the court would consider,” Steinheider said. “I’m going to deny you court-appointed counsel at this time. You’re able to hire your own attorney.”
The judge set Bjorkman’s preliminary hearing for June 21.