Gage County unanimously votes to appeal full circuit court in Beatrice Six Case

June 13, 2018, 2:44 a.m. ·

The Gage County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to appeal a $28.1 million ruling against the county again during an emergency meeting Wednesday.

The decision came just days after a three-judge panel of the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a 2016 wrongful conviction judgement against Gage County and two former law enforcement officials.

The 2016 verdict awarded $28.1 million the Beatrice Six, a group of six individuals who spent a combined 75 years in prison for the 1985 rape and killing of 68-year-old Helen Wilson until they were released in 2008 due to DNA evidence.

Shortly after the panel’s decision, the board quickly arranged a meeting with its legal counsel to discuss the decision, as well as the county’s options moving forward.

Gage County Board chairman Myron Dorn said the board would not be doing its due diligence if it did not continue to look into any available options.

“We’ve gone through this and it’s been a long process and to just say ‘we are done now,’ we feel we would not be doing what we should as a board,” Dorn said.

Should the county’s appeals to the court continue to fail, the board has employed both insurance and bankruptcy attorneys to explore other options for the county.

Dorn also noted his displeasure in the court’s ruling on Monday.

“I’m disappointed in the outcome and that Gage County still has a 28-million-dollar-plus judgement staring them in the face,” he said.