Toddler Left Home Alone

(GERING, Neb.) — A Scottsbluff couple faces child abuse charges after police reportedly found a 2-year-old child locked in an upstairs bedroom while both parents were allegedly out drinking at a local bar.

Autumn A. Fabela, 28, also known as Autumn Aleman, and Dante R. Aleman, 29, have both pleaded not guilty in Scotts Bluff County Court to Class 1 misdemeanor charges of negligent child abuse without injury. Fabela also faces a Class 1 misdemeanor charge of false reporting.

According to an arrest warrant affidavit filed by Scottsbluff Police Officer Mason, officers were dispatched to 527 W. 40th St. at 12:58 a.m. Aug. 22 after a caller reported that the toddler had been left home alone while the parents were at a bar.

Upon arrival, officers found the residence’s front door wide open and the child locked inside an upstairs bedroom. Investigators determined the child had been left without adult supervision for approximately four hours, according to the affidavit.

Police reported that Fabela and Aleman appeared intoxicated and gave conflicting accounts about who was supposed to be watching the child.

An arrest warrant for Aleman was issued Sept. 29, with bond set at $7,500 and a 10% cash option. A warrant for Fabela was issued Oct. 7, with bond set at $10,000 and a 10% cash option.

Attorney Landers represents Aleman, while attorney Hansen represents Fabela. Both defendants have posted bond.

Pretrial hearings for Fabela and Aleman are scheduled for Nov. 30, 2026, at 9 a.m. in Scotts Bluff County Courtroom No. 2.

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Wednesday Oct 21 2026 - Scanner News - Panhandle Scanner News

Introducing the Panhandle Coffee Map by Hale Multimedia. The weather is getting colder, possibly 40's or maybe 3'0s coming up soon, and the coffee is hot. So let's get all the best coffee businesses on a map. If your business is related to coffee in some way or another and you are located in the WyoBraska region, sign up on our website to put your business on the map. Once we have enough participation to make a nice printed map, we'll print it and distribute it around the panhandle. In the meantime, we'll publish it as an interactive online map for immediate exposure. We already have businesses signed up with the first one on the books being Cornerstone Coffee in Mitchell, Nebraska. Congratulations to our first quarter favorite small business on Panhandle Scanner and the first coffee business to sign up for the Panhandle Coffee Map. Look for it coming soon. Also coming soon, very possible that we'll get some snow. Early models are suggesting some wet slash snow activity a week before Halloween. We'll see what happens. Temperatures to dip to the lower 50s with overnight lows feeling a lot like in the 30s. Please be advised that there is a scheduled power outage for Thursday. That's tomorrow beginning at 1 p.m. in Bridgeport. That is to replace the underground feeder to the substation. As you may remember, the town-wide power outage just a couple of nights ago. The outage is expected to last no longer than four hours with power anticipated to be restored by approximately 5 p.m. on Thursday. And don't forget our daily public record every Monday through Friday when available. That's going to do it for today's scanner news. Thanks again for listening and may God bless. I'm Brian Hale.

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From Making Change by Michelle Van Loon Like many kids, I used to imagine that adulthood was a goal and maturity was a given. But now that I’ve been an adult for a while (a long while!), I’ve learned that maturity is not automatic, but must be cultivated. The word used in the New Testament for maturity is teleios, a common word that means finished, complete, or fully grown. It describes the purpose and shape of a Jesus follower’s journey with Him. It is not the name of its destination. “ Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.” Colossians 2:6-7 ESV Paul’s words to his friends in the church in Colossae emphasize the importance of growing through challenges and trials. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, the resurrected Jesus had brought radical change to those who were a part of this early church community. In addition to the stunning reality of radically changed lives, the church in Colossae was also dealing with the temptations to follow false teachers and the trials brought on by waves of persecution. Paul’s deepest desire for them – and us –was that we would plunge our roots deeply into Christ so we would not be swayed by our changing circumstances. He prayed our lives would be marked by gratitude – not as a performance, but as the overflow of our journey toward maturity in his company. Even when our circumstances turn our expectations upside down and inside out, the God who loves us perfectly is at work cultivating maturity in our lives. Prayer: When change threatens to uproot me, Lord, I ask that you help me to stay rooted and growing in maturity. Help me to trust you today. I thank you that in this always changing world, you never change. In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, amen.

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Lost in New Territory (Making Change) Day 3 of 5 - Elevate Your Day with Andi and Brian Hale

From Making Change by Michelle Van Loon In the days before readily available GPS navigation on our cell phones, I told my kids we’d be taking a quick run to the post office in our new town. A glance at the map told me the address was directly at the center of a spaghetti-bowl of hilly one-way streets. I was a veteran big city driver and figured the small suburban downtown area wouldn’t be a major challenge. After more than a half hour of driving in circles around that up-and-down tangle of streets, stopping to ask for directions twice, I gave up and returned home. I never found the post office that day, though later I discovered I’d driven by it several times. I relied on my earlier experience as a city driver to help me navigate my strange new location. That experience actually got in the way of me being able to make sense of what my eyes were seeing that day. I was so disoriented that after a while, I forgot what I was searching for. Understandably, we’re prone to rely on our previous experience to navigate change in our lives. While that previous experience may be of value, it can also hinder us from being able to assess and respond to what is happening right now. We need a guide who knows the terrain, especially when it is uncharted territory for us. “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. ” John 10:27 ESV In John 10, Jesus told his followers that there would be unhelpful or destructive people presenting themselves as caring guides who would lead them astray. He urged his followers to learn to listen to his voice. We can do that by engaging in regular Bible reading so we can learn to discern who God is and what he says, and by simple, conversational prayer. He will guide us step by step, even when it seems as though we are traveling without a map. Prayer: Good Shepherd Jesus, I am disoriented by this strange new place in which I find myself. Please protect me from the other voices who are not guiding me in the way I should travel. Please help me hear your voice clearly and follow you faithfully.

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From Making Change by Michelle Van Loon When I was fired from a job I’d fought hard to keep, a friend reminded me that I should be prepared for grief to present itself as I processed the loss. And she was right. I spent some time telling myself it was all for the best. I found myself dealing with eruptions of frustration and anger as I replayed months of difficult inter-office politics where it seemed I lost too many hyper-political interoffice skirmishes with a difficult coworker. I grew depressed, and days of initial shock became weeks blanketed by a wooly, gray emotional fog. The rejections I received as I dutifully searched for a new job amplified my sadness. While a job loss might be an easily-identifiable source of grief, I have discovered that every change – even a welcome one – carries with it some form of grief. For example, when a young adult child marries, you may love the partner they’ve chosen, and be overjoyed about the new family they’re forming, but find yourself unexpectedly aching with nostalgia as you come to terms with the reality that you’ve come to the end of an era in your family’s story. For more than 10 years, I have walked alongside many who are moving into midlife. Many are caught off guard by the endings that often come at this time of life – empty nest, career shifts, changes in family life and status. It has been a privilege to help others recognize that our souls process change in much the same way we experience grief. “ Though he slay me, I will hope in him; yet I will argue my ways to his face.” Job 13:15 ESV When Job dealt with a breathtaking pile-up of loss, his confession of hope in God contained a frank acknowledgement that he was actively grieving all the ways his life had changed. Reflect today on how changes you’ve experienced recently have elicited some form of grief response in your soul. These responses can include denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Prayer: Unchanging Father, as I navigate this time of transition in my life, I am grieving a past I can not reclaim. Kindle within me a spark of hope as I continue to process these changes. I ask this in the name of your always faithful Son, Jesus.

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