Wrong Apartment, Wrong Name

(GERING, Neb.) — A 28-year-old Gering man was sentenced to 60 days in jail Friday after pleading guilty to entering a neighbor’s apartment without permission and giving police a false name.

Preston A. Booty, 28, of Gering, pleaded guilty to first-degree criminal trespass and false reporting, both Class 1 misdemeanors, according to Scotts Bluff County court records. He received two concurrent 60-day jail sentences, with credit for two days served, and two $500 fines.

Gering police officers responded Thursday morning to an apartment complex at 330 L St. following a report that a man had entered an apartment while the resident was away. A neighboring resident provided doorbell camera footage showing a man scaling a patio fence and exiting the apartment through the front door, according to a probable cause affidavit.

When officers contacted Booty at a neighboring apartment, he initially denied entering the residence but admitted to doing so after being informed of the video footage. Police said Booty initially provided a false name before officers verified his identity through public records and photographic documentation.