Burwell woman convicted on fewer charges in bait shop crash

BURWELL, Neb. (KSNB) - Prosecutors dropped half of the charges against a Burwell woman accused of crashing in to a bait shop this spring.

In a plea bargain Tammy Melling, 42, pleaded no contest and was convicted on two counts of no proof of insurance, attempting a felony, and leaving the scene of a property damage accident - all misdemeanors. In exchange, charges of DUI first offense, reckless driving, speeding and failure to use a seat belt were dropped.

Melling will be sentenced Nov. 2, after a pre-sentence evaluation.

Garfield County Court records showed Melling was accused of driving a vehicle on a highway at 102 mph while under the influence and causing damage to Dad’s Calamus East bait shop resulting in a loss in an amount over $5,000.

Local4 spoke with the bait shop owner days after the crash.

Owner Chris Scudder said it’s something he could hardly believe. The crash caused severe damage to the building, taking out the gas pump, a pole and destroying nearly everything inside.

Owner shares story SUV crashes into Burwell bait shop

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