The Nebraska State Patrol is investigating five "concerning calls" to legislative offices in the heat of the debate over repealing the death penalty, but the calls haven't been deemed a criminal matter.
Patrol spokeswoman Deb Collins said Thursday that three state senators reported threatening calls to their legislative offices in recent days. The Legislature voted Wednesday to override Gov. Pete Ricketts' veto of a bill (LB268) to abolish capital punishment.
Collins said investigators have concluded so far that the calls do not rise to a criminal matter.
One of the phone messages was left at the office of Omaha Sen. Heath Mello, a death penalty opponent. Mello said the caller didn't explicitly make a threat but suggested that he should be harmed because of his vote.
