A stolen vehicle gets torched and a knife fight injures one, as the Nebraska State Fair in Grand Island wraps up it's third year.
The first crime took place on 12th and Oak Street said police. They responded to a knife fight involving two men around 4 a.m. Monday morning. Police said 48-year-old Dennis Gilbert of Grand Island sliced the chest of 37-year-old Joel Lapointe, also from Grand Island, during an altercation.
Police said Lapointe then threatened the life of Gilbert landing both of them in jail. Gilbert is being held on charges of felony assault and use of a weapon to commit a felony. Lapointe is being held on making terroristic threats and 3rd degree mutual assault.
Just two hours later at 6 a.m., police got a call about a car damaging property around Stolley Park. Moments later, they received another call that a car was on fire.
Police said 20-year-old Ian Christiansen from Palmer stole a car and went joyriding around Stolley Park targeting mailboxes. He then allegedly picked up 24-year-old Byron Wilson from Grand Island and drove to South Adams Street directly across from Grand Island Public School's new Success Academy.
That's where police said the two men torched the car and fled the scene. Both men were picked up near the crime scene and subsequently arrested.
Christiansen faces a host of felonies from theft of a vehicle to arson and five counts of criminal mischief. Wilson was cited for aiding an arson, but never booked.
