Man pleads not guilty to meth charge stemming from Lincoln foot chase

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — A Kearney man accused of possessing methamphetamine while on federal probation pleaded not guilty Tuesday.

Aaron Burkholder, 48, waived his preliminary hearing on Lancaster County Court, and the case was sent to district court.

On Dec. 11, investigators were surveilling Burkholder near 30th and Q streets in Lincoln. He was wanted for violating the terms of his probation, according to court documents.

Officers approached him, and an arrest affidavit says he made a run for it, leading them on a foot chase through two backyards and jumping two fences.

SEE ALSO: Man caught with meth after jumping two fences in Lincoln chase, court docs say

Investigators said when they caught up to him, they found almost 7 ounces of meth and a digital scale on him.

Burkholder previously served a federal sentence for a meth charge.

He escaped in 2021 and was sentenced in 2023 to another 18 months in prison and another three years of probation.

Now he is charged with possession of more than 140 grams of methamphetamine, possession of money while committing a drug crime and not having a drug tax stamp.

Burkholder is set to be arraigned in Lancaster County District Court on March 26.