Southeast Nebraska man arrested in child abuse investigation

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – A Liberty man was arrested Monday in a child abuse investigation, the Gage County Sheriff’s Office says.

Around 6:50 a.m., the sheriff’s office started investigating the abuse, which resulted in a significant injury in Liberty, a village southeast of Wymore.

Investigators learned an unresponsive 5-year-old boy was being cared for at a hospital in Kansas City.

The child had initially been taken to a hospital in Marysville, Kansas, before going to Kansas City for specialized care, the sheriff’s office said.

Gage County deputies worked alongside detectives from the Kansas City Police Department and the Marysville Police Department during an investigation.

Eventually, authorities developed 30-year-old Timothy Lee Erks as a suspect, according to the sheriff’s office.

Deputies served a search warrant at Erks’ home outside of Liberty, but he was not there.

A deputy then spotted Erks in a vehicle on Highway 8 near Liberty and pulled it over.

Erks was arrested on suspicion of child abuse resulting in injury and first-degree assault.

The sheriff’s office said the victims are a 5-year-old boy and his 1-year-old sister.

An investigation is ongoing.