LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – A Lincoln woman filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday accusing a longtime Lincoln Police sergeant of using excessive force during her arrest in 2023.
The lawsuit, filed by 37-year-old Nicole Birkes, alleges Sgt. Jeffrey Urkevich, a 28-year veteran of the department, strangled her while she was restrained on a gurney, causing physical and emotional harm.
Birkes was arrested on Sept. 24, 2023, following an incident at Steve O’s Lounge in northwest Lincoln. According to an arrest affidavit, she allegedly pulled a knife on a friend and later headbutted him, breaking his nose. She was charged with making terroristic threats.
The lawsuit claims that after her arrest, Birkes was Tased when she failed to comply with commands to lie on the ground. Officers then strapped her arms and legs to a gurney to transport her for medical care…