A woman accused of setting fire to a bar she was buying in central Nebraska has taken a plea deal.
Custer County District Court records say 54-year-old Jane Chestnutt pleaded guilty last week to criminal mischief and attempted arson. Prosecutors reduced the charges and dropped one in exchange for her pleas. The original charges included one for insurance fraud.
Chestnutt is scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 22.
The March 27 blaze last year heavily damaged Jim’s Bar in Arnold. The bar owner says he was selling it to Chestnutt and her husband and that she had said she was having trouble making the payments.
Related:
Copyright 2026 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Was this article valuable?
Here are more articles you may enjoy.

Nike Faces Investor Challenge Over Gender-Transition Surgery for Minors
Farmers Embrace AI More Than Any Other Tech, McKinsey Says
25 Years Later: IJ’s Past and Continued Coverage of the Insurance Impact of 9/11
Lockton Named in NBA Investigation Into Clippers Salary Cap Circumvention 

