State v. Wolfe

── State v. Wolfe ── Court: Nebraska Court of Appeals Date: May 19, 2026 Category: General IN THE NEBRASKA COURT OF APPEALS MEMORANDUM OPINION AND JUDGMENT ON APPEAL (Memorandum Web Opinion) STATE V. WOLFE NOTICE: THIS OPINION IS NOT DESIGNATED FOR PERMANENT PUBLICATION AND MAY NOT BE CITED EXCEPT AS PROVIDED BY NEB. CT. R. APP. P. § 2-102(E). STATE OF NEBRASKA, APPELLEE, V. JEFFEREY R. WOLFE, APPELLANT. Filed May 19, 2026. No. A-25-775. Appeal from the District Court for Lancaster County: LORI A. MARET, Judge. Affirmed. Anne E. Brown, of Morrow, Poppe, Watermeier & Lonowski, P.C., L.L.O., for appellant. Michael T. Hilgers, Attorney General, and Teryn Blessin for appellee. RIEDMANN, Chief Judge, and PIRTLE and FREEMAN, Judges. PIRTLE, Judge. I. INTRODUCTION Jefferey R. Wolfe appeals his plea-based convictions for attempted possession of a controlled substance and third degree domestic assault, both Class I misdemeanors. On appeal, he contends that the sentences imposed by the district court were excessive and that he received ineffective assistance of trial counsel in various respects. Upon our review, we affirm Wolfe’s convictions and sentences. II. BACKGROUND In July 2024, the State filed an information charging Wolfe with two felony offenses and one misdemeanor offense as a result of Wolfe’s actions on April 9, 2024. The charges included second degree assault, a Class IIA felony; possession of a controlled substance, a Class IV felony; and third degree domestic assault, a Class I misdemeanor. In July 2025, the State filed an amended -1- information that charged Wolfe with two Class I misdemeanors: attempted possession of a controlled substance and domestic assault. Wolfe entered into a plea agreement with the State, and pursuant to the plea agreement, Wolfe pled guilty to the two misdemeanor offenses set forth in the amended information. During the plea hearing, Wolfe indicated that no one had threatened him or made promises to compel him to plead guilty to the amended charges. In addition, he affirmed that he understood both the constitutional rights he was waiving by pleading to the charges and the possible consequences of his pleas. Wolfe informed the district court that he had been provided with sufficient time to discuss the case with his attorney and that together they had discussed his options. He denied that his counsel had refused or neglected to do anything he asked of him. Wolfe entered pleas of guilty to the charges contained in the amended information. The State provided a factual basis for Wolfe’s pleas: On April 9th, 2024, officers were detailed to Bryan West parking lot on report of a domestic [sic]. There they made contact with [Angela R.], who was observed to be bleeding a lot from the right side of her head, shaking, crying, and visibly scared. [Wolfe] was asked to step outside of the room so officers could speak alone with [Angela]. [Angela] stated that she was in a relationship with [Wolfe] for approximately seven years. When asked about the injury, she initially stated she hit her head on the truck door when she was getting into her truck. She also kept saying that she didn’t want [Wolfe] to go to jail. [Angela] appeared to be very nervous with [Wolfe] close by in the hallway. [Wolfe] told Officer Prater and Officer Eastman that he didn’t know what happened to [Angela’s] head, or why she was bleeding. A reporting party, identified as Ms. Bruder, was contacted by Officer Sternhagen. And she stated that she saw the male in a white truck strik