Whether it happened near the Old Market, along a stretch of I-80, or somewhere in the neighborhoods between Midtown and Millard, the moment criminal charges are filed, your job, your freedom, and your reputation are all on the line.
At Liberty Law Group, our criminal defense attorneys understand the Douglas County court system and the weight that a Nebraska criminal case carries at every stage, from the County Court at 1701 Farnam Street through the Fourth Judicial District Court.
This is not the moment for general advice. It is the moment to speak with our Omaha criminal defense lawyers who understand how to fight back against the prosecution and protect your future from the harsh consequences of a conviction.
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Why Choose Liberty Law Group for Omaha Criminal Defense
When you are facing a criminal charge, the attorney you choose matters more than almost any other decision you will make. Our team, led by Attorney Eric Hagen, brings a relentless, detail-first approach to every case — digging into the evidence, the investigation, and the procedural record to find what others miss. That commitment has produced results that speak for themselves.
Case Results That Reflect Our Approach
We have secured dismissals on charges ranging from felony forgery and drug possession to DUI and first-degree sexual assault. In one case, after prosecutors extended a plea offer carrying a felony conviction and incarceration, our client rejected it on our advice.Cases involving DUI often turn on the details of Nebraska’s DUI laws, including how evidence is gathered and challenged.
We identified a critical element the State could not prove, and the case was ultimately dismissed with the arrest record sealed from public view. In another, we obtained surveillance footage that law enforcement never retrieved — footage that showed the accuser fabricating a sexual assault allegation at a local bar.
All charges were dismissed. The State then charged the accuser for filing a false report.
We Do the Work the Police Did Not
Our approach is investigative as much as it is legal. When police failed to canvas for witnesses in an assault case, Attorney Hagen did it himself — located a witness who corroborated our client’s account, and the prosecution was declined.
In a motor vehicle homicide case, swift intervention and zealous advocacy led to the State declining prosecution altogether, sparing a grieving client from the added burden of a felony charge.
Personal Attention on Every Case
Liberty Law Group represents clients across the full range of criminal matters that Douglas County courts handle. We offer free consultations, provide personal attention to every case, and are ready to discuss your situation whenever you are ready to reach out. Contact us today.
Omaha Criminal Defense
Nebraska structures its felonies across ten levels, from Class IV at the lower end to Class I at the most serious. Under Nebraska Revised Statute § 28-105, penalties range from probation-eligible offenses on the lower end all the way to life imprisonment and the death penalty at the top.
Where your charge lands on that scale shapes every strategic decision in your case — from whether to challenge the evidence to how to approach plea negotiations.
Class II felonies, for example, carry a minimum of one year and a maximum of fifty years in prison and include offenses such as robbery, arson, and sexual assault. Class IIIA felonies carry up to three years in prison plus post-release supervision.
Even a lower-level felony conviction becomes a permanent part of your record and affects employment, housing, and professional licensing long after any sentence is served.
What Happens in Douglas County Court
Criminal cases in Omaha move through a layered court system. Misdemeanors and preliminary felony hearings are handled at the Douglas County Court, located in the Hall of Justice at 1701 Farnam Street.
Felony cases proceed to the Fourth Judicial District Court, which serves Douglas County and is the largest judicial district in Nebraska by population. Federal charges are heard in the U.S. District Court for the District of Nebraska.
Understanding which court your case is in — and who is prosecuting it — matters from day one. Our attorneys know the local procedures, the local judges, and what a well-prepared defense looks like at each level.
Nebraska’s Statute of Limitations for Criminal Charges
Under Nebraska Revised Statute § 29-110, most felony prosecutions must begin within three years of the alleged offense. Misdemeanors generally carry an 18-month window. Some offenses — including murder, arson, treason, and certain sex crimes — carry no statute of limitations at all, meaning charges may be filed at any time.
There are also circumstances where the clock is paused, such as when a suspect leaves the state. If you have questions about timing and whether a charge against you is still within the prosecutable window, that is a conversation worth having with an attorney as early as possible.
The Criminal Defense Cases We Handle in Omaha
Our Omaha criminal defense practice covers a wide range of charges, including:
- Violent crimes, including murder, robbery, and assault
- Sexual assault and sex crime allegations
- Drug crimes and controlled substance charges
- DUI
- Domestic violence
- Weapons charges
- Federal offenses, including fraud, trafficking, and white-collar crimes
- Juvenile cases
- Professional licensing defense
- Title IX matters
- Cyber crimes
- Stalking and intimidation
- Appeals
Whether you are facing a first-time misdemeanor or a serious felony, we approach every case with the same level of preparation and scrutiny.
Fighting Criminal Charges in Omaha: What You Are Up Against
Douglas County prosecutors are experienced and well-resourced. They move quickly to lock in evidence and witness statements, and they are skilled at presenting charges in the most serious light possible.
When a case appears strong on the surface, many defendants feel pressured into accepting a plea offer without fully understanding what they may be giving up — including the possibility that the charge itself has weaknesses the prosecution would rather not litigate. Understanding how plea negotiations work can make a significant difference in how you approach that decision.
Our role is to slow that process down, examine every piece of evidence, and ensure that no detail goes unchallenged. Charges that appear airtight often are not once a trained eye reviews the investigation.
When Police Investigations Fall Short
Criminal charges are only as solid as the investigations behind them. Law enforcement agencies operate under significant caseload pressure, and procedural shortcuts happen. Evidence goes uncollected. Witnesses go uninterviewed. Not every traffic stop puts a crime on your record, but how the stop is handled can shape the entire case.
Body camera footage tells a different story than the arrest report. Constitutional violations occur during searches, stops, or interrogations.
We have seen cases where officers drew conclusions about a client’s sobriety before conducting any field investigation — including a DUI case where our client blew 0.00 on a preliminary breath test, yet was still charged.
A thorough review of the body camera footage and the prescribing physician’s records shut down the State’s case entirely. All charges were dismissed.
Motion to Suppress in Your Defense
A motion to suppress asks the court to exclude evidence that was obtained in violation of your constitutional rights. If law enforcement conducted an unlawful traffic stop, performed an improper search, or failed to honor your right to counsel, the evidence gathered as a result may not be usable at trial.
When that evidence is central to the prosecution’s case, a successful suppression motion can lead to a dismissal or a significantly reduced charge.
In one OWI second-offense case, Attorney Hagen identified numerous policy violations along with statutory and constitutional issues, set the matter for a suppression hearing, and forced the prosecution into a risk-benefit analysis it was unwilling to take.
The OWI charge was dropped and the client resolved the matter with a minor traffic fine.
Protecting Your Record: Dismissals, Sealed Records, and Set-Asides
A charge that gets dismissed is not necessarily gone from the public record without additional steps. In Nebraska, records of an arrest and charge may be sealed under certain circumstances — but that outcome typically requires deliberate legal action. Understanding the long-term conviction consequences is an important part of protecting your future.
In cases where charges are reduced or a first-time offender qualifies for diversion, protecting the long-term record is a priority from the start of our representation.
Nebraska also allows for set-asides in some situations, which may allow a person to move forward from a conviction with fewer lasting consequences.
If your record is a concern — whether because of your profession, your immigration status, or simply your future — that is something we address directly as part of your defense strategy.
FAQ for Omaha Criminal Defense Lawyer
What is the difference between the Douglas County Court and the Fourth Judicial District Court?
The Douglas County Court handles misdemeanors, traffic offenses, and preliminary hearings in felony cases. If a felony charge proceeds beyond the preliminary hearing, it moves to the Fourth Judicial District Court — a trial court of general jurisdiction that serves Douglas County and handles the most serious criminal matters in the Omaha area.
Can criminal charges be dismissed before a case goes to trial in Nebraska?
Charges may be dismissed at various stages of the process — during preliminary hearings, following pretrial motions, or when the prosecution determines it cannot meet its burden of proof. A motion to suppress evidence, a demonstration that an essential element of the crime cannot be proven, or evidence that undermines the credibility of the prosecution’s account can all lead to dismissal before trial. Several of our case outcomes reflect exactly that result.
What happens if I was charged with a crime I did not commit?
False accusations and mistaken arrests do happen, and the criminal justice system does not automatically correct itself. Building a defense against a wrongful charge requires the same rigorous investigation as any other case — sometimes more.
We take an independent investigative approach that goes beyond the police report, including locating witnesses, obtaining surveillance footage, and identifying inconsistencies in the evidence.
How does a felony conviction affect my life beyond the courtroom?
Beyond any jail or prison sentence, a felony conviction in Nebraska may affect your ability to obtain employment, housing, professional licenses, and certain federal benefits. It also becomes part of your permanent criminal record and may result in enhanced sentencing if you are ever charged with another offense in the future.
Avoiding a conviction — or pursuing record sealing or a set-aside where eligible — has consequences that extend well beyond the immediate case.
Is it too late to hire a criminal defense attorney if I have already been charged?
It is never too late to seek representation, but earlier involvement generally offers more strategic options. Once charges are filed, deadlines begin to run, hearings are scheduled, and prosecutors begin building their case.
The sooner an attorney is involved, the more opportunity there is to investigate the facts, identify weaknesses in the prosecution’s position, and pursue outcomes that protect your record.
Your Next Call Could Change the Outcome
A criminal charge is not the end of the story — but how you respond to it in the early days often determines how that story ends. The attorneys at Liberty Law Group have stood between charges and convictions in cases that, on paper, looked difficult to win.
We have retrieved footage no one else looked for. We have found witnesses law enforcement never bothered to locate. We have read the fine print in police reports, tested procedures against constitutional standards, and walked clients out of courthouse doors without a conviction.
If you are facing a criminal charge anywhere in the Omaha area, contact Liberty Law Group. Our criminal defense attorneys in Omaha offer free consultations and are ready to listen.
