Veteran Nebraska police officer killed in crash when pickup truck rear-ended his cruiser

CERESCO, Neb. (AP) — A veteran Nebraska police officer was killed when his cruiser was struck by another vehicle after he made a traffic stop. The State Patrol says 54-year-old Ceresco Police Officer Ross Bartlett stopped a car on Highway 77 Friday evening. The State Patrol says the driver and officer were both seated in their vehicles on the shoulder, when a pickup truck rear-ended the police cruiser. Bartlett was flown to a hospital in Lincoln, where he was pronounced dead. The pickup driver was not seriously hurt. Gov. Jim Pillen ordered that flags be flown at half-staff. Ceresco is about 20 miles north of Lincoln.