An Omaha district court judge has ordered law enforcement to monitor a mental health treatment plan for the first time, a decision that may ultimately reach the Nebraska Supreme Court. The case involves Dyvan Hickman-Williams, a 27-year-old evaluated by psychiatrists after attempting to break into an apartment near 62nd and Ames in November 2023 with an 8-inch butcher knife. Following a three-year evaluation period, experts determined he was not responsible by reason of insanity and had made sufficient progress to be trusted in the care of his mother.
Days ago, Douglas County District Court Judge Jeffrey Lux issued a treatment plan containing an unprecedented provision: requiring the Douglas County sheriff to monitor whether orders are being followed. Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine stated he believes law enforcement oversight helps keep a watchful eye on the situation and allows the judge to be informed immediately if something goes wrong.
However, this novel approach faces legal challenges. Douglas County public defender Tom Riley, who has served for 31 years, said he has never encountered such a treatment plan component. Riley’s team plans to appeal the judge’s order, questioning whether the law even permits sheriff involvement. Riley questioned the benefit of non-medical professionals monitoring mental health issues, stating, “I’m not slamming them, I’m just saying that injecting them could get dangerous even.”
The case gained urgency after the April death of Noemi Guzman, who had been following her treatment plan with medication and therapy for schizophrenia until she struggled with her illness and attacked a stranger at an Omaha Walmart, stabbing a child in the face and arm with a knife. Officers shot and killed her to save the child’s life. Douglas County Sheriff Aaron Hanson stated his team is ready to follow the judge’s orders, emphasizing that “the public will not tolerate many more of these cases of innocent people being murdered or seriously injured.”
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://www.wowt.com/2026/06/02/omaha-judge-orders-law-enforcement-monitor-mental-health-treatment-plan/