OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – A Florida man currently in jail in Lancaster County for attacking a police officer at a Lincoln Arby’s has waived his right for extradition to face a homicide charge in Iowa, according to court records.
Joseph Edward Bertolino, 37, of Jacksonville, Florida, appeared in Lancaster court Friday morning following his arrest Tuesday night for 1st-degree assault on an officer.
Joseph Bertolino mugshot(Lancaster County Jail)
On Friday, a hearing was held regarding the 1st-degree murder charge waiting for Bertolino in Pottawattamie County for the alleged slaying of a man who was found dead in a Carter Lake hotel.
The deceased’s identity is still being withheld as of Friday.
Investigators state that Bertolino made statements while in custody after the Arby’s incident about an event that happened at the Country Inn and Suites Hotel in Carter Lake, Iowa, earlier that evening on Tuesday.
Additionally, Bertolino allegedly assaulted a jail staff member on Thursday morning when he refused to go back to his cell.
A corrections officer was hit by a “conducted energy device,” according to LPD. Bertolino now faces an additional charge of 2nd-degree assault on an officer.
Police in Carter Lake were notified. Around the same time, a witness requested a welfare check from the Carter Lake Police at the hotel.
A deceased male was found inside a hotel room. An autopsy was scheduled to be conducted yesterday. Attempts to reach the Pottawattamie County Attorney and Iowa Department of Criminal Investigations on Friday were not successful.
Bertolino is currently being held without bond. Waiving his right of extradition means Iowa authorities can take Bertolino to Pottawattamie County without having to wait for a governor’s warrant.
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