Courtesy Photo­Image Tyler J. Keup

Courtesy Photo­Image Brandi Sanchez

Tyler Keup of North Platte was arrested Sunday afternoon and charged with amphetamine possession with intent to deliver and carrying a concealed knife.

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Keup was booked into the Lincoln County Jail at 4:47 p.m.

He is also charged with having more than an ounce of marijuana.

Police spokesman Rodney Brown said Keup was arrested around 3:45 p.m. after a traffic stop near A St. and Vine.

Based on two previous incidents of meth distribution investigated by a Nebraska State Patrol task force, Brown said there was probable cause to arrest and search Keup. The search turned up drug paraphernalia and approximately two ounces of marijuana.

A female passenger in the car, Brandi Sanchez, 30, was found with drug paraphernalia that tested positive for methamphetamine, Brown said.

Police also discovered prescription medication and a concealed, large, Buck brand knife under the passenger seat of the vehicle

The arrest was completed without incident and all parties were compliant, according to the police report.

In addition to two counts of distribution, Keup was cited for possession of a controlled substance - adderall (a felony), possession of a concealed weapon (knife), and possession of less than a pound and more than an ounce of marijuana.

Sanchez was arrested for possession of adderall, meth and possession of a concealed weapon (knife).

In court, Keup's bond was set at $250,000 and Pat Hays was appointed his public defender.

Sanchez's bond was set at $20,000. She asked for a public defender. Lincoln County Judge Kent Turnbull said one would be appointed.

Keup, 29, spent more than a decade in prison after he shot an 18-year-old girl in 2000 with a .25-caliber semi-automatic that he had bought for $78.

He was 16 at the time and maintained it was an accident. as a prisoner, Keup was influential in efforts to modify life sentences for teenage criminals. He became an artist and won honors at the Nebraska State Fair and at the 2012 Nebraskaland Days art show.

In prison, he became a member of and designed a logo for a group of prisoners called STOP – Stand Together On Purpose, a group dedicated to battling recidivism – the pattern of criminals returning to crime, and consequently to prison.

Keup was released from prison in July 2011 after a court found no evidence of intent to commit murder. He has lived in North Platte since his release.

Keup had a brush with the law on Nov. 11, when the car he was driving was pulled over for a traffic violation. The passenger, Cortney Lopez, was arrested for possession of methamphetamine and has been in jail since. At the time, Keup was cited for driving without a license.

This report was updated at 2 p.m. Monday. -Editor