North Platte — A 20-year-old man was taken into custody over the weekend in connection with a felony theft case in Lincoln County, according to the North Platte Police Department.
Deputy Chief Kendall Allison said an officer was dispatched to the 200 block of East Leota Street around 3:40 p.m. on March 2, 2026, after receiving a report of a theft.
Police said an employee told officers that his employer had sent $4,500 to a coworker’s bank account. Of that amount, $2,500 was supposed to be given to the victim. However, the coworker—identified as Eliezander Pirela-Castellanos—allegedly left the area in a pickup truck instead of withdrawing the money from an ATM. Investigators say he drove southbound on U.S. Highway 83 toward his home state of Texas.
At 4:51 p.m., deputies with the Frontier County Sheriff’s Office stopped Pirela-Castellanos on Highway 83 near mile marker 51, roughly 30 miles south of North Platte. He was then transported by the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office to the Lincoln County Detention Center.
Authorities said several personal belongings belonging to the victim—including a backpack and a suitcase filled with clothes and hats—were recovered from the pickup truck.
Pirela-Castellanos, who is from Amarillo, was arraigned in Lincoln County Court on a charge of felony theft. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 12, 2026, at 3 p.m. His bond was set at 10% of $15,000, and the court ordered that he sign a written waiver of extradition as a condition of release.
Jail records also indicate that an immigration hold has been placed on him.
