Vietnam veteran says time in jail was unjust

NEBRASKA CITY – A criminal charge has been dropped against a disabled Vietnam veteran who had been accused of not paying portions of a bill for a long-term stay at a Nebraska City hotel.

James Sahs, 74, said he had been staying at hotels waiting for closing of sale of property in Colorado. He said payments for most of his two-month stay were processed without an issue, but there was a delay after a switch in credit cards. He also said the hotel did not have his current cell phone number.

Still, he said, he never expected anyone to conclude that he had refused payment until he was informed of the Otoe County arrest warrant out against him.

Sahs called the allegations and the 24 hours he spent in  jail unjust and a poor treatment of a disabled veteran.

Sahs enlisted in the Army in 1968 and was injured shortly after the Tet Offensive that year. He spent 22  months in military hospitals and says he has suffered from symptoms of paralysis since then. He said shrapnel from an explosion during an attack on his base near the Mekong River delta nearly severed his left leg and, through the next four decades, transient shrapnel would sometimes press against his spine.

The court records pertaining to Sahs have been closed, according to state law regarding cases that are dismissed.