Paul Hammel
Nebraska Examiner
LINCOLN — The Nebraska Supreme Court upheld the disbarment Friday of a former Dodge County Attorney who was convicted of misusing his authority, three drunken offenses and found to have stalked the boyfriend of his estranged wife.
Oliver Glass, who resigned as Dodge County Attorney in 2021 after 10 years in office, had argued that the permanent loss of his license to practice law was excessive. Glass admitted that he had violated his oath of office and rules as a practicing attorney but sought a suspension of his license and the opportunity to practice law eventually.
But the Supreme Court, in its ruling, upheld the recommendation of the Counsel for Discipline that Glass lose his license.
The court pointed out that lawyers who are in public office are held to a higher standard than attorneys in private practice and that Glass had a third drunken driving offense in July 2024 while on probation for misusing his office.
His case generated several stories in the Omaha World-Herald, and his legal and drinking problems were detailed in the court’s order on Friday.
In 2018, his wife filed for a legal separation. Glass, upon learning that she was dating another man in 2020, looked up the boyfriend’s criminal record in a national database that is supposed to be used only for official law enforcement purposes.
Glass enlisted other attorneys in his office and local law enforcement personnel to also look up the boyfriend’s record. Glass also began surveilling the homes of the boyfriend and his estranged wife and sending threatening social media messages to the boyfriend.
In 2021, Glass resigned from office after a second DUI arrest, and his law license was suspended — a suspension that remained in effect into 2025. In addition, he was indicted by federal prosecutors for cyberstalking the ex-wife’s boyfriend.
He struck a plea bargain and pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor in federal court, which resulted in a 9 month prison term as well as supervised release. Prosecutors noted that the “weaponization of law enforcement and criminal investigations for personal benefit” by Glass had undermined “respect for the law.”
The Supreme Court, in a 13-page opinion, said the case generated negative publicity for the practice of law and “endangered public confidence in the legal profession and the justice system.”
The court agreed with a referee’s conclusion that there was a need to deter other attorneys from similar conduct and that a permanent disbarment was warranted.
