Former Nebraska state Senator Raikes dead
 

From the BNO Newsroom.

ASHLAND, Nebraska (BNO NEWS) -- Former Nebraska state Senator Ron Raikes died in a farming accident in Ashland on Saturday evening, officials said on Sunday. He was 61-year-old.

The Saunders County Sheriff's Department was dispatched to the 400 block of County Road 8 at 22.36 p.m. local time on Saturday. When deputies arrived, Raikes was found under a piece of farming equipment, believed to be a "haymaker." He was pronounced dead on scene at 11.07 p.m.

The official cause of death has not yet been released, but authorities described it as a farming accident. The Saunders County Attorney has ordered an autopsy on his body.

Raikes was born on March 11, 1948 and represented District 25 in the Nebraska Legislature from 1997 until he was appointed to fill the remaining term of Jerome Warner who died in office. Raikes was then elected to the seat in 1998, which he held until 2008 when term limits prevented him from running again. 

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