Burgess asking court for early release from probation

NORFOLK, Neb. -- A northeast Nebraska woman convicted of having an illegal abortion and disposing of the fetus is asking the court for early relief from her sentence. 

According to a court filing this week, Celeste Burgess has petitioned Madison County for an early end to her probation term. 

She was sentenced to 90 days i jail and two years' probation back in 2023 in a case that made national headlines due to its coinciding with the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, although authorities said her abortion would have been illegal regardless. 

Burgess served her 90-sentence, but according to court records has also spent more time behind bars for multiple probation violations, for missing psychiatric evaluations and multiple scheduled drug tests. 

According to court records, her most recent stint in jail ended last September.

Burgess has been scheduled for a hearing in Madison County District Court on March 20, 2025.