High School Athlete Dies in Car Mishap

A Columbus, Neb., high school athlete celebrating a soccer championship was killed after he apparently got drunk at a bonfire party and fell asleep in his car, which then rolled into the embers and became engulfed in flames. Christopher “Chip” Kaup, 18, must have nodded off after the celebration early Thursday, Platte County Atty. John Kohl said. The car was on a slight incline, Kohl said. Investigators said they did not know whether the brake was on. Kaup died four days after graduation. A preliminary autopsy found that his blood-alcohol level was over the legal limit. Kohl said that he did not know who supplied the alcohol for the underage party and that it was too soon to say whether any charges would be filed.