Former Sens. Mike Flood and Chris Langemeier also attended the Tuesday morning announcement. Flood said he was there not for any political reasons but to support a good friend, as Heidemann did for him when he announced his withdrawal from the governor's race in late 2012 because of his wife's illness.

Heidemann is one of the most honorable people he knows and provided exemplary leadership while he was in the Legislature, said Flood, speaker of the Legislature from 2007-12. Heidemann served as chairman of the Appropriations Committee for six years.

"(He) has a heart of gold," Flood said. "I wasn't there when this incident happened, but there's always two sides to a story, and let's see what that is."

Flood said that as a country lawyer, he has seen these types of family disputes over estates and family medical care.

"Those are difficult matters for any family in Nebraska," he said. "And there are probably thousands of families that have gone through this or are going through it right now. And there are no winners in those things."

The protection order was granted Monday after a court hearing. Bohling said her brother grabbed her wrists and pushed her out of their mother's bedroom in August during an ongoing dispute involving farmland and their 84-year-old mother's care.