MORTON COUNTY, ND — Dave Archambault has been acquitted of charges filed during early protests against the Dakota Access oil pipeline. The Standing Rock Sioux tribal chairman and Tribal Councilman Dana Yellow Fat were both found not guilty during their trial on disorderly conduct charges. The men were arrested last August for allegedly pushing back against a line of…
BISMARCK, ND — A flight attendant from Arizona accused of making bogus bomb threats on two flights will not be going to prison. Justin Cox-Sever, 23, has pleaded guilty in federal court in Bismarck to interfering with an aircraft. He said he wanted to be recognized as a hero. The judge gave him up to five months in a…
GRAND FORKS, ND — Proponents of legalizing recreational marijuana in North Dakota are planning another attempt to get the issue to voters. Dave Owens, of Grand Forks, said they’re finalizing a draft of a proposal to be filed with the Secretary of State’s office this fall. Once the petition is approved, signatures for a ballot measure can be gathered…
FARGO, ND — The prosecution and defense have both rested in the double murder trial of Fargo man, Ashley Hunter. The prosecution took eight days to argue their case in front of a jury but the defense rested only minutes after the prosecution did. Hunter is accused of killing Clarence Flowers and Samuel Traut, both of Fargo, as well…
Horace, ND – The Cass County Sheriff’s office informed the public that a high risk sex offender is residing in Horace, ND. 36 year old Travis Lauckner is living at 407 Nelson Drive. In 1997, when he was 17, he was convicted of having a sexual relationship with a 14 year old female. In 2011, Lauckner was convicted of sexual…
FARGO, ND — DNA takes center stage at the double murder trial of Ashley Hunter at the Cass County Courthouse. Some DNA samples hint at a former neighbor of one of the victims. After the victims’ bodies were found, blood samples from their clothes and nearby items were taken in for DNA tests. Kyle Splichil, a DNA analyst for the…
MINOT, ND — Authorities say they will never know what started a large fire at a Minot recycling business, though they have some theories. The blaze at Earth Recycling broke out around noon on May 18. It produced heavy smoke that could be seen for miles. Chief Deputy State Fire Marshal Ken Sisk says he couldn’t pinpoint the exact…
WELLS COUNTY, ND — The former Wells County Sheriff has been released from jail after being arrested on drug charges. Johnny Lawson, 41, was arrested Friday and released from jail on Tuesday on a promise to appear in court. Lawson is charged with conspiracy to deliver meth, bribery, providing false information to a law enforcement officer, neglect of duty by…
ST. PAUL, Minn. — A former Bemidji assistant principal now faces federal child sexual exploitation charges. Brandon Bjerknes, 34, was arrested Tuesday and appeared today in U.S. District Court in St. Paul. He is charged with the production and distribution of child porn and enticement of a minor. Court documents show Bjerknes posed online as a 13 to 15-year-old male…
KITTSON COUNTY, Minn. — Authorities say a woman who may have been trying to reach Canada was found dead in northwestern Minnesota. Kittson County officials say 57-year-old Mavis Otuteye was found Friday in a field a half-mile from the Canadian border near Noyes. She had been reported missing a day earlier. They believe Otuteye, who had been living in…
