Brandon Murch (L) and Christopher Highness (R) CASS COUNTY, N.D. — Two more men have appeared in court on charges connected to a sex sting last summer in the metro. Eighteen men were accused of going to local hotels to hire minors for sex. Brandon Murch, 31, of Hunter, North Dakota was sentenced to 1½ years behind bars. A charge…
CASS COUNTY, N.D. — A Fargo man has agreed to a plea deal on criminal sex charges. Christopher Leiva pleaded guilty in Cass County District Court to one count of sexual imposition. A felony charge of child abuse or neglect was dropped. The plea deal lead to the cancellation of a jury trial in the case. Leiva was accused of…
33-year-old Elhard was arrested after a standoff in Jamestown ended peacefully. JAMESTOWN, N.D. — A Jamestown man has been sentenced for a seven hour standoff in December. Troy Elhard, 33, pleaded guilty to terrorizing and was sentenced to 51 days in jail, which he has already served and two years of probation. He is also required to undergo a psychiatric evaluation…
FERGUS FALLS, Minn. — The trial is underway for a man accused of killing his father in Fergus Falls. Dustin Defiel’s attorney says there’s not enough evidence to prove that he killed his father. The body of Rick Defiel was found in his house east of Fergus Falls last June. Jurors listened to a 911 call on that day from…
CASS COUNTY, N.D. — A Fargo man is going to jail for six months for his role in his wife’s huffing death. In a plea deal, Brent Glarum pleaded guilty to reckless endangerment. Charges of negligent homicide and violating an order for protection were dropped. Glarum was accused of providing the cans of compressed air that the couple huffed…
MORTON COUNTY, N.D. –Three men are wanted on federal charges from an incident at the Dakota Access Pipeline protests. An indictment has been handed down for 36-year-old Brennon Nastacio, 22-year-old Brandon Miller-Castillo and 20-year-old Dion Ortiz. The fugitives are accused of civil disorder and use of fire to commit a federal crime. A third suspect, James White, was just arrested…
BISMARCK, N.D. — A Tuttle, North Dakota man has been sentenced to 50 years in prison for enticing a 14 year-old girl from the Philippines to send him sexually explicit pictures over the internet. Calvin Bernhardt, 54, was found guilty after a four-day trial last October in Bismarck. He was convicted of numerous charges including attempted sexual exploitation of a…
RANSOM COUNTY, N.D. — A Lisbon, North Dakota father has been convicted of killing his infant son. A jury found Byron Whetsel guilty of child neglect and murder following a 5-day trial in Ransom County. Court documents say Whetsel squeezed his 2-month-old son, broke the child’s ribs and neck and severely injured his brain. A medical examiner concluded all of…
GRAND FORKS, N.D. — A former UND police officer has been sentenced for possessing child porn. Paul Meagher, 43, will serve 10 years in prison and 10 years of supervised release. During a search of Meagher’s residence in November, 2015, officers found multiple media devices containing more than fifty-thousand images and videos. Meagher was charged with 10 counts of possession…
BISMARCK, N.D. — It could soon be a crime for adults to wear masks in most cases in North Dakota. The House has endorsed that bill and three other measures spurred by the bitter dispute between Dakota Access protesters and law enforcement. The House also approved bills that increase penalties for rioting, trespassing, and causing damage to personal property….
