Spirit Lake

Polaris to sell Indian Motorcycle division to private equity firm based in Los Angeles

MEDINA, Minn. (KVRR) — Medina, Minnesota based Polaris is selling off its Indian Motorcycle brand to a company in California. The company announced its decision to separate the motorcycle division into a standalone business. They have entered into a definitive agreement to sell a majority stake in Indian Motorcycle to Carolwood LP, an independent private equity firm founded in 2014…

Spirt Lake Man Gets 30 Years in Prison On Child Porn Indictments

FARGO, N.D. (KVRR) — A Spirit Lake man who pleaded guilty to producing, distributing and possessing child porn gets 30 years in prison. Court documents show 29-year-old Johnson Tollefson produced child porn in Dilworth. It depicted a toddler-age female. He then distributed the child porn to other users of the social media network Tumblr in exchange for other child porn….

Six-year-old boy mauled to death on Spirit Lake Reservation

The FBI and other law enforcement agencies are investigating the circumstances that led up to the incident

FORT TOTTEN, N.D. (KVRR) – A six-year-old boy died after he was mauled by a dog Sunday on the Spirit Lake Indian Reservation in Fort Totten. Sources tell KVRR News that the FBI and other law enforcement agencies are investigating the circumstances that led up to the incident. They say the dog, which was captured, did not have a history…

Lawyers for Tribes on Suit Against North Dakota Over Political Boundaries

By: Jeannie Kopstein WASHINGTON, D.C. (KVRR) — Two Native American tribes are suing North Dakota over newly drawn political boundaries they argue illegally dilute votes from indigenous communities. North Dakota’s Turtle Mountain and Spirit Lake tribes filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court last month. It alleges that the map does not comply with section two of the Voting Rights…

Man indicted in deadly Spirit Lake shooting

SPIRIT LAKE RESERVATION – A federal grand jury indicts a Fort Totten man in a deadly shooting. Thirty-four-year-old Cody Belgarde faces first degree murder charges. The U.S. Attorney’s Office says he shot and killed a juvenile male on the Spirit Lake Reservation on January 14th. The body was discovered after a house fire report. Federal law enforcement continues to investigate….

Charges announced in large drug operation on Native American reservations in ND

Investigators are calling it "Operation Blue Prairie"

NORTH DAKOTA — Twenty six people are charged in what is being called an unprecedented drug distribution enterprise on Indian country in North Dakota. Operation Blue Prairie is the investigation into a large drug ring taking place on North Dakota’s Spirit Lake, Turtle Mountain and Fort Berthold Indian Reservations since 2015. “It was the objective of this conspiracy to target…

Bill Would Allow Spirit Lake Nation To Prosecute Certain Crimes

WASHINGTON – The Senate Indian Affairs Committee, which Sen. John Hoeven of North Dakota chairs, passes a bill to return criminal jurisdiction to the Spirit Lake Reservation for crimes committed there. It repeals a 1946 statute authorizing North Dakota to prosecute certain crimes committed by, or against, members of the Spirit Lake Tribe. The Spirit Lake Nation has its own…