Eddy County Sheriff's Report for March

Waylon J. Stands, Jr. of Sheyenne was stopped on Eddy County 1 (29th Street), east of Sheyenne, on March 16. The vehicle had no license plate, and Stands’ driver’s license was suspended. The deputy smelled marijuana in the vehicle, and identified a joint in the cup holder. Stands relinquished the marijuana to the deputy at the scene, and he pleaded guilty on March 24 to misdemeanor possession of marijuana and driving under suspension. He received a 30-day suspended jail sentence, and was ordered to pay $650 in fines and fees.

Tyler C. Kuk of Tokio was sentenced on March 10 for criminal trespass related to a hunting violation. The incident occurred on Nov. 18, 2020, in which he was also charged for hunting off an established road or trail. He reached a plea agreement in the case, and as a result the misdemeanor hunting charge was dismissed. In lieu of fines, Kuk was ordered to make a $500 donation to the Report All Poachers (RAP) program. He was also assessed $250 in court fees.

Three Feathers Lee Morin of Fargo was arrested for driving under suspension on Oct. 28. After initially pleading not guilty to the charge, he amended his plea to guilty on March 11, to avoid a bench trial in the case. Judge Hovey fined him $350, and handed down a two-day suspended jail sentence. He is subject to 360 days of unsupervised probation.

On Nov. 1, 2020, Ronald Williams of New Rockford walked out of the Dollar General with a basket of merchandise for which he hadn’t paid. He pleaded guilty to the charge on March 24, and was assessed a $250 fine, and placed on unsupervised probation for 360 days.

On Jan. 30, a deputy responded to a fight in Sheyenne. When officers arrived at the scene, Antone Eback Jr. of Fort Totten was reportedly walking around, covered in blood. The deputy approached Eback, placed him in the squad car and offered to give him a ride home. When the deputy placed a call to dispatch, he learned that Eback had active warrants. Upon notice that he was going to jail for active warrants, Eback damaged the Eddy County squad car in anger, causing $322.45 in damages. He pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of criminal mischief, and was sentenced to 12 days in jail, with credit for time served. He was also ordered to pay restitution for the damages to the squad car. Sheriff Paul Lies said Eback has since been sentenced to three years in prison for felony offenses in Benson and Ramsey counties, including theft and burglary.

Jon Gamotis of Carrington reached a plea agreement with authorities in a driving under suspension case. He was initially stopped on Nov. 11 along Hwy. 281, north of New Rockford, after authorities observed that he had an inoperable tail light. He was charged with driving under suspension, to which he pleaded not guilty on Dec. 10. Gamotis amended his plea to guilty to avoid a bench trial, and was subsequently sentenced to two days in jail, which was suspended for 360 days of unsupervised probation. He was also assessed $350 in fines and fees.

Michele Schindler of Carrington was arrested on Aug. 2, 2020, and charged with possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia (methamphetamines), as well as cited for a marijuana infraction. Authorities initially stopped her because the vehicle she was driving was missing a headlight. She performed field sobriety tests and consented to a search of her vehicle. Deputies found methamphetamine paraphernalia, and Schinder later produced bags of crystal meth that she had hidden on her person.

Schindler reached a plea agreement with authorities in the case and was sentenced for both possession charges on March 24. Her 20-day jail sentence was suspended for 360 days of unsupervised probation, and she was assessed $425 in fines and fees. Hovey also ordered her to complete a chemical dependency evaluation and submit to random drug testing upon reasonable suspicion. Schinder currently has two active cases out of Foster County, both DUI offenses.

Jerri J. Jensen of Oberon reached a plea agreement with authorities for driving under the influence. According to the criminal complaint, Jensen was arrested along U.S. Hwy. 281 on Aug. 23. A subsequent breathalyzer test indicated that Jensen’s blood alcohol content was 0.160%, twice the legal limit. He was also cited for disregarding a stop sign and open container. He was initially charged with a Class C Felony, as this was his fourth such offense in the past 15 years, authorities say. He was previously convicted of DUI in Eddy County in 2018, Ramsey County in 2009, and West Fargo in 2008. Jensen agreed to plead guilty to a lesser, misdemeanor charge on March 24, avoiding trial. He was assessed $1,750 in fines and fees, was ordered to complete a chemical dependency evaluation, and participate in the 24/7 sobriety program for a year.

Nathan Kalisch of New Rockford was stopped on March 7 in New Rockford. Authorities identified him as an individual with a suspended license. He was charged with driving under suspension, and also cited for possession of marijuana, an infraction. Kalisch pleaded not guilty to the DUS charge in court on March 24, and he is due for a pre-trial conference in the case on June 10. He also has an open DUS charge in Wells County, which was filed on Jan. 22.

Sydney Dockter of New Rockford was in the vehicle with Kalisch. She was arrested on two outstanding warrants, and charged with misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia. She also pleaded not guilty in court on March 24. This is her third such offense, according to court records.

Amy Anderson of New Rockford was sentenced for leaving the scene of an accident in Nov. 2020. Authorities say she dropped her cigarette and hit a parked vehicle in the 200 block of First Avenue North, which was owned by Mason Brenno, then left the scene. Her vehicle’s license plate was found at the scene. She issued an amended guilty plea to the charge on March 24, and Judge Hovey handed down a 10-day suspended jail sentence, and ordered her to pay $825 in fines and fees. She is also subject to 360 days of unsupervised probation.

Several warrants were issued after court on March 24.

• Lewis Blackbird of St. Michel - $450 warrant for failure to appear

• Russell C. Cavanaugh of Bismarck - driving under revocation, $150 bench warrant for failure to appear

• Deeann Demarce- driving under suspension, $385 bench warrant for failure to appear

• Douglas L. Feigert - $350 warrant for failure to appear on DUS charge

• Brenton Greinier of New Rockford - $80 warrant for active DUS charge

• Dylan Smith of St. Michel - $500 bench warrant for using decoys and artificial lights to take big game

• Cecilia Williams - $85 warrant for failure to pay fines assessed in a 2017 case for possession of controlled substance (marijuana), possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of controlled substance with intent to deliver

Anyone with information about any of the above individuals should contact the Eddy County Sheriff’s Office at (701) 947-5515, or text an anonymous tip to (701) 341-0534.

Sheriff Lies reiterated that local authorities are working with the state to greatly reduce the county’s housing and transportation costs for those charged with crimes. “Zoom is a valuable tool in reducing those expenditures,” he said. “We are very fortunate to have that capability.” During the pandemic, all hearings were held remotely via Zoom, which had a positive impact on both attendance by the accused and the county’s law enforcement budget. Lies has told the Eddy County Commission that he would like to see a video network installed in the Lake Region Law Enforcement Center, a capability that would allow inmates to participate in court hearings remotely, effectively freeing up officer time required to transport them to and from court.