Poitra charged with murder, terrorizing

POSTED February 21, 2023

Formal charges have been filed against the man authorities believe shot and killed another man outside Rindy's Bar in Sheyenne on Sunday, Feb. 19.

Eddy County Sheriff Paul Lies confirmed that one male victim, identified as 30-year-old Troyal Thumb, was transported to the CHI St. Alexius Medical Center in Carrington, where he died as a result of his injuries.

A suspect has been identified as 45-year-old Nicholas Poitra, and a multi-agency manhunt is currently underway.

On Tuesday, Poitra was officially charged with AA Felony murder, as well as robbery with a firearm (a Class B felony), seven counts of terrorizing with a dangerous weapon (each a Class C felony), and unlawful possession of a firearm, also a Class C felony.

After the shooting in Sheyenne on Sunday, Lies said a vehicle was stolen at gunpoint and later found in a ditch next to a farmhouse in Wells County. On Monday afternoon, the Devils Lake regional SWAT team cleared the farmhouse, which appeared to be recently broken into by Poitra.

The Eddy, Wells, Benson and Ramsey County Sheriff's Departments all searched the farmhouse, where they found evidence of someone having broken in before rummaging through multiple firearms that were located in the home.

Poitra himself, however, was nowhere to be found.

"The suspect of the homicide, Nicholas Poitra, is believed to have entered the farmhouse which contained numerous firearms," stated Lies on Tuesday. "... It appears to investigators that Nicholas Poitra did go through the firearms inside the house, it is unknown at this time how many were taken."

Luckily for the homeowners, they happened to be out of town for a medical appointment when their home was breached.

The Eddy County Sheriff's department is asking for the public's assistance in locating Poitra. He is a Native American man with brown eyes and black hair, stands 6'3" tall and weighs approximately 260 lbs.

Poitra is considered armed and extremely dangerous, and should not be approached.

"I can't stress enough how dangerous this guy is right now," Sheriff Lies said Monday.

"If anyone comes into contact with or knows where Mr. Poitra is, they should immediately call local law enforcement and do not approach," he added on Tuesday. "If anyone is helping or hiding Mr. Poitra, your safety is also in jeopardy and you should contact law enforcement whenever safe to do so."

Anyone with useful information is encouraged to contact the Eddy County Sheriff's Department at (701) 947-5515, or the local law enforcement in their area.

The Eddy County Sheriff's Department is working in cooperation with the N.D. Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the FBI, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the sheriff's departments in Benson, Ramsey and Wells counties, and the Devils Lake regional SWAT team.

The Transcript will provide more updates to this story as they become available online at http://www.newrockfordtranscript.com.