Finding a fugitive

Following a fatal shooting at Rindy’s Bar in Sheyenne on Feb. 19, rural Eddy County became the focus of a tense three-day manhunt for an alleged killer.

Nicholas Poitra, the man police say murdered 30-year-old Troyal Thumb with a short-barreled shotgun just after 7 p.m. that night, fled the scene and was considered armed and extremely dangerous.

Fearful of the unknown, many residents made sure their homes and vehicles were locked up in the days that followed, especially after news broke that Poitra had breached a local farmhouse and potentially stolen additional firearms.

Poitra remained at large for 65 hours, until he was spotted on County Road 12 in western Eddy County on Wednesday, Feb. 22, and held at gunpoint by a local farmer until law enforcement arrived.

Poitra was subsequently arrested and booked at the Lake Region Law Enforcement Center (LEC) in Devils Lake, bringing an end to the tense multi-agency manhunt and allowing the community to breathe a sigh of relief.

However, questions still remained about when, where and how Poitra avoided capture for so long, and how he stayed warm amid below-zero temperatures.

Eddy County Sheriff Paul Lies answered those questions and many more as he laid out a comprehensive timeline of events from when the shooting took place Sunday night, to Poitra’s dramatic encounter with a local farmer the following Wednesday.

Here’s what we know right now about what happened Feb. 19-22, as taken from accounts by Eddy County Sheriff Lies.

The shooting at Rindy’s Bar

The ordeal first began shortly after both Thumb and Poitra arrived at Rindy’s Bar in Sheyenne that Sunday evening. According to Lies, Poitra had entered the bar moments after a bartender shift change at 7 p.m., followed by Thumb’s entrance only a few minutes later.

An argument soon broke out between the two men, which erupted and turned deadly almost immediately, said Lies. The cause of the argument is still being investigated.

All totaled, less than 10 minutes had passed between the moment Poitra entered the bar, to when he allegedly pulled the trigger and killed Troyal Thumb. According to Lies, the initial 911 call was made at 7:09 p.m., and the first deputy on scene arrived 12 minutes later.

Immediately after the shooting, court documents say Poitra pointed his weapon at seven other individuals inside the bar – including a child – and forced them to hand over cell phones and a set of car keys.

Lies said the first deputies to respond secured the scene and tended to the wounds of Troyal Thumb, who was transported to the CHI St. Alexius Medical Center in Carrington, where he was ultimately pronounced dead.

Officers also talked to witnesses to learn as much as possible about the suspect, Lies said, such as the vehicle he stole and in which direction he fled.

The Manhunt and Poitra’s whereabouts

Court documents allege Poitra used the car keys he stole at gunpoint to leave the scene in a 2013 Ford Explorer, but not before grabbing the bar’s security footage on his way out.

A description of the stolen vehicle and Poitra’s information was communicated over state radio through an “all-points bulletin,” ensuring all law enforcement in the state knew what to look for, said Lies.

However, no sign of Poitra was discovered until sometime between 10 and 11 a.m. the following morning, when Lies said a local farmer spotted the stolen vehicle in a ditch in Wells County and promptly called law enforcement.

“Indication is that [Poitra] was going down a road that turned into a minimum maintenance road in the middle of the storm we had that night,” said Lies, “and then he just tried to back up and backed into the ditch.”

Lies said Poitra was suspected of entering a nearby farmhouse after his getaway vehicle became stuck in the ditch, prompting the Devils Lake regional SWAT team to arrive later that day and clear the farmstead sometime between 7 and 8 p.m.

Evidence that he’d broken in was discovered, and it appeared that he’d rummaged through a number of firearms located inside the home. Poitra himself, however, was nowhere to be found, and now law enforcement had reason to believe he had armed himself even further.

Believing he may have had help getting north, authorities widened their focus to include Rolette County and the Turtle Mountain Reservation, where Poitra lived and had family.

However, unbeknownst to law enforcement at the time, Lies said Poitra had stolen a four-wheeler from the Wells County residence, and drove it approximately two miles southeast. There, it’s believed he once again became stuck in the snow – this time in the middle of an unplowed road – and broke into another Wells County farmhouse nearby.

Both locations were unoccupied at the time they were broken into.

The second farmstead was searched on Thursday, Feb. 23, and Lies said evidence was found indicating the farmhouse had been breached and that someone had recently been cooking and staying there.

The owners of the home hadn’t been there since last fall, informed Lies, and law enforcement were forced to use a plow to reach the residence.

The encounter with a local farmer

Sixty-five hours after the shooting at Rindy’s bar, the manhunt culminated in a dramatic encounter between Poitra and a local farmer.

According to Lies, a woman spotted Poitra shortly before noon on Feb. 22, walking along County Road 12 in northwestern Eddy County. Lies said the woman drove alongside Poitra and had a brief conversation with him, which essentially amounted to her asking, “Who the hell are you and what are you doing out here?”

Lies said Poitra didn’t reply much except to say he didn’t have any weapons.

The woman then called her fiancé, who in turn contacted Sheriff Lies. The first call to Lies came in at exactly 11:54 a.m., and the local farmer provided updates regarding Poitra’s whereabouts.

It was only when the suspect began approaching another farmstead that Lies said he told the farmer, “we don’t want him going into that farmstead, but don’t do anything crazy.”

The farmer was not explicitly asked to leave his vehicle and hold Poitra at gunpoint, but Lies said the farmer did exactly that using a rifle. Lies also said it appeared Poitra was prepared to give himself up, potentially thinking the farmer was a deputy.

“Every indication was that he was giving up,” said Lies. “Because he was taking his coat off and holding his hands up to this farmer.”

Lies added, “He didn’t appear to be armed based on what he was displaying to the farmer, so we felt comfortable just having [the farmer] hold him there until we got there.”

The last call from the farmer to Lies was placed at exactly 12:08 p.m., and Poitra, who was unarmed, was in custody and on his way to the LEC in Devils Lake by 12:14 p.m.

As of press time, the short-barreled shotgun and any other weapons Poitra may have possessed, had not been located.

Lies expressed gratitude to the farmer, who chooses to remain anonymous, for helping bring an alleged killer into custody.

“He doesn’t really want the publicity,” said Lies. “He doesn’t need it, doesn’t want it, and he wasn’t looking for this to happen. He was just out taking care of his cattle and this was just kind of sprung on him.”

What comes next

Poitra is charged with intentional murder, a Class AA felony, as well as robbery with a firearm, a Class B felony, unlawful possession of a firearm, a Class C felony, and seven counts of terrorizing with a dangerous weapon, each a Class C felony.

Poitra represented himself at his bond hearing on Thursday, Feb. 23 via Zoom, where his bail was set at $1.5 million cash. As of press time, Poitra was still being held at the LEC in Devils Lake.

His next court appearance is scheduled for Thursday, March 9, at the Eddy County Courthouse, where he’ll appear in person at 9 a.m.

At the hearing he’ll be informed of his rights, as well as the charges he’s facing and the penalties those charges carry.

He may also, if he chooses, waive his preliminary hearing and move straight into an arraignment, during which he would plead guilty or not guilty to the felony charges against him.

In the State of North Dakota, the maximum penalty for Class AA felony murder is life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. The maximum penalty for a Class B felony is 10 years’ imprisonment and/or a fine of $20,000, and each Class C felony carries a maximum sentence of five years’ imprisonment, a fine of $10,000, or both.