701 Rundown: May 15, 2023

Here’s your weekly rundown of some of the most interesting headlines from newspapers across North Dakota.

Brandt’s murder charge reduced to manslaughter

Shannon Brandt, the man accused of running down and killing a teenager last year, now faces a less severe charge.

On Saturday, April 27, Foster County State’s Attorney Kara Brinster filed a motion to reduce the Class AA felony murder charge against Brandt to a Class B felony charge of manslaughter.

Following that motion, Brandt’s defense attorney, Mark Friese, unsurprisingly filed a short brief saying they don’t oppose the reduction, and on May 1, District Court Judge Bradley Cruff made it official.

Brandt, 42, is accused of running over and killing 18-year-old Cayler Ellingson following a street dance in McHenry last September.

In the wake of the tragedy, Brandt was originally charged with vehicular homicide, a Class A felony, before that charge was later upgraded to murder. Now, it’s only manslaughter.

Brandt is also facing a Class B felony charge of duty in accident involving death.

The maximum penalty for each Class B felony charge is 10 years imprisonment, a fine of $20,000, or both.

If found guilty, the minimum punishment Brandt could face is four years in prison. He would also have to serve no less than 85 percent of his sentence before being eligible for parole.

Brandt’s trial has been scheduled to start May 30 in Wahpeton, and is slated to last as long as two weeks. He is considered innocent unless proven guilty.

(Story by Nathan Price, The Foster County Independent)

High-profile crimes have business owners looking for stiffer sentencing

Business owners in Rolla, N.D. are none too pleased with the response to numerous high-profile burglaries and break-ins.

This winter, The Golden Rule – a clothing and shoe store along Main Avenue – was burglarized by two individuals just before midnight. The duo hauled the stolen merchandise out in trash bags.

Security cameras captured the crime and police had both suspects in custody by 9 a.m. the next morning.

According to recent court records, the two were later sentenced to less than 6 months in jail between them.

“That’s so frustrating,” said Todd Mears, who owns the flagship store in Rolla with his wife, Julie. “Nothing is being done. They get arrested, go to court and get a slap on the wrist. We have to punish them so they don’t want to do it again.”

Mears had only one suggestion to fix the issue.

“Get rid of the judge,” he said.

Rolla mayor Kevin Juntunen has been considering a few potential fixes to rising crime in the area, such as installing security cameras on Main Avenue and the formation of a neighborhood watch program.

(Story by Jason Nordmark, Turtle Mountain Star)

Sixth grade students making waves

The Class of 2029 is making waves at the beach in Harvey.

The sixth grade students of Bret Dockter at B.M. Hanson Elementary School in Harvey recently raised $20,000 to improve the beach, and presented their community project to the city’s Job Development Authority (JDA) on April 18.

The students noted concerns about the beach, such as rough sand, too many sticks, the rotting fence and that the bathrooms are unclean and in disrepair.

They also intend to help purchase a machine to clear the water of weeds.

To date, the students have raised $18,000 through fundraising events, such as selling t-shirts and calendars.

To reach $20,000 the class asked the JDA to provide $2,000. The JDA unanimously voted to give $2,500.

(Story by Shelley Chin, The Herald-Press)

Highway department to file dike complaint

Walsh County’s flood waters have begun to recede, signaling the end of what could have been a disastrous spring flood.

That is not to say that the county hasn’t experienced damage to its infrastructure, however, as a number of roads had to be closed.

Walsh County Highway Superintendent told commissioners that work being done on a right-of-way has been of particular concern.

He explained that work on the right-of-way on County Road 6 in Walsh County resulted in water coming into Forest River and forced some people to begin emergency sandbagging.

Johnston asked the commission for permission to file a complaint with the Walsh County Resource Board so they can investigate the matter.

“Unless someone complains there is nothing the water board can do about it,” he said.

Johnston informed the commission that the dike goes through the waterway, through the county right-of-way. By filing the complaint, Johnston is hoping the dike will be lowered to a height where it is not forcing water into town.

(Story by Todd Morgan, The Walsh County Record)

JDA focuses efforts to resolve housing crisis in McKenzie County

According to the McKenzie County Job Development Authority (JDA) and other entities, available housing is the most limiting factor to future population growth in the county.

In an effort to alleviate the current housing crisis, the JDA has worked with local financial institutions, home builders and contractors to develop a new initiative to get more houses constructed.

At a public housing discussion in early March, the main issues that were brought forward by local builders were not having enough capital to build more than two homes at a time and difficulty convincing lenders to loan them money for spec homes.

Consequently, a new program – the JDA Home Builder Construction Loan Participation Project – has been created to be a revolving door fund to help contractors gain access to the capital they need.

(Story by Kristen Jones, McKenzie County Farmer)