701 Rundown: December 16, 2024

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

Bottineau Walmart employee charged

According to a press release from the Bottineau County Sheriff’s Office, 33-year-old Cedric Poitra of Bottineau has been found and arrested for allegedly stealing money from the local Walmart on Saturday, Nov. 23.

The Sheriff’s Office stated that on Nov. 23, Poitra – who was an employee of Walmart at the time – walked into the store and asked for help logging into the cash machine for till money.

Once he gained access to the cash machine, he was left alone in the store’s cash office where he made 10 transactions from the machine for a total of $20,000, which he placed in a canvas bag and walked out of the store with the bag hidden inside his jacket.

He then went into his vehicle and headed west.

Unbeknownst to Poitra, however, the entire event was caught on Walmart’s surveillance video.

However, Poitra wasn’t apprehended until 11 a.m. that same morning when a call came in to Minot Police that there was a suicidal man at the Walmart in Minot, who turned out to be Poitra.

Poitra eventually went on the run from law enforcement, but was safely apprehended the following day by the North Dakota Highway Patrol and Ward County Sheriff’s Office. He has since been charged with theft of property and is being held in the Bottineau County Jail.

(Story from the Bottineau Courant)

Carrington native dies in rollover crash near Wing

A vehicle rollover on 249th St. N.E. in Burleigh County has claimed the life of a former resident of Carrington.

Brett Lyman, 27, of Menoken, was traveling southbound on the road south of Wing Thanksgiving Day evening, Thursday, Nov. 28, when the fatal accident occurred.

According to reports from the North Dakota Highway Patrol, the rollover happened at an unspecified time during the evening. Road conditions were normal and dry.

Lyman was driving a 2018 GMC Acadia at an unknown rate of speed, according to the NDHP report, when the vehicle ran off the roadway into the west ditch, ramped an approach, and went airborne. The vehicle rolled after landing.

Agencies responding to the accident included the NDHP, Metro-Area Ambulance of Bismarck, Burleigh Co. Sheriff's Department and Sterling Rural Fire/Rescue.

Lyman, a 2016 graduate of CHS, later attended UND and Northland Community College, and was employed as an electrician at RK Electric, LLC, of Bismarck.

He is survived by his fiancée, Karlie Kershaw, son, Landon (2), and daughter, Ella (9 months).

A GoFundMe account has been set up to assist Karlie, Landon and Ella for financial and emotional support at this link: https://gofund.me/01ba653e.

(Story from The Foster County Independent)

Explosion at oil tank near Ray

An oil tank near Ray, N.D. exploded on Friday morning, Nov. 29, after a tank battery had caught fire.

The tank was located about 5 miles north of Ray and is owned by Hess Corp.

Captain Kasey Knox of the Ray Fire Department was dispatched to the scene at about 10:30 a.m. that morning.

“In a situation like that, we determined that it was best just to let it burn itself out,” he said.

Knox said the fire eventually died down by 6:30 or 7 a.m. the following morning.

“We went back up there Saturday to process it and see if we needed to put any water or foam on it,” he said. “We did not deem it necessary to do so at the time.”

No one was on site when the explosion occurred, and no injuries were reported as a result of the explosion.

Knox said Hess Corp. will investigate the specific cause of the fire and handle any cleanup that might be necessary.

A Hess spokesperson said in a statement to television station KMOT that the company “will remediate damage caused by the fire and investigate the cause of the incident to identify and implement any lessons learned.”

(Story by Jordan Rusche, the Crosby Journal)

Kansas man sufferers fatal injuries in crash with semi

At approximately 3:36 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 24, a traffic accident on Highway 23 roughly 14 miles west of New Town, N.D. in McKenzie County resulted in one fatality.

According to the news release from the N.D. Highway Patrol, 43-year-old Rance Bennett of El Dorado, Kan., was driving his 2015 Chevy Silverado eastbound on Highway 23 when he rear-ended a 2012 Kenworth also traveling eastbound.

Bennett, who was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the incident, died on scene.

The driver of the Kenworth, Augustin Solis Munoz, was not injured.

(Story from the McKenzie County Farmer)

Carrington voters to decide on school building fund levy Jan. 8

January 8. That's the day Carrington School District residents will have their say regarding the school's building levy authority.

Voters will cast their ballots for one question: should the Carrington School District have the authority to levy up to 10 mills of property tax per year for building improvements?

If approved, the funds levied would be specifically designated for future facility repairs, maintenance or expansion required to keep Carrington's only school campus in good condition.

The school board would make the decision annually about how many mills to levy, up to a maximum of 10, to set aside for facility needs.

Carrington School Board members have unanimously expressed their support for this increase, citing that it will provide them with much-needed funds to manage the ongoing needs of the buildings and grounds.

"Recognizing and prioritizing the value of maintaining our facilities is a progressive investment in the long-term sustainability and success of our school and community," said Superintendent Janelle Helm.

(Story by Amy Wobbema, The Foster County Independent)