Around the State: February 26, 2024

The counties and cities within the state of North Dakota hold many interesting news stories.

Here are just a few of the feature stories that others are reading in communities around the state.

City loses two more police officers

Two Harvey police officers, Gabriel Johnson and Tyler Denning, have resigned, citing the strain of the understaffed department. This news was delivered at the February 14 Harvey City Council meeting by part-time police officer Travis Carlson.

In the past 16 months, three officers and one chief of police were hired and then resigned from the Harvey Police Department, according to Terri Powers, Harvey's utility billing specialist.

(Story by Shelley Chin, the Herald-Press, Harvey)

Harvey City election ballot crowded

Five petitions have been picked up at city hall in the race for Mayor of Harvey with two being returned with the required number of signatures.

Dean Klier and Spencer Marchand will be on the June 11, 2024 ballot. Donnie Hoepfer, former city councilman and Shelley Svoboda, currently on the council, have petitions out. A fifth petition was picked, in addition to petitions for every position up for election, according to Cherie Heisler, deputy auditor.

(Story by Neil O. Nelson, the Herald Press-Harvey)

Poitra pleads guilty to murder, terrorizing

Nicholas Poitra has pleaded guilty to murdering 30-year-old Troyal Thumb last year, just weeks before his murder trial was scheduled to begin.

Appearing in person at the Eddy County Courthouse on Friday, February 9, Poitra formally amended his pleas on all 10 charges against him to guilty, nearly bringing an end to one of the biggest stories to come out of Eddy County in recent memory.

A year ago, on the evening of February 19, 2023, court documents say Poitra walked into Rindy's Bar in Sheyenne shortly before 7 p.m. and killed Thumb, a father of four children, less than 10 minutes later with a sawed-off shotgun.

He then held several bar patrons at gunpoint as he stole a pair of car keys and took off with the bar's security footage.

What followed was a 65-hour-long manhunt involving multiple law enforcement agencies, which ended when a local farmer apprehended the fugitive and held him at gunpoint until police arrived.

Poitra would plead not guilty to the charges filed against him, which included Class AA felony murder and even rejected a plea agreement offered by the state last July.

Facing the possibility of life in prison, it appeared Poitra was prepared to let a jury decide his fate. A jury trial was scheduled to begin at the end of February, and jury notices had even gone out to Eddy County residents.

Instead, just 17 days before the start of his trial, Poitra chose to plead guilty and leave the length of his sentence up to District Court Judge James Hovey.

Poitra's sentencing which has not been scheduled yet, will take place upon the conclusion of the presentence investigation.

(Story by Nathan Price, the New Rockford Transcript)

Arrest made in drug store theft

An individual who allegedly stole money and narcotics from Crosby Drug in November has been identified.

An arrest warrant was recently issued for James McClintock for burglary, theft between $10,000-$50,000 and criminal mischief.

McClintock has been at the Williams County Correctional Center since Jan. 8 on separate charges.

According to an affidavit, McClintock admitted to burglarizing Crosby Drug during an interview January 22 with an officer from the Northwest Narcotics Task Force.

The officer reported that McClintock admitted to cutting a hole in the roof of the drug store to enter the building. He then took pharmaceutical drugs from the cabinet, as well as less than $1,000 out of a drawer near the cash register.

The affidavit also asserts that McClintock admitted to having a co-conspirator during the burglary. The affidavit did not name the co-conspirator.

Divide County Sheriff Zach Schroeder said that, to his knowledge, McClintock has no ties to Divide County but is facing similar charges in Williams County.

McClintock has a hearing scheduled in March for the Crosby Drug charges.

(Story by Jordan Rusche, the Journal, Crosby)

Mohall grocery store is sold

The Jason's Super Food grocery store in Mohall has been sold to Duane Johnson and Ken Jedneak, owners of the Jack and Jill stores in Watford City, Ray and Kenmare.

The store was closed to the public for about a week in order for the new owners and employees to get things changed over and bring in new inventory for what is now the Mohall Jack and Jill.

(Story taken from the Journal, Crosby)

Bakker dissolution public hearing rescheduled

A public hearing to discuss the approval of the dissolution of the Bakker Public School District has been rescheduled. The hearing was originally set for January 22.

The North Dakota State Board of Public School Education is now scheduled to convene at 1 p.m., February 26, in the CTE 15th Floor Conference Room of the State Capitol.

The board will consider whether to approve the Emmons County School District Reorganization Committee's dissolution plan for Bakker Public School District No. 10 to Strasburg Public School District No. 15 in Emmons County.

The Emmons County School District Reorganization Committee approved a dissolution plan for the Bakker district at a meeting held November 14, 2023, at the Emmons County Courthouse in Linton. If approved this would go into effect on July 1, 2024, after which point there would no longer be a Bakker School District. It will all be Strasburg," said Brandt Dick, Emmons County superintendent of schools.

While recommendations were made by the committee, it is ultimately a decision of the North Dakota Board of Public School Education to decide the details of the dissolution plan.

(Story by LeAnda Staebner, the Emmons County Record)