News Briefs: Body identified as missing man

Editor's note: The following is a collection of news briefs from Forum Communication Company newspapers in North Dakota and Minnesota.

NORTH DAKOTA

Program aims to improve safety on oil roads

BISMARCK – A new program aims to improve the safety of county and township roads in North Dakota’s oil-producing counties.

Gov. Jack Dalrymple and the North Dakota Department of Transportation announced Tuesday a program that will provide up to $10 million in funding for implementation of safety measures on rural roads.

The enhancements may include additional signs for road curves, upgraded signs or pavement markings to improve visibility of intersections, larger regulatory or warning signs and intersection warning rumble strips.

Counties are encouraged to identify specific road safety issues and recommend improvements that can be funded through the program.

Body identified as missing man

FARGO – Police say a body found during the search for a missing Fargo man on Monday has been preliminarily identified as that of 27-year-old Colter Brandon Dallman, who had been missing since early January.

An autopsy will take place Thursday in Bismarck, Lt. Joel Vettel said.

“There is no indication at this point of foul play,” he said.

A search dog led authorities to the body at about 2 p.m. in a field southwest of Cass County Road 14 and Interstate 29 and just north of Memory Fireworks, which was being used as a staging area for the search, said Sgt. Tara Morris, spokeswoman for the Cass County Sheriff’s Office.

WF hockey group criticized for gun raffle

WEST FARGO, N.D. – A hockey fundraiser here is taking flak from the national media for wanting to raise money with a gun raffle.

CNN, CBS radio and Sports Illustrated have all contacted West Fargo Hockey Association officials, wondering why the group would raffle off firearms while the nation is embroiled in debate about gun control, according to a WDAY news report.

“I knew it was going to blow up, but I didn't think it would blow up to this magnitude,” said Mike Prochnow, a West Fargo hockey board member and event organizer.

Two hundred guns are up for grabs, and the association is hoping to raise $100,000. Hockey officials told WDAY that the guns were purchased in August, well before the December shooting at the Newtown, Mass., elementary school.

Prochnow said the program is in dire need for funding for new ice, as kids are consistently practicing as early as 6 a.m. and as late as 10 p.m.

The raffle will occur 5:30 p.m. on March 15 at the Speedway Event Center in West Fargo. Only about 400 of the 4,000 total tickets remain.

According to the hockey association’s website, the guns will be distributed by Scheels, and the raffle winners must meet state and federal firearm requirements to receive or possess a firearm.

MINNESOTA

TRF fugitive arrested in Florida

THIEF RIVER FALLS, Minn. -- A man charged with beating a Thief River Falls police officer so badly it ended his career was arrested Friday in Fort Myers, Fla., in his mother’s home.

He will be extradited back to Thief River Falls to face charges.

Tevan Gant, 22, was charged in December 2011 with assaulting Sgt. Michael Puetz.

According to a Minnesota warrant, Gant was a mental health patient in Thief River Falls who began acting strangely, leading to a police call. As he was being escorted by police to a different room, Gant violently attacked Puetz, hitting him about 20 times.

When Gant was released from the mental health unit, he moved to Florida and failed to appear for court in Thief River Falls, triggering an arrest warrant.

Because of his injuries, Puetz had to retire after 20 years in law enforcement.

Warrant issued for Stevens County man

MORRIS, Minn. – A nationwide warrant has been issued for a Stevens County man who was released until sentencing after pleading guilty to one count of criminal sexual conduct in the first degree for sexually assaulting a girl multiple times over a two-year period.

According to Stevens County Attorney Aaron Jordan, the sentencing hearing for Cruz Mar Del-Angel, 39, has been cancelled because Del-Angel has fled to Mexico. On Tuesday, a nationwide warrant was issued for his arrest.

In December, Del-Angel agreed to a plea arrangement with prosecutors to be placed on 20 years probation, participate in a sex offender treatment program, and register as a sex offender.

Under the plea arrangement, Del-Angel would have served no prison time unless he violates the terms of his probation because the law allows for a stay of execution in certain factual situations with the consent of the victim, Jordan explained.

But because Del-Angel's immigration status was temporary, it was likely that he would be deported after the sentencing, Jordan said.

Until sentencing, Del-Angel was released under his own recognizance and was staying at a home provided by his employer.

Man died of hypothermia

WARREN, Minn. -- A former Warren, Minn., farmer will be mourned Friday at a memorial service, a week after his frozen body was found in a field near his home.

Wayne Omdahl, 59, last was seen Jan. 17 about 15 miles east of Warren on his Polaris all-terrain vehicle. His body was found Jan. 24 after a ground and air search of an hour or two, according to Marshall County Sheriff John Novacek.

The cause of death was hypothermia, based on preliminary results from the autopsy performed in Grand Forks, Novacek said Tuesday in a news release.

Omdahl was known for driving around the area on his ATV, and he sometimes stayed with friends, so it wasn’t until about 9:30 p.m. Jan. 23, that a family member reported him missing, Jim Duckstad, office manager for the sheriff’ s office said.

Town’s former treasurer charged with felony theft

ALEXANDRIA, Minn. --The former treasurer for a small central Minnesota town faces a felony charge after an investigation discovered she had written more than $34,000 in checks to herself to pay off personal debt.

After reviewing financial records for the city of Carlos, the Minnesota Office of the State Auditor discovered that the former city treasurer, Bambi Alexander, received a total of $34,585.31 in unauthorized city checks between February 2011 and June 2012. Alexander was terminated after more than four years working for the city of Carlos.

Alexander, 37, of Carlos, has been charged with one count of felony theft, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years imprisonment and a $20,000 fine. A court appearance is scheduled for Feb. 25.

The auditor’s office investigation revealed that $32,983.17 in checks were written to Alexander that were not paychecks and were not included on registers presented to the council for approval. A total of $1,111.62 in duplicate paychecks were written to the treasurer, $208.60 in inflated paychecks were written and a check written to the treasurer for $281.92 more than the authorized amount was also discovered, according to the auditor’s office.

Douglas County Sheriff’s Office Investigator Ron Boyden interviewed Alexander, during which time she admitted to taking money from the city of Carlos, according to court documents.

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