Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883

Eddy County Sheriff's update for December

Darin Johnson of New Rockford has been released from jail. He is charged with Class C Felony terrorizing for allegedly making threats against current and former Eddy County officials in September. He pleaded not guilty in court on Nov 14 and appeared for a pre-trial conference on Dec. 13. The judge ordered a mental evaluation be conducted on Johnson, which is scheduled for Jan. 20. His trial date has not been set.

A warrant has been issued for the arrest of Roger Heinle of Garrison, N.D. He faces two misdemeanor theft of service charges after he allegedly didn’t pay for fuel filled at CenDak Cooperative on June 24. He pleaded not guilty to the charges on Oct. 16 then failed to appear in court for his pre-trial conference on Dec. 12. He also has four open NSF check charges in Foster County, according to court documents.

Dyllan Peltier of New Rockford also has an active warrant out for his arrest. He failed to appear in court for an order to show cause hearing Dec. 12, which stems from a 2017 conviction for driving under suspension and carrying a concealed weapon.

Peltier also has two other open driving under revocation charges in Eddy County, his fifth and sixth such offenses in the past five years, per court documents. The earlier charge was filed Aug. 2, and the latter on Oct. 13. He has pleaded not guilty to both charges. A jury trial for the earlier charge is set for Feb. 4 in Eddy County District Court. A pre-trial conference for the latter charge is set for Jan. 16.

Jerry Fiebelkorn-Barrett faces nine felony and misdemeanor charges after three incidents in New Rockford in as many months. First, authorities allege he got into a physical altercation with a female at their home on Oct. 7 and threatened to kill the female. He then went outside, and the female locked the door and attempted to dial 911. As a result, he kicked in the door and hit her cell phone out of her hand, court records show. His charges in that incident include terrorizing and interference with an emergency call, both Class C Felonies.

Then, on Nov. 13, authorities say Barrett entered the female’s home, which was in violation of a no contact order entered in court after he was arrested for the assault on Oct. 7. He was charged with violation of a protection order, a Class B misdemeanor.

He pleaded not guilty to all three of the above-named charges in Eddy County District Court on Dec. 12.

The day after his Dec. court appearance, Barrett was stopped for disregarding a stop sign. After a sobriety test and subsequent search of his vehicle, he was charged with Class C Felony possession of drug paraphernalia and misdemeanor charges of driving under the influence of drugs and possession of a controlled substance. Infractions of possession of marijuana and possession of marijuana paraphernalia were added to the list as well. His initial appearance in that case is set for Jan. 16, in addition to the pre-trial conference for the earlier two cases.

In court on Nov. 14, Kevin Bender of Fessenden was sentenced to two years in jail for Class C Felony possession of methamphetamines and possession of drug paraphernalia (methamphetamines). His jail sentence was suspended for two years of supervised probation, and he was ordered to pay $2,060 in fines and fees. Infractions for possessing less than a half ounce of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia (marijuana) were dismissed.

The charges stemmed from an Aug. 9 traffic incident in which Sheriff Lies responded to a caller indicating that an individual had nearly driven him off the road. Lies found a vehicle that matched the caller’s description (driven by Bender) on the wrong side of the road. Bender was also cited for driving without insurance and texting and driving.

This is Bender’s second meth offense, according to court documents. He was previously convicted of possessing meth in Burleigh County in 2013. In that case he was also convicted of manufacturing synthetic cannabinoids and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Scott A. Lloyd of Medina (formerly of Devils Lake) has been found in contempt of court for the third time this year. He again failed to pay fines and fees as agreed on a 2018 conviction for possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of marijuana. He was ordered to serve 5 days in jail as a remedial sanction. The contempt may be purged by making $75 per month payments commencing Jan.12, 2020 and continue until paid in full.

Joshua T. Wesaw of New Rockford was cited for possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia, both infractions. According to the complaint, he possessed less than a half ounce of marijuana, a grinder and smoking device on Dec. 7. He pleaded guilty to the charges in court on Dec. 12, and he was ordered to pay $350 in fines and fees. This is his first offense in the past year.