2023: The Year in Review

Another year has come and gone, which means it’s time to look back on what was an eventful 2023 to say the least.

Just here in Eddy County Shannon Brandt received his sentence, there was a plane crash, a new laundromat opened and so much more.

The past few weeks, the Transcript has been telling the story of 2023 via the stories that appeared in our newspaper. This week, we’re ending the series with a look back at the biggest stories of September through December.

Brandt gets 5 years in prison

Nearly a year after 18-year-old Cayler Ellingson was tragically killed following a street dance in McHenry, Shannon Brandt was at the Foster County Courthouse in Carrington on Friday, Sept. 8, for sentencing.

Brandt was charged with murder after running over and killing Ellingson on Sept. 18, 2022. But, after reaching a plea agreement with prosecutors in late May 2023, Brandt’s murder charge was dropped and he pleaded guilty to manslaughter, a Class B felony.

District Court Judge Bradley Cruff sentenced Brandt to 5 years imprisonment, with credit for 356 days served. Those 356 days include the 70 days Brandt spent in jail, and the time he spent under house arrest.

Fatal plane crash in Eddy County

At approximately 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 19, a fatal airplane crash occurred south of New Rockford, N.D.

According to Eddy County Sheriff Paul Lies, several witnesses traveling on Highway 281 reported seeing the plane crash into a cornfield west of the highway, and just a few yards north of the Eddy-Foster County border.

The plane was reportedly traveling west when it clipped the power lines east of Highway 281, said Lies, and ultimately went down in the cornfield immediately west of the highway about six miles south of New Rockford.

Lies said the airplane was a crop duster, and that its pilot, 63-year-old Lawrence Polries of Jamestown, N.D. died as a result of injuries suffered in the crash.

Suds for your duds

After nearly a year, New Rockford residents no longer had to travel out of town to use a laundromat as of October 2023.

Amanda and Jacob Dauenhauer officially opened New Rockford Storage Laundromat, a new business operating out of one of their storage units on Central Avenue.

The Dauenhauers first purchased New Rockford Storage – previously named Westside Storage – in August of 2022, along with the RV park west of Mick’s 281 Service.

The laundromat, located at 1029 Central Avenue, is open 24/7 and features Inside are four washing machines and four dryers. Additionally, there are two larger machines capable of handling king-size comforters and other hefty loads.

Belquist commits to Huskers

Kelsie Belquist, a star athlete for New Rockford-Sheyenne, verbally committed to compete in track and field for the University of Nebraska last fall.

The announcement was made on Tuesday, Oct. 24, and put an end to speculation about which college program would be lucky enough to acquire her.

Preliminary plans, fundraising goal for Rockford Theatre revealed

When the 100-year-old Rockford Theatre collapsed last winter, many wondered what would become of one of downtown New Rockford’s most iconic and historic structures.

On Tuesday, Oct. 31, the Rockford Theatre Rebuild Committee came together to iron out details for rebuilding the iconic structure.

The plans show a new and improved theatre that still retains its history and honors its past.

Notably, the historic Rockford sign and original marquee, which were saved after the collapse, will be reinstalled and once again be a fixture of downtown New Rockford. A brick veneer will also give the new theatre the same classic look of its original facade.

Midkota superintendent faces child porn charges

On Wednesday, Nov. 29, the Superintendent of the Midkota Public School District was charged with several felonies for possession of child pornography.

Ryan Baron, also the school district’s high school principal, was arrested on Tuesday, Nov. 28 and officially charged the next morning with five counts of “possession of certain materials prohibited,” each a Class C felony.

Court documents allege that Baron, age 40, had possession of five videos depicting explicit sexual acts between adults and children as young as seven years old, and he was charged with one felony per video.

Eddy County auditor resigns

Patty Williams, the county’s auditor since 2015, officially resigned at the end of last year amid controversy about voting machines used by Eddy County and other precincts across the country in the past two elections.

Williams’ resignation was approved during a special meeting of the county commissioners on Monday, Dec. 11.

New deputy in town

The Eddy County Sheriff’s Department welcomed a new deputy to their ranks in December.

Allen Troy, a native of Devils Lake, N.D., brings years of law enforcement experience to the office.