North Dakota
North Dakota mayor resigns after sending lewd video to city attorney by mistake
MINOT, N.D. — The mayor of one of North Dakota’s largest cities resigned after an investigation into him mistakenly sending a lewd video to the city attorney.
Minot Mayor Tom Ross resigned Tuesday, the same day an investigative report was made public that found Ross sent a video of himself masturbating to City Attorney Stefanie Stalheim in January. He sent the video minutes after the two had a telephone call discussing a police officer’s suicide.
Ross asked Stalheim to delete the video, not to watch it and to keep the incident between them, the report said. Ross told an interviewer he had recorded the video at home during a lunch break and meant to send it to his romantic partner, not to Stalheim. He had said it was “a sexy video for his girlfriend.”
The report said Stalheim struggled with whether to make a formal report. Ross was her direct supervisor, and Stalheim’s annual review was pending at the time, the report said. Her complaint asked for an apology from Ross and that he consider resigning as mayor.
The investigator found Ross’s conduct “directly caused Stalheim’s inability to work in an environment free from unreasonable sexual harassment and created an offensive work environment.”
Ross said Wednesday he takes full responsibility and holds Stalheim “in the utmost regard and respect.” He said he had not resigned earlier “to respect the process.” He plans to focus on himself, healing and moving forward with his family, he said.
Telephone and email messages seeking comment were left for Stalheim Tuesday.
The Minot City Council on Tuesday to appoint a mayor from within the council after 15 days, which is the timeframe for citizens to petition for a special election.
Ross was elected mayor in 2022 after serving two years on the city council. Minot, about 50 miles (80kilometers) south of the Canadian border, is home to more than 47,000 people.
FARGO — The North Dakota Game and Fish Department is urging drivers to use caution when traveling on roads near wildlife, especially in rural areas.
Deer and bears are commonly involved in vehicle crashes, with accidents most likely to occur between 5-7 a.m. and 7-11 p.m.
If a driver is close to hitting an animal, officials say it’s safer not to swerve. Swerving increases the risk of a more serious crash, such as a head-on collision or rolling into a ditch.
If a collision results in the animal’s death, drivers are only required to call 911 if someone is injured or if the animal creates a dangerous obstruction on the road.
“Just because one deer moves away from the road or one deer moves across the road doesn’t mean there aren’t more deer around there,” said Doug Leier, biologist with the Game and Fish Department. “Be very, very vigilant. Be watching. Just because you see one critter and it crosses or gets out of the way doesn’t mean that you’re necessarily safe.”
Leier recommends drivers stay alert and reduce speed in areas known for wildlife crossings.
Drew Berg started at The Forum as a Sports Reporting Intern in August 2024. He is currently a Broadcast Journalism and Multimedia Journalism student at Minnesota State University Moorhead. He also has experience in broadcast news working for MSUM’s Campus News program.
KILLDEER, N.D. — The North Dakota Highway Patrol has identified the Cass County man killed Saturday, May 31, in a motorcycle crash in western North Dakota.
According to the North Dakota Highway Patrol, Gene Schepp, 71, of Gardner, was riding a 2010 Harley-Davidson motorcycle Saturday on Highway 22 near mile marker 123, north of Killdeer. Schepp failed to negotiate a curve and overturned. He was wearing a helmet but died of his injuries.
The Highway Patrol continues to investigate the crash. The Killdeer Area Ambulance, Dunn County Sheriff’s Office and West Dunn Fire Department also responded to the crash.
Located in Dunn County, Killdeer is 35 miles north of Dickinson.
Our newsroom occasionally reports stories under a byline of “staff.” Often, the “staff” byline is used when rewriting basic news briefs that originate from official sources, such as a city press release about a road closure, and which require little or no reporting. At times, this byline is used when a news story includes numerous authors or when the story is formed by aggregating previously reported news from various sources. If outside sources are used, it is noted within the story.
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