BISMARCK — Former North Dakota Deputy Attorney General Troy Seibel has died.

North Dakota Attorney General Drew Wrigley confirmed the 48-year-old’s death Tuesday afternoon but additional information has not yet been released.

“I was informed this morning that Mr. Seibel passed away. He and I have not communicated since he departed this office in early 2022,” Wrigley said in a statement. “No additional information has been made available to me at this time. My prayers are with Troy’s family and loved ones.”

Seibel, a Mandan resident, served as the North Dakota labor commissioner under Gov. Jack Dalrymple. Former Attorney General

Wayne Stenehjem

appointed Seibel as his chief deputy in December 2016.

Stenehjem

died of cardiac arrest on Jan. 28, 2022,

according to his family. Wrigley was then appointed to succeed Stenehjem in February 2022. Seibel resigned a month later. Wrigley then

replaced Seibel with former Legislative Council attorney Claire Ness.

Days after Stenjehem’s death, his spokeswoman, Liz Brocker, deleted Stenehjem’s email account, an act that Seibel signed off on, according to reports, prompting a criminal investigation into the matter. Seibel’s emails were also deleted about a month after he resigned from the post.

In March 2024, Wrigley announced there would not be any

charges in connection with Stenjehem’s deleted emails.

However, Seibel began to face personal legal issues in late 2022 following his resignation from public office.

Seibel was arrested in November 2022 after a North Dakota Highway Patrol trooper responded to a rollover crash at McKenzie Drive and the West Bismarck Expressway in Mandan. The trooper said he saw Seibel going 125 mph in a 55 mph zone before hitting a snowbank, according to a declaration of probable cause.

Seibel was then charged with driving under the influence of alcohol at more than twice the legal limit. At that time,

Seibel also faced charges stemming from a 2023 incident in Mandan

in which police responded to a hotel pool on Feb. 18 after receiving reports that a man was “making threatening, rude and sexual comments towards children,” according to court documents. A Morton County judge issued a warrant for Seibel’s arrest on a misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct.

In May 2023, Seibel pleaded guilty in Morton County District Court to the DUI charge. Prosecutors then agreed to stop pursuing a disorderly conduct charge filed in connection to the February disturbance. Prosecutors said that

as long as Seibel did not violate any laws and stayed away from the Mandan hotel for 360 days, the case would be dismissed and sealed,

but prosecution could resume if Seibel broke the conditions of the agreement. The charges no longer appear in the North Dakota court record system.

For the DUI, Seibel was sentenced to 360 days of unsupervised probation and ordered to undergo a chemical dependency evaluation and complete any recommended treatment for the DUI charge. North Dakota Department of Transportation records noted Seibel’s license was suspended at the time.

However, according to court records, Seibel never completed the chemical dependency evaluation that was ordered as part of his probation terms. A probation revocation hearing was scheduled for July 9, 2024, in Morton County but Seibel did not appear in court and a bench warrant was issued for his arrest.

Wendy Reuer covers all things West Fargo for The Forum.

GRAND FORKS COUNTY — The North Dakota Highway Patrol and Grand Forks County Sheriff’s Office will be conducting a sobriety checkpoint on Saturday, Sept. 7, at a predetermined but undisclosed location somewhere in Grand Forks County.

In conjunction with the checkpoint, saturation patrols will be done Friday, Sept. 6, and Saturday, Sept. 7, according to an NDHP press release.

Operations such as these are carried out with the goal of increasing public safety by targeting impaired drivers and reducing the number of alcohol-related crashes.

From the beginning of the year up until Aug. 22, there were 57 fatalities across 53 crashes on North Dakota roadways. Nearly 16% of the crashes involved alcohol, the release said.

“Impaired driving is a serious problem that puts all roadway users at risk,” NDHP Northeast Regional Sgt. Matthew Johnson said. “Our goal is to ensure that everyone can safely come together and enjoy community events such as weekend college football games. We will plan these enforcement events to encourage responsible choices and deter impaired driving.”

The NDHP reminds everyone to share the road; ensure all vehicle occupants are wearing a seat belt; drive without distractions; and always drive sober.

Results from the planned enforcement events will be released the week after the events occur.

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.

NEW SALEM, N.D. — A Dickinson man is dead after he fled an early Tuesday, Sept. 3, traffic stop in Bismarck and later shot at a sheriff’s deputy and troopers after they disabled his vehicle on Interstate 94 near New Salem.

A release from the North Dakota Highway Patrol said a trooper attempted an initial traffic stop on North Dakota Highway 1804/University Drive in Bismarck at approximately 12:45 a.m.

After the vehicle fled, the trooper pursued the vehicle west on the Bismarck Expressway, with a second trooper and Morton County Sheriff’s Office deputies joining the pursuit.

Spike strips were deployed to deflate the vehicle’s tires and the pursuit ended on I-94 near New Salem, according to the release, at which point the driver shot at the pursuing officers. Two troopers and a Morton County deputy returned fire, killing the 43 year-old Dickinson man.

A woman was also in the car but she was unharmed, according to state patrol.

The North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation has taken over the case. The troopers have been placed on administrative leave pending the investigation and review by the Morton County State’s Attorney.

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.