North Dakota

Today in History: January 26, 1946 – North Dakota car theft linked to manhunt for South Dakota fugitive

Published

4 months ago

January 26, 2026

Today in History: January 26, 1946 – North Dakota car theft linked to manhunt for South Dakota fugitive

Today in History revisits the Saturday, January 26, 1946 edition of the Grand Forks Herald and highlights a story on a massive five-state manhunt targeted escaped murderer George S. Sitts after he gunned down two South Dakota officers near Spearfish, S.D. After Sitts abandoned his snow-stuck getaway car, police shifted their focus to a new lead: a two-tone sedan with North Dakota license plates stolen in Aberdeen. Authorities believe the fugitive transitioned from his ditched vehicle to car with North Dakota license plates or fled on foot through deep snow to evade federal and local capture.

Locate S. D. Killer’s Car

SPEARFISH, S. D.—(Associated Press story as published in the Grand Forks Herald on Jan. 26, 1946)—The auto driven by the man who shot down two South Dakota officers Thursday night, Jan. 24, 1946, was found abandoned on a narrow, snow-clogged side road 12 miles southeast of the scene of the slayings at 8 P. M. Friday, Jan. 25.

Federal authorities joined in the widespread manhunt after Commissioner H. Johnson at Rapid City, S. D., had issued a federal fugitive warrant, together with one charging the suspect with the interstate transportation of a stolen auto.

A bulletin broadcast over the South Dakota police radio station shortly after the abandoned car was found indicated officers were checking train schedules in efforts to learn if the fugitive had escaped from this area by railroad.

Officers said this theory was prompted by the theft at Aberdeen, S. D., of a two-tone sedan bearing North Dakota license plates. A five-state alarm was sent out for the machine, which has a cream-colored top and maroon base, police said.

Cliff Edwards, managing editor of the Rapid City, S. D. Journal, said the abandoned auto was a black Buick sedan bearing Minnesota 1946 license plates 119-804. He said officers believed the killer, whom they said they thought was George S. Sitts, 32, escaped Minneapolis murderer, had become stuck in the deep snow of the narrow country lane while seeking to flee the scene of the slaying.

Edwards said the machine was first spotted by two men named Montgomery and Roberts, living at Whitewood, S. D., 14 miles from here and approximately two miles from where the auto was recovered.

Ray Billavou, deputy Lawrence county sheriff, said the car would be towed into Spearfish for further investigation.

A casual inspection disclosed a money order receipt, stamped at Spearfish post office, which Billavou said he believed had come from the wallet of Tom Matthews, special agent for the attorney general’s law enforcement division, one of the men slain. Second victim was Dave Malcolm, Butte county sheriff.

Concentrating all available officers in the area, Billavou contacted telephone operators in neighboring communities throughout the sparsely settled district where the car was found to alert them. He said there had been no reports of any car stolen in the territory, which meant, he added, that Sitts must have sought to continue his flight afoot.

The treacherous trail the killer took winds five miles through the Black Hills into Deadwood, S. D., Billavou said. It is impassable to cars, however, due to the foot of snow which fell Thursday night, Jan. 24, 1946, to pile on a previous accumulation of another 12 inches of hard packed snow.

Edwards said the car was thoroughly ditched, with the front wheels stuck on one side of the lane and the rear wheels on the other. That it had been there all night was attested by the foot of snow on its top. The storm started shortly after the killings.

The bodies of Matthews and Malcolm were found sprawled on a highway near here Thursday night. Both had been shot with a .45 calibre pistol, officers said.

They were slain when they apparently attempted to question the driver of a 1938 black sedan bearing Minnesota license plates after they had joined a northern Black Hills search for Sitts.

The bodies were lying midway between their two parked cars, spaced 50 feet apart as though they had sought to trap a third vehicle, the sheriff said. Malcolm’s car engine was still running and its lights were on when officers reached the scene.

Officers reported Matthews’ service pistol which he carried in a shoulder holster was missing and his wallet was gone.

The aid of officers in North Dakota, Montana, Wyoming and Nebraska, as well as South Dakota, had been enlisted in the hunt for the slayer, driving a 1938 black sedan with the Minnesota 1945 license 109-406, according to the sheriff.

Clutched in Malcolm’s hand when the bodies were found was a slip of paper bearing a Minnesota automobile license number — the clue which authorities said first turned their pursuit to Sitts

Questioned closely in an effort to uncover additional details was Earl Cook, 35, Sundance, Wyo., a truck driver who, it was reported, witnessed at least part of the shooting.

Cook told officers he was en route from Belle Fourche to Sundance when he passed three cars parked at the edge of the highway, two of them on his left and the third on his right. All three faced him. As he drove by, he said, he saw the third machine also pull over to the other side of the road and shortly afterward he heard an explosion.

He said he stopped his truck about 150 yards from the other cars, believing he had a blowout. As he stepped from his truck, he related, he saw a “spurt of flame shoot down” and heard a second report.

He said he saw a man walk from the highway to the middle car, then back to an object on the highway. The man picked up the object, Cook said, then dropped it “and hurried back to the middle car.”

Cook told officers the machine drove rapidly away. He said he turned his truck around, saw the bodies in the beam of his headlights and drove to Spearfish to report the killings.

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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North Dakota

Behind the Badge – Why North Dakota?

Published

2 hours ago

June 2, 2026

Press Room

Why North Dakota?

District Game Warden Noah Raitz

I admit that when I was first thinking about getting into conservation enforcement, I was not thinking about moving to North Dakota. Not because I didn’t like the state or had a reason not to move here. It was the opposite. I lacked the knowledge of what North Dakota had to offer. I was also in high school, so I had no idea what my plan was other than going to college.

I was just talking about this with another warden and the recruitment of candidates for our game warden positions. Sure, we hire wardens born and raised in North Dakota, but that’s not a requirement for the job. As proof of that, I grew up 30 minutes from the North Dakota border but didn’t start to think of it as an option until college.

I attended the University of North Dakota and one summer I worked for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department as a fisheries seasonal in Devils Lake. I enjoyed the work, but it also showed me the fishing opportunities the state offered that I had never explored before.

I also helped with sharp-tailed grouse surveys in college, which showed me the upland hunting opportunities that, again, I had never explored.

I grew up hunting waterfowl, but not in North Dakota until college, when I was introduced to field hunting. As you can guess, this showed me the prized waterfowl hunting so many people are passionate about in North Dakota.

I say all that because North Dakota’s habitat and natural resources are worth appreciating. It might not be flashy mountains or cabin-packed lakes, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have a lot to offer. We have the prairie, badlands, the Missouri River system, and many other unique landscapes throughout the state.

What do those have in common? They are made up of large areas of undeveloped landscapes for anyone to enjoy. Or in my case, to work in. That’s my office, the habitat for our fisheries and wildlife resources. I may not have a fast-food restaurant or big shopping mall down the road, but I do have various hunting and fishing opportunities within 5 minutes of my house.

I was asked recently what the favorite part of my job is, and it wasn’t very difficult to answer. It’s the interactions I get to have with the public. Getting to listen to a young angler tell me about the big fish they caught, or a new hunter showing off their first duck. It’s also the older generation telling me about hunting or fishing stories from before I was born.

To circle back to where I started, I did not expect to end up in North Dakota, but I am sure glad I did. Enforcing game and fish regulations is easy when the majority of our interactions don’t end in a citation, but instead a hunter or anglers’ story about that day’s success or defeat.

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North Dakota

North Dakota Attorney General’s Office issues a warning on asphalt-paving scams

Published

12 hours ago

June 1, 2026

Press Room

North Dakota Attorney General’s Office issues a warning on asphalt-paving scams

BISMARCK — The North Dakota Attorney General’s Office is cautioning homeowners to be on the lookout for asphalt-paving scams.

Homeowners may be approached by unannounced illegitimate contractors claiming to be “working in the area” with “excess material” for purchase at a discounted price, with same-day decisions encouraged, a news release stated. Contractors may demand a large upfront payment, in which case they may simply leave town or begin working immediately, insisting on payment as soon as work is completed.

The work will be low-quality and easily identifiable as a scam, the release said. False contractors may even use intimidation or threats for quick payment before work can be inspected.

Homeowners should be cautious of anyone offering unsolicited paving work, especially if they claim to have leftover material at a discounted price.

The office provided the following tips to avoid falling victim to a scam:

Research any contractor before hiring
Ask detailed questions about the business
Get all estimates and terms in writing
Avoid making full payment up front
Avoid using cash and mobile payment apps

“Pay attention if your intuition tells you that an offer appears too good to be true, because it likely is,” North Dakota Attorney General Drew Wrigley said in the release.

Consumers with questions or who suspect they may have been targeted by an asphalt-paving scam should contact the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division at (701) 328-3404.

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North Dakota

North Dakota voters to decide on single subject rule for ballot measures

Published

23 hours ago

June 1, 2026

Press Room

North Dakota voters to decide on single subject rule for ballot measures

FARGO — As North Dakota voters cast their ballots for the June primary election, choosing candidates won’t be the only decision they’ll face.

Voters will also decide whether future ballot measures must be composed of just a single subject.

The Legislature placed the matter on the ballot in 2025, when it passed

Senate Concurrent Resolution 4007.

Some lawmakers argue the measure, if passed, will work in favor of voters by making future amendments more digestible and less jumbled for voter comprehension.

Senate Majority Leader David Hogue, one of the lawmakers in favor of the measure, said it would prevent any “bait and switch” tactics to pass unpopular amendments against the wishes of unassuming voters. Hogue sponsored the legislative resolution that placed the measure on the ballot.

The Seante passed the resolution with outspoken support, only one lawmaker voted no. However, the resolution faced more resistance in the House, passing in a vote of 57-36.

If passed, the resolution would require the Secretary of State’s office to verify that future amendments meet the single-subject requirement.

One outspoken voice in opposition of the resolution is House Minority Leader Zac Ista, D-Grand Forks, who said he voted against the resolution fearing it would introduce a “layer of bureaucratic review” to the ruling process. Ista also added there is not clear criteria for determining what meets the requirement.

“I think in North Dakota, if we entrust the secretary of state and attorney general of being the sole arbiters of what is and is not a single subject, that’s really going to handcuff voter initiatives in the state,” Ista said.

Contrary to this, Hogue feels the resolution would not require any complex review to determine whether or not future amendments meet the single rule requirement.

“I don’t think it’s a legal judgment. I think if you’re trying to pass two different measures in one, that’s a common-sense judgment.” Hogue said.

Measure 1 is the first of four constitutional amendments on the North Dakota ballot for this upcoming election cycle, three of which won’t be voted on until this November.

Early voting in some counties begins Tuesday, June 2. Election Day is Tuesday, June 9.

How Measure 1 will appear on the ballot

“This constitutional measure would amend and reenact section 9 of article III and section 16 of article IV of the Constitution of North Dakota, relating to requiring each resolution adopted by the legislative assembly proposing a constitutional amendment and each initiative petition and measure proposing a constitutional amendment be comprised of a single subject. The proposed amendment is summarized as follows: constitutional amendments would be limited to one subject. The Secretary of State shall not approve an initiative petition for circulation if the Secretary determines that the proposed amendment comprises more than one subject. Additionally, the legislative assembly is required to limit proposed amendments to the constitution to one subject.

“The estimated fiscal impact of this measure is none.”

Text via the North Dakota Secretary of State’s office.

Brennan Collins is a reporting intern who started at The Forum in May 2026.

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