Midwest
Utah mom kept missing daughter, 5, hidden in cult 'compound' for months with help from adult sons: prosecutors
A Utah woman is accused of kidnapping her then-4-year-old daughter in January 2023 and evading law enforcement for 18 months, with help from her adult sons, before she was finally caught.
At the time when Kimberly Dell Davidson-Drolet, 53, allegedly kidnapped her daughter, she and her now-estranged husband, Laurence Drolet, were in the process of getting a divorce.
After 14 months of planning, on Jan. 10, 2023, Davidson-Drolet sold her vehicle in Utah for $13,000 and deposited the check into her bank account, according to a federal indictment.
Three days later, she withdrew $16,000 and transferred the remaining balance to her sister, Kristine Merrill, over the next month.
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Kimberly Dell Davidson-Drolet is charged with kidnapping and conspiracy to commit kidnapping. (Buchanan County Sheriff)
On Jan. 23, 2023, Davidson-Drolet allegedly packed their personal belongings in duffle bags, piled them into her 30-year-old son Jaxson Davidson’s truck and drove cross-country to Missouri.
She left her personal cellphone at home in Utah and purchased a burner phone, federal court documents state.
Jaxon’s attorney, Craig Johnson, told Fox News Digital in a statement that the defendant is “presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, according to his constitutional rights,” and he will not be commenting further because it is an open criminal case.
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Merrill later told police that she destroyed Davidson-Drolet’s personal phone when she had allegedly given it to Davidson-Drolet’s 23-year-old son, Dallas Davidson.
Jaxson Davidson allegedly admitted to discussing taking the child out of state, and Merrill was present at the time and assisted with Davidson-Drolet’s departure, authorities wrote in court filings.
More than a year after Kimberly Dell Davidson-Drolet allegedly kidnapped her daughter from Utah, authorities would discover the now-5-year-old girl at “a compound run by a religious cult leader Paul Dean who is the founder of an FLDS religious type cult.” (NCMEC)
More than a year later, authorities would discover the now-5-year-old girl at “a compound run by a religious cult leader Paul Dean who is the founder of an FLDS religious type cult,” according to a complaint filed against Davidson-Drolet reads, referring to the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
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Dean is reportedly a White, self-described Christian man who founded two “Native American” churches in Missouri, according to local news outlet Springfield Daily Citizen. He calls himself “Man Found Standing.”
Dean, who is not charged in the kidnapping case, is involved in Native American traditions like sweat lodges and believes bitcoin is the solution of government instability.
“I thought: Here’s a solution. Here’s a way you can go and store value … that isn’t controlled by governments,” Dean can be heard saying in a 2017 YouTube video.
READ THE INDICTMENT:
Davidson-Drolet allegedly concealed her whereabouts by using burner phones and mailing letters back home to her other children through her sister via the U.S. Postal Service.
In her letters, she apparently said she felt safe in Missouri because “they don’t participate in extradition” and she and Dean were planning to “flee to Thailand,” the indictment reads.
“Kimberly Davidson-Drolet and other coconspirators went through great lengths to utilize pre-paid cellular phones that were rotated regularly to prevent law enforcement interception,” the complaint reads.
Davidson-Drolet, her sons, Jaxson and Dallas Davidson, and Merrill have all been charged with kidnapping and conspiracy to commit kidnapping.
Read the full article from Here
North Dakota
Armstrong, Strinden celebrate grand opening of Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in Medora
MEDORA, N.D. – Gov. Kelly Armstrong and Lt. Gov. Michelle Strinden today celebrated the grand opening of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in Medora with local, state and federal officials, praising the new facility for bringing Roosevelt’s impactful legacy to life for current and future generations of Americans.
Armstrong quoted the Independence Day remarks delivered by a 27-year-old Roosevelt in 1886 in the governor’s hometown of Dickinson, in which Roosevelt expressed his affinity for “big prairies, big forests and mountains, big wheat fields, railroads, and herds of cattle, too,” among other things. Roosevelt said, “we must keep steadily in mind that no people were ever yet benefited by riches if their prosperity corrupted their virtue.”
“The values T.R. carried away from these Badlands — hard work, conservation, and active citizenship — these are not historical artifacts. They are North Dakota values,” Armstrong said. “And they are exactly the values this library will showcase to the world.”
The 96,000-square-foot library will be open year-round, with interactive exhibits offering an immersive experience for citizens young and old, from North Dakota and beyond.
“If this was just a library built in remembrance of our 26th president, that would be enough. But it is so much more than that,” Armstrong said. “With this grand opening today, we honor the spirit of one of the most consequential figures in the 250-year history as the greatest country in the history of the world. The spirit of resilience, honesty, bravery. The spirit of big dreams and big ideas, and the perseverance to do the hard work required to turn them into reality.”
Roosevelt sought solace and healing in Medora after his wife and mother died on the same day in February 1884, writing in his journal, “The light has gone out of my life.” He established the Elkhorn Ranch – now often referred to as the “cradle of conservation” – and would later say that he would not have become president if not for his experience in North Dakota.
“Now, people from all over the world can come to this exact place, stand where T.R. stood, and feel – not just understand, but feel – how it changed him,” Armstrong said. “That’s what this library makes possible. And North Dakota is genuinely proud to offer it to the world.”
For more information, visit the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library’s website.
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) — Part of Glenwood Avenue is closed due to a water main break in Youngstown.
Saturday afternoon, water could be seen flowing down Glenwood Avenue near Ravenwood Avenue.
The road is closed between Ravenwood Avenue and Clearmount Drive while crews repair the break.
Dominic O’Brien contributed to this report.
The South Dakota Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at July 4, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from July 4 drawing
17-38-46-50-69, Powerball: 20, Power Play: 2
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lotto America numbers from July 4 drawing
09-17-22-35-37, Star Ball: 05, ASB: 02
Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Dakota Cash numbers from July 4 drawing
08-09-18-25-30
Check Dakota Cash payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from July 4 drawing
17-20-37-40-43, Bonus: 04
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your prize
- Prizes of $100 or less: Can be claimed at any South Dakota Lottery retailer.
- Prizes of $101 or more: Must be claimed from the Lottery. By mail, send a claim form and a signed winning ticket to the Lottery at 711 E. Wells Avenue, Pierre, SD 57501.
- Any jackpot-winning ticket for Dakota Cash or Lotto America, top prize-winning ticket for Lucky for Life, or for the second prizes for Powerball and Mega Millions must be presented in person at a Lottery office. A jackpot-winning Powerball or Mega Millions ticket must be presented in person at the Lottery office in Pierre.
When are the South Dakota Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT on Tuesday and Friday.
- Lucky for Life: 9:38 p.m. CT daily.
- Lotto America: 9:15 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Dakota Cash: 9 p.m. CT on Wednesday and Saturday.
- Millionaire for Life: 10:15 p.m. CT daily.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a South Dakota editor. You can send feedback using this form.
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SD Lottery Powerball, Lotto America winning numbers for July 4, 2026
