Around the State: August 7, 2023

The counties and cities within the state of North Dakota hold many interesting news stories.

Here are just a few of the feature stories that others are reading in communities around the state.

Parking lot exposure leads to detainment

A Garrison man was detained in a Bismarck parking lot on July 13 after he was witnessed committing indecent conduct in his vehicle.

According to an incident/investigation report from the Bismarck Police Department, Bismarck PD officer Wade Nordick was dispatched to 4000 Miriam Avenue in Bismarck - later identified in the report as a McDonald’s restaurant - for “a reported sex offense” involving 49-year-old Mark Torno of Garrison.

When Nordick arrived on the scene, Torno was already in handcuffs, having already been detained by Detective David Stewart, also with the Bismarck PD.

The Bismarck PD was notified by a manager at the McDonald’s restaurant, who was informed by a 17-year-old female, an employee at the restaurant, who initially witnessed Torno “lying back in his seat,” the report stated. It wasn’t until she got out of her vehicle that she looked into Torno’s vehicle “an observed him actively masturbating,” the report noted, adding the female “immediately went inside and informed her boss of what she had observed.”

When Steward arrived on the scene, he also observed Torno “sitting inside of his vehicle masturbating,” the report noted. “Torno was asked to step out of his vehicle to button and zip up his pants.

Information about charges against Torno was not available at press time.

(Story by James C. Falcon, the McLean County Independent)

ExxonMobil acquires Denbury Incorporated

One of North Dakota’s leading mineral resources experts is pointing to ExxonMobil’s acquisition of Denbury Incorporated as a reason to be optimistic about the future of the state’s energy industry.

ExxonMobil, with the world’s largest market capitalization of approximately $350 billion, announced on July 13, that it is buying Denbury, a developer of carbon capture, storage solutions, and enhanced oil recovery. The company says its largest producing property is the Cedar Creek Anticline in Montana and North Dakota, which accounted for 23 percent of company production in 2021.

The acquisition is an all-stock transaction valued at $4.9 billion and gives the American multinational oil and gas corporation, and the largest descendant of John D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil, the largest owned and operated Carbon Dioxide (CO2) pipeline network in the U.S. The company’s pipelines span 1,300 miles, including nearly 92 miles of CO2 pipelines in Louisiana, Texas and Mississippi, as well as 10 strategically located onshore sequestration sites, used to store carbon in places such as underground geological formations.

(Story by Steve Hallstrom, the McKenzie County Farmer)

Newly elected commissioner receives felonies

The case involving Chris R. Thompson, 47, of Grafton continues to unfold.

Northeast District Judge Kari Agotness, who previously denied a plea agreement in June approved the dropping of the remaining felony charge.

Thompson was charged with vehicular manslaughter as a result of a traffic accident that occurred November 12 in Walsh County.

Thompson met Jason Schatzke, 48, his wife Tanya, 47, Rodney, 57 and Anita Olson, 59 and Brent Baldwin, 52 at JR’s Bar in Oakwood and it was decided that Thompson would be the driver that evening since he knew the area.

After JR’s Bar, Thompson drove everyone to Duffy’s Bar in Hoople. The group then went to Crystal Bar and then the Garden Bar. After than they were traveling to Lee’s Restaurant, but while on the phone, Thompson lost control of the vehicle and sideswiped a tree, then struck another tree. His blood alcohol level was .134 percent.

All passengers were uninjured except for Jason Schatzke who was pronounced dead at the scene.

(Story by Todd Morgan, the Walsh County Record)

New film shot to address local human trafficking

While shooting “Before they Vanish” in Emmons County, a New York director was inspired to shine light on a topic happening locally - prompting him to return to shoot his second film, “Trapped.”

Ejaz Khan is in the process of editing scenes shot on Emmons County to premiere “Trapped” later this year. He said the message in the film is not only an important one to get out, but one he was struggling to process while working on some of the scenes because of its context.

“I know what is going to happen - how it’s going to end, but it’s hard to edit it because I am getting emotional and upset about the storyline that is happening,” Khan explained.

While shooting movie scenes in Emmons County in 2021 for “Before they Vanish,” Khan said he was approached by a local resident who told her story of being human trafficked, sex trafficked and was sexually abused.

“This is a story I believe everyone should be aware of - It’s something that happened in our backyard,” Khan said. “I knew it happened in Third-World countries, but I didn’t think it was happening in America - but it does happen in our backyard.”

For the film, Khan said he interviewed more than 80 women who had similar stories to the one he encountered in Emmons County. One specifically that stuck out in his mind was when a woman told him about being abused when she was 10 or 11 years old and just thought it was “how life was.” It wasn’t until she was older she found out not all little girls experienced those situations.

“I want this film to be used for educational purposes,” Khan said, adding it will help parents have the harder conversations with their children about what is right and wrong.

Writing the script and preparing to shoot the film took more than two years to complete, and it allowed shooting in Emmons County to be a 32-day process. Khan said he received a lot of help from the Silbernagel family, locally, who allowed him to shoot the film on their property outside of Linton.

To help give back to the community and state that has inspired Khan so much, he is hosting a contest in correlation with the release of the movie.

He is giving away free airfare and a three-day stay to a lucky winner from North Dakota.

“The hospitality and kindness of people in North Dakota is very different,” he said. “I wish I can do more - I just want to give back and show them the kindness they showed me.”

To register, visit ejazkhancinema.com/trapped/ and enter the contest for a chance to win.

Winners will be announced with the release of “Trapped.”

(Story by Kelli Ameling, the Emmons County Record)