Car stolen with baby trapped inside ends in non-fatal shooting of suspect

Light Sabres and PS4 Ultimate Fighting – drug trafficking and murder is fun until somebody loses a baby

by Timothy Charles Holmseth on February 4, 2017, 10:41 A.M. CST

Will the ‘baby caught in the stolen car’ case be the event that wakes up North Dakotans and Minnesotans to the public safety issue being created by drug trafficking within the ranks of their own law enforcement agencies?

Let’s break it down.

The Associated Press is reporting the manhunt for Daniel Michael Two Hearts has ended. Two Hearts was reportedly airlifted to the hospital after he shot himself during a hostage situation in Devil’s Lake, North Dakota – resulting in a non-fatal wound.

Two Hearts, 23, reportedly became involved in an extended pursuit that began around 9:30 p.m. on Thursday when a North Dakota State Trooper attempted to stop him on Interstate 29 near Grand Forks for a ‘loud muffler’.

Two Hearts reportedly fled and eventually fired shots at police with a 9mm in what became a multi-county pursuit that involved Two Hearts stealing several different vehicles – one with a baby in it.

Daniel Two Hearts

Two other individuals that were with Two Hearts were arrested and methamphetamine was reportedly found in the vehicle.

North Dakota court records show Two Hearts is charged with ‘Attempted Murder’.

Two Hearts has an extensive criminal record that involves offenses such as theft, burglary, minor drug charges, and traffic violations.

WAS TWO HEARTS WORKING FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT?

But there is one particular case that stands out.

In March, 2015, Two Hearts was charged in Burleigh County with three counts including a Class C felony drug charge.

However…

On April 17, 2015, less than a month later, the charges were completely dismissed.

What is relevant about that?

I’ll tell you.

Two Hearts certainly reached some kind of a deal with the government to have his criminal charges dropped. That makes it very likely Two Hearts was working for/with law enforcement.

So…

Why was Two Hearts so terrified and determined to get away Thursday when a State Trooper attempted to pull him over?

Let’s get some perspective using another very recent case in Grand Forks.

On Tuesday, January 31, 2017, Dean Allen Vondal-Rinde, 34, was charged with delivery of a controlled substance, a Class AA felony. Court records show the Affidavit for his arrest that was filed Tuesday was the first activity ever on the case.

Vondal-Rinde’s charges are based upon a ‘controlled buy’ arranged by the Grand Forks Narcotics Task Force agents that took place near the Ralph Engelstad arena on September 20, 2016.

Here’s the question, folks.

Why did law enforcement wait until February, 2017, to charge Vondal-Rinde with a crime he committed in September, 2016?

Persons charged with a Class AA felony in North Dakota may be sentenced to life in prison if convicted.

Law enforcement claims to have electronic data/evidence that proves Vondal-Rinde committed the crime.

So…

Here’s what that really means.

Drug task-force cops had evidence on a man that could put him away for the rest of his life and there was NO RECORD OF IT for five months.

So…

Here’s the question that creates…

What was Vondal-Rinde doing between September and February while shadowy people secretly held his life in their hands?

Probably anything they told him to do – wouldn’t you?

Vondal-Rinde was ripe for blackmail and extortion by faceless and nameless shadow people that call themselves ‘Task Force Agents’.

The facts and circumstnaces surrounding Two Hearts also indicate he may have been involved on some level with law enforcement.

DRUGS, FLEEING THE POLICE, AND PEOPLE GETTING SHOT IN NORTH DAKOTA

The Daniel Two Hearts situation, which involves Two-Hearts fleeing a traffic stop, closely mimics the pursuit and shooting of David James Elliott in February, 2015.

Much like Two Hearts, Elliott inexplicably fled when a police officer attempted to pull him over for a minor traffic offense. Elliott told police he had taken enough pills to kill himself, which he claimed was his intention. However, he did not die from the drugs he ingested, which may mean he over-stated his consumption.

Two Hearts, too, also unsuccessfully attempted suicide.

Something clearly had both men scared to death.

Elliott, who was unarmed, was shot in the head by a UND police officer in the Emergency Room parking lot of Altru hospital in Grand Forks where he had arranged to meet a GFPD officer that he had been talking to during a two hour 911 call.

Thousands of pills were found in Elliott’s pick-up truck.

Methamphetamine was reportedly found in Two Heart’s vehcile.

But watch this.

911 call records reveal Elliott told police during the two hour pursuit, which went up and down Interstate 29, that he believed Lauren Wild, the former Sheriff of Walsh County was following him (Wild is the disgraced former Sheriff that was sued by a deputy in federal court and was not even the Sheriff at the time) and would surely harm him if he pulled over.

But there is even a bigger problem here that may require the FBI to sort out.

Walsh County Sheriff Ron Jurgens told Write Into Action that Walsh County played no role whatsoever in the Elliott pursuit. “Walsh County had no involvement with the chase or anything involving that case,” Jurgens said.

However, according to BCI investigative files a Walsh County “deputy” was involved.

So which is it?

The public was never even supposed to know about Wild’s involvement and only learned about it after Write Into Action exclusively obtained BCI interviews with David Elliott’s wife, Jennifer Elliott, and the 911 call recording from the North Dakota Attorney General’s Office (Grand Forks County PSAP deleted their copy).

BCI interviews reveal Jennifer Elliott and her mother-in-law, Margaret Dolan, said their family was friends with Wild. Jennifer Elliott and Dolan further told BCI agents that Wild claimed, after the shooting, that Jerad Braaten, the UND police officer that shot David Elliott, had been kicked out of the Grafton Police Department.

But Grafton Police Chief Anthony Dumas told Write Into Action that Braaten was never employed there.

Indeed – a former North Dakota disgraced county sheriff had involved himself on some level in a midnight pursuit and shooting that involved drugs.

Write Into Action recently obtained never before seen video of the David Elliott shooting and there is no doubt whatsoever the shooting was an attempted murder that was covered up by Grand Forks County States Attorney David Jones and other law enforcement Department heads.

Write Into Action will be showing the public the video in the near future.

The integrity of the BCI investigation into the David Elliott shooting is such a complete and absurd joke that a BCI agent, Michael Ness, is his heard telling Braaten that his body-cam was found underneath his squad car – noting to Braaten it must have fallen under the car. Write Into Action obtained the body-cam file, which seemed tampered-with, unresponsive, and partially disabled. While the camera captured no meaningful video – the camera lens briefly captures the ‘sky’ amidst a swirling motion as the camera unit is clearly being thrown under the UND squad car well after the shooting.

Isolated events?

No.

Not a chance, folks.

In June, 2016, Clifford Edward Monteith IIII, was shot by Brad Bowman, a Pembina County deputy. The shooting occurred on a deserted highway late at night where Bowman and Monteith allegedly fought until Monteith was tazed and shot and then escaped in a vehicle.

The meeting/interaction between Monteith and Bowman was not even the result of a traffic stop. Bowman told the BCI he followed Monteith’s vehicle and then got out to talk to Monteith during a “walk and talk”.

During his interview with BCI agents, Bowman describes a fight that took place; how he escaped Monteith’s grasp; and a knife that he thinks he might have seen.

THE LIGHT SABRE AND VIDEO GAME FIGHTING

“I thought that I saw a large object omitting from his right hand,” Bowman said. When asked by a BCI agent to explain what he meant by something omitting from Monteith’s hand, Bowman giggled and said, “Just, like a light sabre coming out [laughing] you know what I mean. You know coming from his hand.”

Bowman’s careful words indicated he did not want to flat out lie about seeing a knife.

Bowman said Monteith had a hold of his carrier vest during their physical fight and explained how he escaped. “I play this UFC game on PS4 you know. And one of the moves to get out of the bottom – you put your foot on the guy’s leg – I obviously wasn’t thinking of this but it must’ve been like from memory. But I put my left foot on his right leg and I started pushing myself like up away…” Bowman said, explaining how he escaped by slipping from his carrier vest – leaving the carrier vest on the road.

Now watch this.

Sara Ramos Letexier, who lived right near where the shooting occurred, was the only objectively independent and credible witness to the Bowman/Monteith shooting scene.

Letexier told Write Into Action she pulled up on the scene on her way home from work and that the version of events presented to the public by law enforcement was absolutely NOT what she saw.

Letexier told WDAZ and Write Into Action that she observed Monteith laying “crumpled’ on the highway when she pulled up in her car (although the official version was that Monteith had already fled in a vehicle by that time).

Letexier said she went home – and then she then heard a gunshot after she got home.

Letexier said Pembina County State’s Attorney Ryan Bialis did not even talk to her.

Bialis told Write Into Action the BCI questioned Letexier on his behalf. He suggested the BCI told him that Letexier was mistaken in her observations. Bialis said Letexier mistook Bowman’s ‘carrier vest’ as Monteith’s body.

Bowman/Monteith police shooting scene. Deputy Brad Bowman told BCI he shot Monteith inside the police vehicle because Monteith had a knife. Note marker number five (5) that shows a knife far away from the vehicle. Pembina County State’s Attorney Ryan Bialis said witness Sara Ramos Letexier was mistaken when she believed she witnessed a man (Clifford Edward Monteith III – 6′ 3″ – 214 lbs) laying on the highway. Bialis said Letexier actually saw Bowman’s carrier vest (shown above)

However…

Write Into Action has reviewed the BCI interview with Letexier, as well as the file on the case, and no such opinion is stated by the BCI.

But – we sure got a nice full explanation from Bowman about how he used a video game move to escape from his carrier vest, which was then left lying on the highway, after he was attacked by a guy with a light sabre.

Cute, eh?

Is there more?

Yeah – this is North Dakota.

In January, 2017, Colt Allery, a Rolette County deputy, and Melvin DeLong, a car thief suspect (sound familiar?), were both shot and killed in a wild gun fight that involved three other deputies out in the middle of nowhere (sound familiar?).

DeLong, of course, too, had an extensive criminal history.

Even before authorities could officially confirm there had been a fatal shooting in Rolette County on Wednesday, January 18, KFRY-TV reported authorities said “the public is not in danger”.

Wow.

But guess what.

Two days later the Rolette County Courthouse was locked down for “security reasons”.

Then…

On Sunday, January 23, an ‘intruder’ was shot and killed in a home in Rolette County.

Write Into Action has contacted Rolette County Sheriff Gerald Medrud several times to learn why the courthouse was shut down but he does not reply.

In North Dakota and Minnesota, drug trafficking and murder is always fun until somebody loses a baby.

Visit this link to see what happens to a journalist in North Dakota and Western Minnesota that report on these matters.

Be sure to visit the Red River Valley Wall of Shame for some great perspective.

VISIT WWW.WRITEINTOACTION.COM

Pembina County police shooting cover-up

BCI records show official version clashes with eyewitness account

by Timothy Charles Holmseth on October 27, 2016, 7:48 A.M. CST

Law enforcement and government officials in drug and crime infested North Dakota face yet another police shooting scandal – this time in Pembina County.

On June 5, 2016 Pembina County Deputy Brad Bowman shot Clifford Edward Monteith III on a rural highway near Neche, North Dakota.

Clifford Edward Monteith III

Media reports at the time described a scene that involved Monteith, the passenger of a vehicle, abruptly exiting the vehicle and physically attacking the deputy and chasing him with a knife before stealing his keys so the deputy could not pursue him.

BCI interviews show those characterizations of the event were largely false.

No media reports ever mentioned Monteith and his girlfriend had traveled from Grand Forks to Neche to look for “the Neche house” and the Grand Forks County Narcotics Task Force immediately became involved after the shooting.

Court records showed the case against Monteith was closed on October 17, 2016 after a plea deal was reached.

The settlement was widely reported.

Man accused of brutally attacking deputy pleads guilty October 18, 2016 PEMBINA, N.D. (AP) – A Grand Forks man accused of attacking a deputy sheriff in Pembina County before being shot has pleaded guilty under a deal with prosecutors. Authorities say 27-year-old Clifford Monteith III pinned Deputy Brad Bowman to the ground during a June 6 traffic stop in Neche, beat and choked him, and tried to grab the officer’s gun. Monteith then allegedly chased Bowman with a knife when Bowman broke free, and the officer shot him. Monteith initially faced nine charges including attempted murder. Prosecutors dropped that charge, and Monteith on Monday pleaded guilty to five charges including assault. The plea deal calls for him to serve 15 years in prison.

However – court records show that on October 18, 2016 an Arrest Warrant was served upon Monteith (who was already in custody) for felony Aggravated Assault and Terrorizing.

The prosecution for the State of North Dakota is Haley Wamstad, Grand Forks County State’s Attorney‘s Office.

Is there a reason law enforcement in Grand Forks wants to keep Monteith jacked up on more felony charges?

Let’s take a look at what was going on behind the facade put up by law enforcement’s media arm, Forum Communications. .

On October 16, 2016 Write Into Action submitted a records request to the North Dakota Attorney General for the BCI investigative records of the Bowman/Monteith shooting.

The North Dakota Attorney General’s office replied on October 17.

“I am responding to your request for records involving Clifford Edward Monteith III and Deputy Brad Bowman. No records will be provided because the requested records are exempt pursuant to N.D.C.C. Section 44-04-18.7,” said Liz Brocker, public information officer, ND AG.

On October 19 Write Into Action re-submitted the records request for the BCI files on the Bowman/Monteith shooting.

October 19, 2016 Liz, I am re-issuing my request for records regarding Clifford Edward Monteith III. The reason I am re-issuing it is because Clifford Monteith has been sentenced (see Grand Forks Herald link below). http://www.grandforksherald.com/news/4139554-grafton-man-who-attacked-pembina-county-deputy-sentenced-15-years-prison Thanks, Tim

On October 20 Write Into Action contacted Brocker about the records again.

October 20, 2016 Liz, I am holding a story that includes information about the shooting of Clifford Monteith. Per below, I re-issued my public records request regarding the Monteith case yesterday. I re-issued it based upon the fact the case is closed. I plan to hold the story through this morning to give your office fair opportunity to respond. Thanks, Tim

Brocker responded on October 20. “We will be happy to provide a cost and time estimate, shortly,” she said.

Write Into Action has since received the files.

So why did the Grand Forks County States Attorney’s Office take an interest in charging Monteith with more felonies after he had reached a plea deal that sent him to prison for 15 years?

The bizarre circumstances surrounding the Bowman/Monteith shooting may actually rival the shooting of David James Elliott, an unarmed man shot in a hospital parking lot by a University of North Dakota police officer in neighboring Grand Forks County in 2015.

Both the Bowman/Monteith and Braaten/Elliott shootings appear to be violent interactions between police and drug traffickers that are part of the same criminal enterprise; after something has gone wrong.

THE OFFICIAL STORY OF THE CLIFFORD MONTEITH SHOOTING IS CONTRADICTED BY AN EYEWITNESS

According to Deputy Bradley Bowman, on Sunday, June 5, 2016, shortly after midnight, he observed an SUV on Highway 18 driving slowly.

Bowman said he pulled up to the SUV, which had stopped alongside the road. The SUV was driven by Rebecca Rausch, Grand Forks. Clifford Edward Monteith III, Rauch’s boyfriend, was a passenger in the vehicle.

The following is a summary of Deputy Bowman’s account of events:

1. Bowman radioed dispatch at 12:18 A.M. but received no response.

2. Bowman approached the vehicle and asked Rausch if she was lost. He asked her to exit the vehicle. He talked to her. He asked Rausch how she got a black eye. Rauch told him somebody other than Monteith did it.  She said she and Monteith were looking for the “Neche House”.

3. Bowman told Rausch to get back in the vehicle.

4. Bowman then asked Monteith to exit the vehicle, which he did. Monteith did not want to tell Bowman his name. Monteith attacked Bowman. Monteith pulled a knife. Bowman deployed a tazer. The tazer failed. The two men fought. The two men ended up in Bowman’s squad car (Monteith on the driver’s side).

5. Bowman shot Monteith three times in self defense. Bowman radioed “shots fired” at 12:23 A.M.

6. Monteith exited Bowman’s squad car; got into the SUV driven by Rausch; and they fled.

7. Bowman radioed dispatch that the maroon SUV was southbound on Highway 18 at 12:24 A.M.

But – not so fast.

An eyewitness account by Sara Letexier, a passing motorist that spoke directly with Bowman during the event, blows gaping holes in the official story because of what she saw and heard when she pulled up to the scene.

Letexier spoke with the media (WDAZ-TV) and was interviewed by the BCI (the BCI interview with Letexier is astonishingly short for an eyewitness to an attempted murder of a police officer).

The first discrepancy is the timeline.

Sara Letexier stated she came upon the scene at approximately 12:35 a.m. Sara Letexier stated she saw a person on the roadway and a deputy. The deputy told Sara Letexier she should find a different way home because he was attacked. – BCI / Special Agent Kraft / Sara Letexier Interview

So – according to Letexier, there is a person lying on the road and the attack is over. As you will see; this does not fit the official version at all.

Bowman radioed “shots fired” at 12:23 A.M. (12 minutes earlier than Letexier recalls arriving). He radioed that the SUV was southbound on Highway 18 at 12:24 A.M.

That means that Bowman shot Monteith; and within a minute or so Monteith fled the scene in a vehicle.

No time to lay around the road while Letexier is talking to Bowman.

Letexier saw a “sedan” at the scene.

Sara Letexier stated she saw a sedan in front of the deputy’s patrol vehicle, but could not describe it. – BCI / Special Agent Kraft / Sara Letexier Interview

Letexier heard gun shots.

Sara Letexier stated she later heard a gunshot. S/A Kraft was told by Sheriff Terry Meidinger a report of fireworks was reported in the downtown area of Neche, North Dakota. – BCI / Special Agent Kraft / Sara Letexier Interview

“I heard the gunshots as well and that was kind of scary,” Letexier said.

Here’s what you have:

1. Letexier pulled up to the scene
2. Letexier saw a man lying on the road
3. Letexier saw a vehicle (other than the squad car)
4. Letexier talked to Deputy Bowman
5. Bowman told Letexier he had been attacked
6. Letexier heard gunshots (It’s not clear by the records if Letexier heard the gun shots while she was at the scene, or after she exited. The BCI report indicates it was after she left the scene).

THE MAN LYING IN THE ROAD

“I just kind of rolled up in the middle of it. I could see the man in the road, he was crumpled,” Letexier told WDAZ.

Letexier told WDAZ she talked to Bowman. “He seemed like he was out of breath, he said I’ve been attacked,” Letextier said.

Letexier says there was a person lying on the road and the attack is over.

That is entirely inconsistent with dispatch logs that show Bowman called in “shots fired” and then radioed the shooting victim had fled the scene within about a minute.

STRANGE AND MUTUAL OMMISSION

In their interviews with BCI, neither Bowman nor Rausch describe a time when Monteith is laying in the road while Bowman talks to a passing motorist.

In fact – no BCI summary makes any mention of Bowman or Rausch ever mentioning that a motorist pulled up and talked to Bowman.

Here are their accounts, and as you will see, neither Bowman nor Rausch’s account has Monteith lying in the road.

CLIFFORD MONTEITH III told Deputy BRAD BOWMAN he could not feel his arm after the shots were fired. Deputy BRAD BOWMAN stated Rebecca Rausch was also yelling, “You shot him!” CLIFFORD MONTEITH III exited Deputy BRAD BOWMAN’s patrol vehicle and entered Rebecca Rausch’s vehicle and they drove away. – BCI / Special Agent Kraft / Deputy Brad Bowman Interview

Rebecca Rausch stated that CLIFFORD MONTEITH III exited PCSO squad car #4504 and entered her vehicle, sitting in the front passenger seat. CLIFFORD MONTEITH III said, “Let’s go,” and at first (1st) told her to go to the hospital, but then instructed her to take him to their residence located at 2129 17th Street Northeast in Grand Forks, North Dakota. – BCI / Special Agent Ness / Rebecca Rausch Interview

Write Into Action has reason to believe the Bowman/Monteith shooting and Braaten/ Elliott shooting are related to a drug trafficking operation that involves members of law enforcement and military personnel.

The criminal enterprise involves members of the Grand Forks County Narcotics Task Force, Minnesota Pine to Prairie Task Force, Grand Forks Sheriff’s Office, Grand Forks Police Department, University of North Dakota Police Department, Polk County Sheriff’s Office (Minnesota), and East Grand Forks Police Department.

Write Into Action continues to investigate.

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