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Benson County Sheriff’s officers have arrested one suspect following an incident that involved non-Native individuals and a residential fire on the Spirit Lake Reservation, according to statements from tribal officials and the Sheriff’s Office.
A press release from the Benson County Sheriff’s Office said that on Tuesday, March 24 at about 3:15 p.m., officers were dispatched to a residence in their jurisdiction on the Spirit Lake Reservation. When they arrived, they observed a fire in the front yard while a male suspect had barricaded himself inside the house. Officers soon observed smoke emanating from the residence indicating another fire inside.
While that standoff was in progress, two victims contacted the Devils Lake Police Department for assistance, alleging that they had been assaulted by the male at the residence in Benson County and fled to safety in Devils Lake shortly after the response from the Benson County Sheriff’s Office.
Officers in Benson County were able to detain the male subject at the scene and transported him to Altru Clinic in Devils Lake for medical attention due to the fire. Meanwhile, emergency services that included Spirit Lake Fire Department, Spirit Lake Ambulance, North Dakota Highway Patrol and the Bureau of Indian Affairs remained on scene at the residence, which was completely lost to the blaze.
While on the scene, Spirit Lake BIA law enforcement officers also assisted with traffic control in the area, but traffic is no longer being rerouted and roadways, including BIA 20, are now clear for normal travel, according to a statement on Spirit Lake Nation’s Facebook page.
The incident is currently under active investigation by Benson County Sheriff’s Office and the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation, and all names are being withheld until further notice.
