Benson County, ND (trfnews.i234.me) – TRF News has confirmed that Benson County Sheriff Ethan Rode resigned last month while under criminal investigation and facing a formal petition for removal from office.
Rode initially claimed his July 25 resignation was due to a payroll issue, but records reveal he was the subject of a North Dakota Attorney General’s Office investigation into multiple allegations of misconduct.
In a June 4 letter to Attorney General Drew Wrigley, Benson County State’s Attorney James Wang alleged Rode was guilty of misconduct, malfeasance, neglect of duty, and gross incompetence. The nine-page petition for removal also stated that nearly all incidents involved Rode’s former chief deputy, Travis Carlson, whom he hired despite Carlson previously losing his peace officer license.
Carlson, arrested on July 24 on more than a dozen charges, was captured on video in 2024 kneeling on the back of a 14-year-old boy during a Spirit Lake Reservation traffic stop. Wang stated Rode never filed a report explaining the use of force, and the boy was not under arrest.
Other accusations against Rode include:
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Failing to provide a burglary report to the county prosecutor.
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Criminal conspiracy to support Carlson in multiple illegal arrests of tribal members.
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Refusing to serve subpoenas to Carlson, including one in a firearms case that was later dismissed.
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Falsifying work records for a deputy, costing the county over $3,000, then retracting an offer to reimburse the county.
Governor Kelly Armstrong’s office confirmed that Rode resigned before Wrigley could decide on moving forward with a removal proceeding.
Wang stated the potential criminal charges against Rode are low-level misdemeanors. Wrigley has declined to comment on the status of the investigation.
Rode was appointed sheriff in 2020 and elected to a four-year term in 2022. His resignation follows a historical pattern in North Dakota—when removal proceedings are initiated against a sheriff, they often resign before formal removal, as seen in cases during the administrations of Governors Jack Dalrymple and Doug Burgum. The last sheriff formally removed was Richland County Sheriff Harlan Muehler in 2001.
I’m Chris Harper reporting for TRF News.