Burleigh County – Bismarck (trfnews.i234.me) – A former North Dakota National Guard member has been convicted of sexually assaulting two subordinate soldiers following a party at a Bismarck hotel last year.
On Wednesday, a jury found Daniel Carpenter, former staff sergeant and readiness officer of the Guard’s 816th Military Police Unit, guilty of felony gross sexual imposition (where the victim is unaware) and misdemeanor sexual assault stemming from a June 2023 incident.
According to court testimony, the assaults occurred after the soldiers returned from training in Montana and were gathered at a hotel in Bismarck. Both victims were subordinate soldiers under Carpenter’s command.
-
One victim testified that Carpenter engaged in sexual activity while she was intoxicated and unable to consent.
-
The second victim said she was asleep in bed when Carpenter groped her, only waking to realize what had happened.
Defense attorney Tyler Morrow argued that Carpenter believed the activity was consensual and that his presence at the gathering had been requested. However, Assistant Burleigh County State’s Attorney Isaac Lees told the jury that one woman was too intoxicated to give consent and the other was unconscious at the time of the assault.
Carpenter, who had served 17 years in the National Guard and was deployed to Afghanistan in 2014 with the 814th Medical Company, was administratively separated from service in October 2024 after an internal Guard investigation.
The South Central District Court trial lasted two days, and jurors deliberated for about 3.5 hours before returning the verdict.
Carpenter, 40, was remanded into custody following the verdict and will remain jailed until sentencing. He had been out on a $5,000 bond before the trial. Judge Pam Nesvig has ordered a presentence investigation, including assessments for alcohol dependency and a sex offender risk evaluation.
Carpenter now faces up to 20 years in prison for the felony count and nearly one year for the misdemeanor charge.
I’m Chris Harper reporting for TRF News.