Filings: Pipeline opponents allegedly threatened offifficials

BISMARCK, N.D. — Po l i c e allege in court filings that opponents of the Dakota Access oil pipeline made threats against offifficers and publ i c of f i c i a l s i n Nor t h Dakota last year, prompting additional security for the state’s governor.

The filings are part of a lawsuit filed in November by pipeline protesters who accuse police of excessive force in a Nov. 20 clash over a blockaded bridge. Opponents of the $3.8 billion pipeline to move North Dakota oil to a shipping point in Illinois have long maintained they’ve been mistreated by law enforcement, and allege in the lawsuit that more than 200 protesters were injured in the bridge clash.

That number previously had been disputed by offifficials, who used tear gas, rubber bullets and water hoses on protesters who they say assaulted offifficers with rocks and burning logs.

Defendants haven’t yet fifiled a response, but Morton County Sheriffff Kyle Kirchmeier, County Commissioner Cody Schulz and state Bureau of Criminal Investigation Criminal Intelligence Analyst Cody Larson fifiled affiffidavits in the past week to support a request to have law offifficers’ names redacted from public court documents for safety.

L a r s on det a i l s numerous threats on social media, including one against ex-Gov. Jack Dalrymple that said “You next in the box!” and another that advocates killing law offifficers, pipeline supporters and the governor. Larson also includes a report of a Dec. 12 call to Dalrymple’s offiffice from a West Fargo man who allegedly demanded the governor resign “or he won’t make it until Wednesday.”

Lt. Tom Iverson with the Highway Patrol, which handles Capitol security, said the threats against Dalrymple — who left offiffice this month — were taken seriously and investigated.