Woman charged in connection with ND shooting gets probation

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BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A Wisconsin woman arrested in connection with the death of a North Dakota man in 2021 has been sentenced to three years of probation and has agreed to testify at the trial of the defendant who’s facing facing a murder charge.

Twenty-eight-year-old Jessica Saueressig, of Cascade, pleaded guilty Tuesday to a felony charge of hindering law enforcement. A charge of felony theft conspiracy was dismissed, the Bismarck Tribune reported.

Saueressig and 29-year-old Carlos Mendivil-Beltran, of Mesa, Arizona, also known as Oscar Ortiz, were arrested following the July 25 death of Brian Rowe, of Watford City.

Prosecutors say the three, whose relationship was unclear, were traveling in Dunn County when an altercation began between Mendivil-Beltran and the 43-year-old victim.

A court affidavit alleges Mendivil-Beltran shot Rowe several times, pushed him out of the vehicle and left him in the road. Mendivil-Beltran later allegedly crashed the pickup into a ravine, where he and Saueressig abandoned it.

Mendivil-Beltran and Saueressig were arrested in Moorhead, Minnesota, two days later, after a search that included police dog and a Moorhead Fire Department drone.

Southwest District Judge Dann Greenwood suspended a five-year prison sentence for Saueressig. The court record states Saueressig will “cooperate with prosecution and testify truthfully” at Mendivil-Beltran’s trial.

Mendivil-Beltran is scheduled for a trial beginning May 9.