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Lawson sentenced on two misdemeanor charges

FESSENDEN -- The former Wells County sheriff will serve 25 days on electronic home monitoring after being sentenced on two misdemeanor charges Thursday in Southeast District Court in Fessenden.

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Johnny Lawson, right, talks with his attorney Peter Welte during a sentencing hearing Thursday in Southeast District Court in Fessenden, N.D. Lawson, the former Wells County sheriff, pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor charges in a plea bargain arrangement with Jeremy Ensrud, a special prosecutor with the North Dakota Attorney General's Office. Chris Olson / The Sun

FESSENDEN -- The former Wells County sheriff will serve 25 days on electronic home monitoring after being sentenced on two misdemeanor charges Thursday in Southeast District Court in Fessenden.

Johnny Lawson, 42, pleaded guilty to false report to law enforcement or other security officials and ingesting a controlled substance on Feb. 22. In exchange for pleading guilty to the two Class A misdemeanors and testifying against Alexander Lail, of New Rockford, who is accused of multiple felony drug charges, including two counts of attempted murder, prosecutors agreed to drop three other charges.

Jeremy Ensrud, an attorney with the North Dakota Attorney General’s Office acting as a special attorney on behalf of Wells County State’s Attorney Kathleen Murray, agreed to drop charges of conspiracy to deliver controlled substance methamphetamine, a Class A felony, bribery-official action, a Class C felony, and public servant refusing to perform duty, a Class A misdemeanor.

Judge Daniel Narum denied a request by Lawson’s attorney Peter Welte to allow Lawson to have work release while serving 25 days on electronic home monitoring. Welte said Lawson has a job offer with a company in western North Dakota and he could start the job as soon as possible with work release.

Narum also denied a request from Welte to grant a deferred imposition of sentence. Narum said given that Lawson was Wells County sheriff at the time these crimes were committed, he felt it would be inappropriate to defer imposition of Lawson’s sentence. When granted a deferred imposition of sentence, if a defendant successfully fills all requirements of sentencing then the charge or charges against the defendant are dismissed.

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Before being sentenced, Lawson said being appointed Wells County sheriff, a position he applied for, should have been a high point of his career. Instead he said he found himself in the middle of political infighting. He described working at the Wells County courthouse as like walking into a fire pit each day. Despite that, Lawson said he appreciated the support voters showed him by electing him to the office in 2016.

“To the citizens of Wells County that voted me into office, I understand you’re angry and I’m very sorry I let you all down,” he said. “I pray for your understanding and compassion.”

Lawson’s son, Drew, and his wife. Christine, asked Narum to dismiss the charges against Lawson. Drew Lawson said most of his brothers and sisters have had to move away from Wells County because of this case and the publicity around it. He said his father is a great and honorable man.

“Most of all he has the biggest heart in the world,” Drew Lawson said.

Christine Lawson said she insisted her husband resign as sheriff as she said she had been led to believe by two North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation agents that if Lawson resigned he could go back to having a regular life.

“I forced him to resign to save our children,” she said.

Ensrud said after statements from Christine Lawson that BCI agents said they would release his story to the press if he didn’t resign, he felt it was necessary to point out that is not how BCI agents or anyone who works for the North Dakota Attorney General’s Office works.

Ensrud said the two charges Lawson agreed to plead guilty to were supported by evidence and statements he made when he was interviewed by the BCI agents in April 2017.

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