S erving the R egion S ince 1907
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■ Rhame man, 23, killed at El-Vu Motel; suspects in custody
TRAGEDYIN BOWMAN ‘He was always smiling’
Friends celebrate Johnson’s life
By BRYCE MARTIN Pioneer Editor
Officials from the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the Bowman Police Department cordon off a section of the El-Vu Motel’s parking lot Saturday in Bowman. It was confirmed by police to be a crime scene in the homicide of Rhame native, 26-year-old Nicholas Johnson. A crew with the BCI wears white forensics jumpsuits as they examine the scene. (Pioneer Photo by Bryce Martin)
3 in police custody
By BRYCE MARTIN Pioneer Editor
Local law enforcement on Saturday responded to what they called a homicide at the El-Vu Motel in Bowman. Bowman Police Chief Chuck Headley told The Pioneer at the scene Saturday that the department received a state radio call around noon requesting an ambulance and police to respond to the motel at the corner of Highways 85 and 12. Headley confirmed that a deceased male, who was later identified as Nicholas Johnson, 23, of Rhame, was found lying on the floor of a motel room. El-Vu Motel owner Colette Haines, who resides in Colorado, happened to be at the motel for the weekend. She told The Pioneer that she was waiting to be questioned by authorities but indicated that she and an employee of the motel were the first to discover the body on Saturday. Haines said there were two people that lived in that room, Room No. 25, and were employed by the motel as housekeepers. They did not report to work Saturday morning so Haines and another employee were cleaning the rooms. She said she entered the room to discover a body, in a pool of blood, and immediately dialed 911. Bowman Officer Larry Fischer was the first on the scene and later contacted Headley, who contacted the North Dakota Bureau
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By BRYCE MARTIN Pioneer Editor
Police identified the victim of the alleged homicide that was reported on Saturday at the El-Vu Motel in Bowman as 23-year-old Nicholas Johnson of Rhame. Bowman Police Chief Chuck Headley confirmed the man’s identity at a press conference Tuesday afternoon at the Bowman County Courthouse. The two suspects in custody, who were employees at the El-Vu Motel located at 409 Highway 85 South in Bowman, were named as Madison Beth West, 26, and Chase Duane Swanson, 21, both of Bowman. The two were apprehended together in Denver on Saturday evening and are beof Investigation. The lead investigator from the bureau, Tim Erickson, then initiated the state’s crime lab. Several investigators were later on the scene, dressed in white forensics suits, examining the room for physical evidence. The scene was quickly cordoned off by yellow police tape, with one evidence marker indicating potential evidence about 100 feet
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ing held at a correctional facility in Colorado. Todd A. Pashano, 28, was identified as the third person that was taken into custody with West and Swanson. Police originally said he was from Minnesota but indicated Tuesday that he carried an Arizona driver’s license. Headley stated that the three were found driving in a pickup truck belonging to the victim. A source, which requested his identity not be released, told The Pioneer ahead of the press conference that Pashano was kidnapped by the couple. Pashano had resided
SUSPECTS Page 2 from the scene in the parking lot. “It’s a long, arduous process,” Headley said. Because of the disarray of the room and the condition of the body, Headley said it was likely to be a homicide, which was later confirmed by the state’s medical examiner. Though Headley did not comment on how the individual had died.
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A promising young photographer. A volunteer firefighter. A friend, a brother and a son. That was Nicholas Johnson. “He was always in the best of moods and always had the biggest smile on his face that just lit up the room,” said Aurora Keppler, a close friend. “He was a great friend to have and I will surely miss him. “Another great soul gone too soon,” she added. Johnson grew up in Rhame, graduating from Bowman County High School in 2011.
JOHNSON He easily fit into the “funny guy” archetype in high school, according to friends. Dallas Breen was a classmate of Johnson and knew him very well. “He could make anybody laugh and would do anything for anyone,” Breen said. Though he spent time in Bowman, Johnson was always a “Rhame kid” at heart. He worked for a farmer in Rhame and dedicated his time as a volunteer firefighter for the Rhame Fire Department. A photo of Johnson wearing his fire gear had been circulating widely
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