Nichole Erin Rice

A Minot couple who formerly served as president and treasurer of the Souris Valley Bowmen Club have been charged with felony theft and conspiracy to commit theft of property for allegedly stealing $160,000 from the organization.

According to Capt. Jason Kraft with the Ward County Sheriff’s Department, the investigation into Dallas Rice, 37, and Nichole Rice, 38, was borne from a complaint brought by the board of the Souris Valley Bowmen Club (SVBC) reporting concerns of potential theft of club funds over a period of several years.

At the time of writing, the Rices had not yet been officially served with the criminal summons for their initial appearance in North Central District Court, which is scheduled for April 7 at 9 a.m. at the Ward County Courthouse. Until the Rice’s have been served, the affidavit of probable cause in the case is not available to the public.

According to the criminal information filed with the court by Assistant Attorney General Jeremy Ensrud, the Rices are accused of agreeing to and engaging in the theft of more than $50,000 from the SVBC from approximately July 1, 2022, to July 14, 2025. The Rices are also accused of performing an overt act to effect an objective of the conspiracy by knowingly exercising unauthorized control over the organization’s finances.

Both Dallas and Nichole Rice were charged with Class A felony conspiracy to commit theft of property, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, and/or a $25,000 fine. Dallas Rice is charged with Class A felony theft, while Nichole Rice is charged with Class B felony theft. Nichole Rice is accused of knowingly making an unauthorized transfer of more than $10,000 but less than $50,000.

This news comes nearly one year to the date from when Nichole Rice stood trial in Grand Forks for the 2007 murder of her former roommate Anita Knutson. Rice would ultimately be found not guilty of Knutson’s murder.