North Dakota man pleads guilty to fatal hit-and-run in case that drew political attention

WAHPETON, N.D. (AP) — A North Dakota man pleaded guilty to manslaughter after he hit and ran over an 18-year-old at a street dance. Shannon Brandt, of Glenfield, North Dakota, was initially charged with murder in the September 2022 death of Cayler Ellingson. The case drew attention on social media because Brandt initially said he hit Ellingson after a political argument during the dance in McHenry. Investigators have said the case was not political. In exchange for his guilty plea on Thursday, prosecutors dismissed a charge of leaving the scene of an accident. Brandt remains free on bond pending sentencing.