Man arrested in hit-and-run death

DICKINSON, N.D. — A “Missouri area” man arrested in the hit-and-run death of Dickinson’s Tracy Freer is scheduled to make his first court appearance at 10:30 a.m. today before a Stark County Court judge.

The Dickinson Police Department arrested Timothy J. Menges, 47, around 5 p.m. Monday on a charge of negligent homicide, a Class C felony.

“We received information from multiple sources over the course of the weekend that led us to believe there was credibility to the information,” Sgt. Kylan Klauzer said. “Officers began to follow through with the information on Sunday and on Monday afternoon made contact with Mr. Menges.”

They spoke with him around 2 or 3 p.m. Monday and arrested him by 5 p.m., he said.

Whether Menges confessed was not disclosed, as the case is still under investigation, Klauzer said.

Shortly after midnight Nov. 21, Freer, 47, let his dog out to relieve itself, his wife, Roberta, previously said.

Police received a call at 12:55 a.m. that Wednesday before Thanksgiving that Freer had been found lying in the parking lot of the Queen City Motel, which he owned and operated, Klauzer said. As officers and ambulance personnel arrived, it appeared that Freer had been struck by a vehicle.

Freer was brought to St. Joseph’s Hospital and Health Center and then sent to Bismarck and died en route, he said.

“There was some information right away that gave us a general idea of a vehicle to be on the lookout for,” Klazer said. “The information that was given to us right away and up to this point has led us to believe (that he was struck by) a pickup … possibly gray in color, possibly a Dodge.”

Menges owns a gray Dodge Dakota, he said.

The family is “very relieved” that an arrest has been made, said John Stevens, Freer’s brother.

“Everybody I’ve talked to, my family and everything, is — they’re sighing a big sigh of relief that we may get some closure out of this,” he said.

Recently the family posted a $15,000 reward for information leading to a conviction, Stevens said.

The police believe that a weighty mind had just as much to do with the arrest as the reward.

“We just believe that because of the severity of the case that the conscience just started to weigh heavily, and that’s something I think that probably was as important or more important than the money being offered,” Klauzer said. “That’s not to downplay any sort of reward that was offered by the family because it was big of them to come forward and to offer the amount that they did.”

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