In case you missed it in The Sun the week of Feb. 6, 2023

The following stories from this week appeared on www.jamestownsun.com and in The Jamestown Sun.

An allegation of sexual assault by a Jamestown priest was reported by a victim to the Diocese of Fargo on Dec. 17, 2022, but the victim became very frustrated with how the internal investigation was handled and ultimately turned to law enforcement in January, according to Tim O’Keeffe, partner with O’Keeffe O’Brien Lyson Attorneys, who is representing the victims.

“It was only then that the diocese reacted and removed the priest from the community in Jamestown,” he said.

Neil Joseph Pfeifer, 48, was arrested Wednesday, Feb. 1, in Rugby, North Dakota, and taken to the Pierce County Correctional Facility. He was charged Friday, Feb. 3, in Southeast District Court in Jamestown with sexual exploitation by a therapist, a Class C felony, and sexual assault, a Class A misdemeanor.

Pfeifer pleaded not guilty to the charge of sexual assault and was released Friday, Feb. 3, on $5,000 cash bail. He is being tracked electronically 24/7.

Pfeifer was charged on Monday, Feb. 6, in Southeast District Court in Logan County with sexual exploitation by therapist , a Class C felony. During an initial appearance on the felony charge Wednesday, Feb. 8, Judge Cherie Clark set bond at $5,000 for the cases in Logan and Stutsman counties, which Pfeifer has already posted, said Isaac Zimmerman, Logan County state’s attorney.

Jamestown Public School District officials are investigating the procedures of how the issue was handled when racial taunts were being made during a basketball game on Jan. 31 between the Blue Jays and Bismarck High School, according to Superintendent Rob Lech.

Lech said Monday, Feb. 6, in his superintendent’s report to the Jamestown Public School Board that the school district is investigating what occurred during the game .

Lech said there are two parts of the investigation: determining what students had a role in what happened and disciplining them and how the issue was handled during and after the game.

Racial slurs and actions were made to two basketball players from Bismarck High School during a game Jan. 31 in Jamestown.

Through an investigation last week, the school district found that disparaging and/or racially insensitive remarks and actions were made by a handful of Jamestown Middle School and Jamestown High School students. Lech said the students were disciplined in accordance with the school district's anti-harassment and discrimination policy.

He said the names of the students and disciplinary action cannot be shared, citing the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.

The Jamestown City Council and Stutsman County Commission each unanimously approved this week a second one-year extension to the memorandum of agreement between the county and the city of Jamestown to provide library services. That extends by one year the date each entity may provide a notice of intent to withdraw.

The time was extended one year to March 3, 2024, when either Stutsman County or the city of Jamestown may provide a notice of intent to withdraw from the memorandum of agreement . If neither side provides a notice of intent to withdraw, the agreement would automatically be extended for another five years.

The Stutsman County Commission unanimously approved on Tuesday, Feb. 7, the formation of a committee that will study what the costs and alternatives are for Stutsman County to operate its own library.

The committee will include Stutsman County Commissioners Joan Morris and Jerry Bergquist and Jessica Alonge, county auditor/chief operating officer. Morris said the committee would report its findings to the county commission sometime this summer.

Morris said the county needs a game plan on what it can provide for library services if an agreement cannot be reached with the city of Jamestown. She said the county needs to study the alternatives and the costs.