Man Arrested After Making Threats At Fort Union

The man arrested at the Fort Union Trading Post on Tuesday, May 13, is facing the felony charge of burglary. Bond was set at $50,000.

According to court records, law enforcement received a call from a Fort Union Trading Post employee around 8 a.m. on May 13. The complaint regarded a man, armed with a fire poker, at the gate that confronted employees when they arrived and then took them off the property. A Williams County, N.D., deputy arrived on the scene at 8:14 a.m. The site and the road to the site were closed.

Law enforcement discovered that the vehicle belonged to Ian Stewart, 36, of Williston, N.D., and law enforcement used a drone to locate Stewart inside the trading post. According to court records, Stewart said he had 30 days’ worth of supplies, would burn the Fort Union Trading Post down and made threats to destroy artifacts.

After about six hours of negotiations, Stewart was taken into custody at about 5:30 p.m. Assisting the Williams County Sheriff’s Office were the Williams County SWAT team and the Northwest Crisis Negotiations Team.