BISMARCK, N.D. — A man from North Dakota has been taken into custody after reportedly posing as an officer from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and successfully escorting an inmate out of a county jail. This incident, which occurred on Tuesday, has been attributed to a lapse in vigilance and human error, according to local law enforcement officials who are assuring the public that such an event will not reoccur.
Shane Al Randall, hailing from Williston, faces misdemeanor charges of impersonating a government official. According to court documents, staff at the Williams County Correctional Center in Williston had informed the inmate that ICE would be coming to take him away. Subsequently, the inmate reached out to Randall to arrange for his pickup.
Upon his arrival, Randall falsely claimed to be an ICE agent, even though he is not affiliated with the agency. The jail personnel, believing Randall’s assertion, permitted him to take the inmate. It was only 15 to 20 minutes later that the staff realized Randall was not an ICE officer when the real agent showed up, as stated by Williams County Sheriff Verlan Kvande. Following this revelation, law enforcement quickly located and arrested both Randall and the inmate without any further complications, as reported by the sheriff’s office.
Sheriff Kvande indicated he would not pursue disciplinary measures against the jail staff, having discussed the situation with them. He expressed understanding of their current emotional state, noting, “I truly don’t think there’s anything else I can do on the disciplinary front that is going to make them feel any worse about this than they do on their own fruition. They’re pretty dejected by this failure, and I certainly don’t see something like this happening again.”
The escaped inmate was found at his residence, where he had been living after being arrested last month for driving with a suspended license. He was being detained on behalf of ICE and has since been transferred to the Ward County Detention Center in Minot, as indicated by the sheriff’s statements.
Court records show that Randall is acting as his own legal representative. He has been released on bond and has a preliminary court appearance scheduled for March. Attempts to reach him via a Facebook account believed to belong to him have been unsuccessful, and no contact number has been readily available.
The charges against Randall are classified as a misdemeanor, which carries potential penalties of up to 360 days in jail and/or a fine not exceeding $3,000. The sheriff’s office is also assessing whether the inmate will face additional charges related to his unauthorized release, although his nationality remains unspecified.
