Shannon Brandt, who is accused of fatally hitting 18-year-old Cayler Ellingson with an SUV, is not under house arrest and has no curfew after posting a $50,000 bond, according to court documents obtained by Fox News Digital.
Brandt, 41, was released from jail after posting a $50,000 bond on Sept. 20 after police say he fatally hit Ellington with an SUV during the early morning hours of Sept. 18 following a street dance at a local bar in McHenry, North Dakota.
The incident happened around 2:35 a.m. on Sept. 18, court documents show, stating that Brandt originally fled the scene but later called 911 and told the operator that he hit Ellingson because he believed that the teenager was part of a “Republican extremist group,” adding that he had a “political argument” with Ellingson. Brandt also alleged that Ellingson was calling other people to come “get him.” Ellingson was left with serious injuries and taken to a local hospital where he later died.
orth Dakota Highway Patrol Capt. Bryan Niewind said there is “no evidence” suggesting that Ellingson was part of a “Republican extremist group” or that the incident involved politics.
Court documents obtained by Fox News Digital show that Brandt was not placed under house arrest and has no curfew after posting bond. Under the terms of Brandt’s bail order, he cannot leave North Dakota, cannot drink alcohol and must participate in a 24/7 sobriety program with constant testing.
Brandt is also not allowed to possess “a firearm, destructive device, or other dangerous weapon” and cannot go within 300 feet of the Ellingson family.
In another filing, a North Dakota Highway Patrol trooper said that Brandt “admitted to striking someone he never met with his vehicle” and then left the area.
When at Brandt’s residence after the incident, police found “disturbances of the dirt on the hood and front end of the 2003 Ford Explorer” as well as more damage to the car.
Brandt is charged with criminal vehicular homicide as well as leaving the scene of a crash involving a death after the incident.
Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Neama Rahman told Fox News Digital that the bond handed down to Brandt is a “low amount” and “woefully inadequate.”
