On April 9, 2026, a 5th grade class from Kindred, ND attended My Day in Court in Cass County. As the students arrived, they were told that a theft had occurred in their classroom and all of their school-issued iPads were stolen.
Deputy Keith Anderson from the Sheriff’s Office presented the report, Katherine Naumann, Assistant State’s Attorney, authorized the charges and Judge Constance Cleveland issued an arrest warrant.
For trial, participating from the Court and its justice partners were Nick Samuelson, Assistant State’s Attorney, who presented the case and Leah Viste, a Public Defender, who acted as defense counsel for the defendant—a Cass County Sheriff’s Department intern. Judge Cleveland presided over the trial.
All students were actively engaged as they convened as jurors after the presentation of evidence by counsel. The session was interactive and immersive as it took students through the criminal court process with the guidance and involvement of the Cass County Sheriff’s office, Cass County State’s Attorneys’ office, the Public Defender’s office and the East Central Judicial District.
Cass County hosts “My Day in Court” for any local schools that want to take advantage of this hands-on learning experience. This generally takes place two to three times during the school year.
