CARRINGTON, N.D. (Valley News Live) – Just a week before heading to trial, the lawyer for a Carrington, North Dakota, woman has withdrawn from several of her cases. Between August 2024 and December 2024, seven court cases were opened against Carrie Beth Cotton in Foster County, with a total of 21 charges. Those charges include:
- Violation of a disorderly conduct restraining order (13 counts)
- Stalking (2 counts)
- Harassment (2 counts)
- Disorderly conduct-Harassment (1 count)
- Impersonating officials-Law enforcement (2 counts)
- Violation of an order prohibiting contact (1 count)
Cotton has pleaded not guilty to all counts against her. She is scheduled to go to trial on February 21 on counts of stalking and violating a disorderly conduct restraining order.
A change of plea hearing scheduled for February 11 was cancelled and her lawyer, Scott Sandness, filed a motion to withdraw from the cases that very same day.
“In this instance the client and counsel have fundamental disagreements on evidentiary issues. The client continues to demand counsel pursue actions that counsel finds unsupported by both the law and the facts,” Sandness states in court records. The lawyer’s motion also says, “Counsel further believes the relationship between himself and the defendant has been eroded to the point where it is irreparable.”
According to court documents, Cotton is accused of harassing multiple people and violating restraining orders throughout 2022, 2023 and 2024. The victims became concerned and contacted police when their daughter started receiving vulgar messages from unknown profiles on Facebook.
Search warrants were sent to Meta for multiple Facebook accounts. Subpoenas were issued to T-mobile, Midco and Dakota Central Telecommunications. Investigators say IP addresses and cell phone numbers all led them back to Cotton.
She is accused of creating fake Facebook accounts to send vulgar and harassing messages to victims. Court records also document 22 emails that Cotton sent to the Carrington Police Department. On November 12, 2022, Cotton emailed the Carrington PD email account 10 times between noon and 5:30 p.m.
The charges of impersonating an officer stem from fake Facebook accounts, allegedly created by Cotton, in which she claims to be Carrington Police Chief Chris Bittmann. A post in the “Carrington/New Rockford Online Rummage Sale” Facebook page said in part: “As the city of Carrington police chief, I feel I should be held to a higher standard.” The post goes on to apologize to the police chief’s wife and daughter, claiming he had been unfaithful, and claims he allowed other family members to sell methamphetamine in the Carrington area. A similar Facebook post was made just two days later from another fake account, where investigators say Cotton claimed to be Police Chief Bittmann.
Investigators wrote in court records, “Carrie Cotton has a history of harassing former ex relationships and people who associate with them.”
A second trial date is scheduled for April 11 for the remaining charges against Cotton.
Court records also note that Cotton was convicted of harassment in Jamestown in 2018 on two separate occasions, and convicted of two counts of harassment in Ramsey County in 2020.