Bond set at $1M for Belfield murder suspect
Dirk Huber, 41, of Belfield said very little and appeared calm during his bond hearing at the Stark County Courthouse Tuesday afternoon, where a judge set his bond at $1 million cash.
- Huber hearing
- Huber
Dirk Huber, 41, of Belfield said very little and appeared calm during his bond hearing at the Stark County Courthouse on Tuesday afternoon, where a judge set his bond at $1 million cash.
Huber, who appeared at the hearing from the Southwest Multi County Correction Center through interactive television, is accused of suffocating the 39-year-old mother of his junior high-age daughter.
Huber evaded law enforcement from Aug. 30 when Nicole Lynn Radebaugh was killed, until Friday, when he was found in the Badlands.
“The reason for that high of a bond is due to the extreme serious nature of this offense, due to the fact that there are others involved in this case, witnesses and we are concerned about their safety,” Stark County Assistant State’s Attorney Rhonda Ehlis said. “We consider him a risk to the public, a risk to the witnesses, we consider him a serious flight risk and we believe that $1 million cash will certainly ensure that he remain in custody.”
When Judge Zane Anderson asked if he planned to retain an attorney, Huber said, “Absolutely I do your honor. More than likely I wish to apply for court appointed counsel.”
Anderson also ordered that Huber have no contact with three witnesses in the case and if he posts bond, he is not allowed to leave the state without court permission.
Police found Huber on foot 20 miles north of Medora after 18 agencies searched the Badlands for about 32 hours, according to a previous Press article.
“Originally, somebody had seen somebody matching his description on the riverbank … probably within a mile or two of where he was found,” Billings County Sheriff Dave Jurgens said after the hearing.
Another person spotted him Friday and called police, he added.
“I don’t think he got very far from where he was originally spotted, just because of maybe the pressure that we had put on him with the people that were searching,” Jurgens said. “He must have been walking in plain sight, otherwise nobody would have seen him.”
It is unclear where Huber had been staying while fleeing, Jurgens said.
“I’m assuming either out in the open, or who knows maybe an oil well location if there was one nearby or an old shack, maybe under a tree,” he said. “Your guess is as good as ours, we don’t know where he was.”
When police tracked Huber down, he was arrested without a struggle, Jurgens said.
“He just surrendered,” Jurgens said.
Huber and Radebaugh dated in the past, according to Huber’s criminal complaint.
He allegedly confessed to a friend after murdering Radebaugh, and then told his daughter he was sorry for hurting her mother, according to the complaint.
Huber was charged Aug. 31 with murder, which is a Class AA felony and has a maximum punishment of life in prison without parole.
Tags: stark county courthouse, dirk huber, news, belfield, murderer, strangle, local
More from around the web
RSS Feeds