Watford City man facing multiple felony charges
By Danielle Brothers
Special to The Farmer
Nicholas Brunelle is facing two Class C Felony charges for possession of certain materials prohibited and surreptitious intrusion-installing device-minor victim; three Class A Felony charges for gross sexual imposition-sexual contact-victim unaware, gross sexual imposition-sexual act-victim unaware, and promoting or directing an obscene sexual performance by a minor; two Class A Misdemeanor charges for sexual assualt-offensive contact, and surreptitious intrusion-installing or using device-tanning booth; and two Class B Misdemeanor charges for dissemination of sexually expressive imahe-without consent, and driving under suspension after his arrest.
According to documents filed with Northwest Judicial District, on April 15, 2025, Watford City Police Department received a report from two individuals, Jane Doe and Juvenile #1, at the McKenzie County Law Enforcement Center. Doe reported discovering non-consensual photos and videos, including nude images and videos of herself and JV#1, on a silver MacBook laptop belonging to Nicholas Brunelle. Doe identified Brunelle in one video and stated she was unaware of the recordings until April 11,2025.
Doe identified Nicholas Brunelle as her ex-boyfriend, with whom she cohabited at 912 Park Avenue West, Watford City, until their breakup on March 15, 2025. On April 11, Doe accessed Brunelle’s silver MacBook and discovered a hidden album containing approximately five videos of herself sleeping, during which Brunelle placed his private part on her mouth, and three videos of herself in the shower, recorded non-consensually by Brunelle using his phone under the bathroom door. The album also contained videos of JV#1 bathing, similarly recorded under the door, with one video showing Brunelle’s face. Doe identified the bathroom by its distinctive features, including a gray and white striped shower curtain and specific showerhead. Dor captured images of some videos using a phone provided by her friend, and consented to a data extraction of the device.
Jv#1, who occasionally stayed at Doe’s apartment, was informed by Doe on April 13, of the non-consensual videos. JV#1 reported that the videos, dated as early as May 2024, depicted her bathing, recorded by Brunelle placing his phone under the bathroom door. JV#1’s left arm tattoo, obtained in June 2023, was visible in the footage, aiding in her identification. She was unaware of being recorded during her visits to the apartment.
During the joint interview, Doe and JC#1 expressed concern that notifying their mother could lead her to alert Brunelle, potentially causing him to delete evidence. Doe provided details about Brunelle’s planned relocation to a residence on Sunrise Estates Road, Watford City, and described his vehicle.
On April 16, law enforcement conducted a date extraction from Brunelle’s electronic devices and discovered multiple sexually explicit videos of both Doe and JV1.
Brunelle’s bond was set as an appearnace bond and his Preliminary Hearing is set for June 19, 2025.
The Farmer will continue its coverage of this case and report detailed updates as they become available.
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