Nichole Rice’s Husband: Dallas Rice, Bowmen Theft Charges

Nichole Rice’s husband is Dallas Rice, a Minot, North Dakota man who married her in December 2021, stood beside her through her 2025 acquittal in the 2007 murder of her college roommate Anita Knutson, and is now facing felony theft charges alongside her for allegedly stealing more than $183,000 from a local archery club the couple helped lead.

Who Dallas Rice Is

Dallas Rice married Nichole on December 11, 2021.¹ Three months later, on March 16, 2022, she was arrested and charged with a Class AA felony murder in the 2007 stabbing death of Anita Knutson, her former college roommate at Minot State University.²

Nichole had been known by other names before the marriage. At the time of the murder she was Nichole Thomas. She later married a man named Bakken in 2010 and divorced in 2013, going briefly by Nichole Bakken before returning to Thomas. She took the Rice name when she married Dallas.¹

His Role During the Murder Trial

Dallas Rice was a visible presence throughout the murder case. He accompanied Nichole to her pretrial arraignment in September 2022 and held her hand as they entered court appearances.²

The trial began on March 18, 2025, in Grand Forks, North Dakota, having been moved there to secure an unbiased jury. It lasted roughly a week and featured more than 20 witnesses. Prosecutors argued Nichole killed Knutson in a rage over their deteriorating roommate relationship and relied heavily on witnesses who said she had confessed at parties in 2008 while blackout drunk. The defense, led by Richard Sand of Sand Law PLLC, attacked the investigation itself, arguing the true-crime series Cold Justice had pressured Minot police into charges and that a stronger suspect, Devin Hall, had never been properly interviewed.³

On March 26, 2025, after about five and a half hours of deliberation, the jury found Nichole not guilty. Dallas was seen cheering as the verdict was read.² Anita Knutson’s sister, Anna Knutson-Toedter, posted afterward: “I spent the last week reliving some of the hardest parts of the last 18 years of my life, and in those 18 years one thing I’ve learned is that a not guilty verdict does not mean innocence.”³ The murder of Anita Knutson remains officially unsolved.

President of the Souris Valley Bowmen

Dallas Rice became president of the Souris Valley Bowmen in 2020. The archery club, founded in the early 1950s and based in Trestle Valley near Minot, serves roughly 130 families and focuses on youth archery education.⁴ Nichole served as the club’s secretary and treasurer.⁵

In May 2022, Dallas proposed the club issue two debit cards that members could sign out for club purchases. Investigators later determined that between July 2022 and July 2025, unauthorized transactions and misappropriated funds totaled $183,525.62.⁶

How the Theft Came to Light

The scheme unraveled in July 2025 when a club check bounced at a Scheels store, prompting the board to look at the books. At a July 14, 2025 board meeting, Nichole reported the club had more than $93,000 in checking and about $9,400 in a gaming account. The actual combined balance was roughly $1,200.⁶

At that same meeting, Dallas admitted taking the funds. He told the board it was “all him” and that Nichole had no involvement. He promised to repay the money by July 18, 2025, and delivered $160,000 by that date. Further investigation showed the actual theft exceeded his repayment by more than $23,000. The board removed Dallas from the presidency during the meeting and later voted Nichole out as well. The club reported the matter to the Ward County Sheriff’s Department on July 21, 2025.⁵

What Investigators Say Happened

According to court documents, the couple used multiple club debit cards for personal spending at retailers including Target, Amazon, Hobby Lobby, Joann Fabrics, Scheels, Ace Hardware, Boot Barn, and Shein. Investigators tied specific purchases to Nichole through her name, phone number, email address, and retail rewards accounts. Beyond the debit cards, the couple allegedly skimmed cash from deposits before banking them, transferred funds from the club’s PayPal account to personal accounts, and used club money to pay personal utility bills and to buy items like a laptop.⁷

Employment records showed Dallas was clocked in at work during several unauthorized transactions, some of which occurred outside Minot, undercutting his claim that Nichole was uninvolved. A deposit slip recovered from a trash container at the couple’s home matched an incident in which only part of a deposit had been brought to the bank. Nichole, as secretary-treasurer, allegedly presented falsified financial reports to the board to hide the shortfall.⁷

In a February 10, 2026 interview with investigators, Dallas admitted misappropriating funds from approximately 2023 through July 2025, using the debit cards for personal expenses, and skimming cash from deposits.⁷

The Current Charges

On March 12, 2026, both Dallas and Nichole Rice were formally charged in North Central District Court. Neither was arrested; both were served with summonses.

Dallas faces one Class A felony count of conspiracy to commit theft exceeding $50,000 and one Class A felony count of theft exceeding $50,000. Each carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Nichole faces one Class A felony count of conspiracy to commit theft exceeding $50,000 and one Class B felony count of theft between $10,000 and $50,000. The Class A count carries up to 20 years; the Class B count carries up to 10.⁸

Dallas made his first court appearance on April 20, 2026, before Judge Gary Lee and was released on a $5,000 personal recognizance bond with orders to have no contact with Souris Valley Bowmen board members.⁹ He filed a request to waive his preliminary hearing and entered a not guilty plea.¹⁰

Nichole waived her initial appearance and preliminary hearing and also pleaded not guilty. Her three-day jury trial is scheduled to begin November 16, 2026, with a pretrial conference on November 6. Her case was reassigned to Judge Benjamen Johnson of the Northwest Judicial District after North Central judges cited their familiarity with the defendants as a conflict of interest. The North Dakota Supreme Court granted the reassignment for Nichole’s case but denied it for Dallas’s, leaving his case with Judge Lee.¹⁰

After the charges were filed, the Souris Valley Bowmen board said in a public statement: “We have done our part, and the matter is now up to the North Dakota judicial system. We are glad it has reached this point so we can achieve closure and move forward as a club.”¹¹

1
Minot Daily News. Knutson Murder Suspect Failed to Appear in 2012 Court
2
People. Inside Nichole Rice’s Life After Anita Knutson Trial
3
Minot Daily News. Nichole Rice Found Not Guilty for 2007 Murder of Anita Knutson
4
Enbridge. Souris Valley Bowmen Archery Education Bow Hunter Safety
5
KX News. Dallas Rice Former Souris Valley Bowmen Club President Admits to Misusing Funds
6
Minot Daily News. More Details Emerge in SVB Embezzlement Case
7
KX News. New Court Documents Detail Alleged Theft by Husband and Wife From Local Archery Club
8
KX News. Jury Trial Set in Archery Club Theft Case for One of Two Defendants
9
Minot Daily News. Bond Set in Archery Club Fraud Case
10
KFYR-TV. Dallas Nichole Rice Archery Group Theft Case
11
KFYR-TV. New Details Emerge in Investigation Into Missing Funds From Minot Area Archery Group