North Dakota Court Offenders to Help Fill Sandbags

Fargo Municipal Court judges have begun ordering some minor offenders to serve time at Sandbag Central.

Sandbag Central is a Fargo, N.D., storage building where volunteers are working to fill 1 million sandbags in 10 days to protect against expected Red River flooding. Operations started on Wednesday.

Fargo Municipal Court Judge Steve Dawson says some people who may have otherwise received sentences of community service and are capable of performing physical labor are being told to fill bags.

Dawson says the sandbag sentences benefit the community and reduce the cost to taxpayers instead of more expensive sentencing alternatives.

The National Weather Service says the river has a 50-50 chance of reaching 38 feet in Fargo, which would be the fifth highest flood on record.