Police lieutenant with a rap sheet had allegedly harassed missing North Dakota woman

Black and white newspaper clipping with photograph of Donald Schaffer looking into the camera. — In 1994, prior to her disappearance, Michele 'Shelly' Julson told friends that Bismarck police Lt. Donald Schaffer had been harrasing her. Two years later, Schaffer would take an abrupt, early retirement after being arrested for terrorizing and assaulting his girlfriend and threatening her life.

By Jeremy Fugleberg and James Wolner

November 02, 2022 at 6:00 AM

While investigating Michele Julson's disappearance in Bismarck in 1994, police detectives learned she had told friends and family that a Bismarck Police lieutenant named Donald Schaffer had been harassing her. Julson's cold-case file offers no indication that Schaffer was ever investigated or questioned about the harassment or Julson's disappearance.

In the new and perhaps final episode of Season 7 of the Dakota Spotlight investigative podcast, founder and host James Wolner looks into Schaffer, his long career at the Bismarck Police Department and how his paths crossed with Julson's before she disappeared.

Listen to Episode Nine 鈥� Frightened, Followed, Harassed

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A lot of strange things were happening to Julson just before she fell off the face of the earth in August of 1994. Between anonymous hang-up phone calls at home, her car being vandalized, being followed home from work and an ominous automobile cruising past her front door at night, Julson was feeling harassed and on edge. Julson told friends that one of the people harassing her at work was a Bismarck police officer . . . named Don Schaffer.

Schaffer's rise to lieutenant was not without controversy and it abruptly ended in 1996 after Schaffer was arrested for allegedly terrorizing and assaulting his girlfriend. In her application for an emergency protection order against him, Schaffer's girlfriend said he threw her down some stairs twice and punched her in the face. "He was yelling he was going to kill me," she wrote.

Bismarck Tribune article dated Jul 26, 1996 describing assault by police officer Donald Schaffer on his then girlfriend. — Two years after Michele Julson vanished, Lt Schaffer was arrested for terrorizing and assaulting his girlfriend. Before her disappearance, Julson had told friends Schaffer had been harassing her.

About Dakota Spotlight, Season Seven: 'Call Me Shelly 鈥� The Mysterious Disappearance of Michelle Julson'

In this season of Dakota Spotlight, creator, host and Regional Emmy Award-winner James Wolner looks into the cold case of 26-year-old Michelle "Shelly" Julson, who vanished from Bismarck, North Dakota on Aug. 2, 1994. Granted exclusive, unprecedented access by police to the cold-case file, Wolner presents a play-by-play review of the initial investigation and further examines the strange events surrounding Shelly's life and her disappearance.

With the aid of new interviews with Shelly鈥檚 friends, family and retired police investigators, Wolner dives into the shadows of Shelly鈥檚 world at the time 鈥� Bismarck鈥檚 bar and gambling scene 鈥� and tracks the movements of several persons of interest. All in an attempt to answer the biggest questions of the case: What actually happened to Shelly?

Gallery - Browse with arrow on right

歪歪漫画 portrait of a smiling Shelly Julson 18 years of age wearing blue button-down shirt under a purple knitted vest. Shelly has feathered, shoulder-length red-brown hair and dark eyes and eyebrows.

1/28: 歪歪漫画 portrait of a smiling Shelly Julson 18 years of age wearing blue button-down shirt under a purple knitted vest. Shelly has feathered, shoulder-length red-brown hair and dark eyes and eyebrows.

Portrait image of Lieutenant Don Schaffer of the Bismarck, North Dakota police department wearing official blue button down shirt and dark blue tie. He has a slight grey mustache and dark hair. He smiles slightly into the camera.

2/28: Staff photo of Lieutenant Don Schaffer of the Bismarck Police Department. While investigating Michele Julson's disappearence in 1994, investigators received multiple tips informing them that Schaffer was one of several persons harrasing Julson at a local bar, The Burnt Creek Club. Julson's cold case file shows no indication that Schaffer was ever spoken to by investigators in regards to Julson's case. One hundred and four pages of Julson's investigative file were removed in 1994 at the request of then head of investigations Lieutenant Myron Heinle. Contributed / Bismarck Police Department

Michele Julson's missing persons poster with photo of Shelly and her car as found at found at the Comfort Inn hotel in Bismarck. Shelly is smiling looking into the camera, wearing a red shirt.

3/28: Bismarck Police Department's missing poster for Shelly Julson Contributed / Bismarck Police Department

Rear of trailer home at location of Shelly Julson's residence in 1994. Three windows are visible. When investigators walked the perimeter of the home the windows in the back were open.

4/28: When investigators walked the perimeter of Shelly Julson's home the windows in the back were open. The front door was locked and the TV was on. James Wolner / Forum News Service

Present day photograph of Shelly's employer's office where she was to pick up her paycheck. The office was located at 309 East Broadway in Bismarck. A brick building.

5/28: Shelly said she was going to pick up her paycheck at the Fort Abraham Lincoln Foundation office, 309 East Broadway in Bismarck. She never picked up her check. James Wolner / Forum News Service

1990s era photograph of the square single-story building named The Burnt Creek Club where Shelly Julson worked dealing black-jack and where she was reportedly harassed b patrons. A sign stands near the street: Burnt Creek Club

6/28: Shelly worked dealing black jack at the burnt creek club and had been dating Tony Hulm a bartender there. Shelly told friends and family the patrons at the bar were harassing her and she had asked her supervisor to transfer to a different location. On more than one occasion, Shelly believed someone had followed her home from the bar and her car was vandalized. Contributed / State Historical Society of North Dakota

Close up image of the Burnt Creek Club's sign outside the bar. The words 'Burnt Creek' are in red, then 'Club' in white caps on a black background. Below that in black characters on a yellow background are the words ON & OFF SALE

7/28: Shelly worked dealing black jack at the burnt creek club and had been dating Tony Hulm a bartender there. Shelly told friends and family the patrons at the bar were harassing her and she had asked her supervisor to transfer to a different location. On more than one occasion, Shelly believed someone had followed her home from the bar and her car was vandalized. Contributed / State Historical Society of North Dakota

The Elbow Room Bar sign at the corner of a brick building. The words 'THE ELBOW ROOM' are red on a blue oval background

8/28: Shelly Julson occasionally worked at the Elbow Room. Different from today, in 1994 the bar was located near 3rd street and Main. 36 hours before Shelly disappeared she was witnessed talking to two men in the parking lot just after closing. The men had stated they were railroad workers and one of the men was going to be laid over in Bismarck a couple more days. James Wolner / Forum News Service

Portrait of Sargant Dennis Walls, the first investigator to work on Shelly's case. Walls wears a light brown blazer, white shirt and dark tie. He has a light or gray mustache and large eyeglasses. He smiles into the camera.

9/28: Bismarck Police officer Dennis Walls was the first investigator to work on Shelly's case. Contributed / Bismarck Police Department

Portrait of police officer Julie Thompson. She wears a dark blazer and red blouse. Her hair is dark and she smiles pleasantly into the camera.

10/28: Officer Julie Thompson worked on Shelly's case. Thompson focused on looking into Shelly's banking activity and she was also present when Shelly's home was investigated and when her car was located. Contributed / Bismarck Police Department

Image of a piece of binder paper and handwriting on it. It is Wesley and Linda Julson's missing person's report. It says: Wes and Linda Julson, the parents of Michele Shelly julson would like to report the disappearance of our daughter. It is very uncharacteristic of her to abandon her child. She is a very caring and loving mother to her son. She would call frequently about his welfare even when in the care of his grandparents. If she intended to be late, she would let you know. It is also unusual for her not to pick up her paycheck. As a single working mother she needed her money to care and provide for Jaden herself. She has taken her responsibilities very seriously. It is also unusual of her to leave without notifying a friend or US of her whereabouts. Westley julsen, Linda julson

11/28: Shelly's parents Wesley and Linda Julson submitted this handwritten letter to Bismarck PD to further substantiate their strong belief that Shelly would not leave her son willingly. Contributed / Bismarck Police Department

Photograph of present-day Wes and Linda julson standing outside of their home in Center North Dakota holding a large framed photo of their daughter Shelly. It is Shelly's high school graduation photograph. Wesley Julson is wearing a short-sleeve blue button-down shirt and Mrs Julson a blue blouse. Wesley Julson is slightly balding and has grey hair. Mrs Julson has grey hair.

12/28: Wesley and Linda Julson outside their home in Center, North Dakota on June 21, 2022. The Julsons question how well Bismarck Police Department handled Shelly's case. Shelly disappeared on August 2, 1994 after dropping her son Jaden at his paternal grandparents home. She was going to pick up her paycheck and run errands but never returned. James Wolner / Forum News Service

screen shot from police report of interview with Kevin Woodworth performed on 9/4/2019

13/28: Segment of police interview report by Bismarck Police and Kevin Woodworth. Investigators falsely maintain that Kevin Woodworth and his father called the police on the same day Shelly went missing. Contributed / Bismarck Police Department - Michele Julson file

A thirty-one year old Jaden Woodworth looks into the camera. He has short dark hair and a short dark beard and mustache. He wears his sunglasses backwards over his neck.

14/28: Jaden Woodworth was only 3 and 1/2 yrs old when his mother Michele Julson dropped him off at his paternal grandparent's home. She said she was going to run errands, but never returned. In recent years, law enforcement told him his father reported his mother missing prematurely, and suspiciously鈥攁 claim now debunked by Dakota Spotlight podcast. Contributed / Jaden Woodworth

Linda Julson holds her months-old grandson Jaden Woodworth in her lap as Shelly Julson looks on.

15/28: Left to right: Linda Julson, Jaden Woodworth and Shelly Julson in an undated photograph approximately three years before Shelly vanished. Contributed / Wes and Linda Julson

Black and White Senior class photo of Anthony (Tony) James Hulm.

16/28: Anthony "Tony" Hulm graduated from Timber Lake High 歪歪漫画, Timber Lake South Dakota in 1975. In a 2022 interview with Dakota Spotlight Hulm discusses his relationship with Shelly Julson who disappeared in 1994. Contributed / Timber Lake High 歪歪漫画

17/28: Shelly's parents Wesley and Linda Julson submitted this handwritten letter to Bismarck PD to further substantiate their strong belief that Shelly would not leave her son willingly. Contributed / Bismarck Police Department

staff photo of Lieutenant Myron Heinle of the Bismarck Police department. He looks into the camera with a slight smile. He has no facial hair nor reading glasses. He wears a dark coat, white button-down shirt and a blue and white swirly-striped tie.

18/28: Lieutenant Myron Heinle was head of investigations during the initial investigation into Michele Julson's disappearance. In 1994, for reasons unknown, Heinle directed investigators to remove one hundred and four pages of Julson's police file. The contents of those pages is unknown. Contributed / Bismarck Police Department

Brick, two-story storefront building on Main Street in Bismarck North Dakota.

19/28: Person of interest Rick Snell lived in an upstairs apartment at 212 East Main Avenue in Bismarck. He was reported to be a regular customer at then nearby Elbow Room Bar where Shelly Julson worked. James Wolner / Forum News Service

Richard Snell mugshot. Richard is bald and bears a dark, thick goatee.

20/28: Rick Snell did not return to work at Great Lines in Bismarck on Wednesday, August 3rd, 1994, the day following Shelly's disappearance. He resurfaced six day's later on August 9, which investigator Bill Connor considers to be an interesting coincidence.' Shelly's car was found on August 8, 1994. Contributed / State of Minnesota

Portrait of Bismarck police officer Bill Connor in standard blue uniform with dark tie. Bill has a greying mustache and smiles into the camera.

21/28: Bill Connor investigated Shelly's cold-case from 2005 to 2010 Contributed / Bismarck Police Department

1990s-era Staff photo of a balding man named Cliff Emmert, police officer in Bismarck police department. He wears a tan sweater and smiles into camera. He wears oval eyeglasses.

22/28: Bismarck Police officer Cliff Emmert was one of several officers who looked into Shelly Julson's past after she vanished under mysterious circumstances in August of 1994. He learned that Shelly had been getting harrased and her car had been vandalized just prior to her disappearence. Contributed / Bismarck Police Department

23/28: Officer Julie Thompson worked on Shelly's case. Thompson focused on looking into Shelly's banking activity and she was also present when Shelly's home was investigated and when her car was located. Contributed / Bismarck Police Department

24/28: Bismarck Police officer Dennis Walls was the first investigator to work on Shelly's case. Contributed / Bismarck Police Department

25/28: Shelly worked dealing black jack at the burnt creek club and had been dating Tony Hulm a bartender there. Shelly told friends and family the patrons at the bar were harassing her and she had asked her supervisor to transfer to a different location. On more than one occasion, Shelly believed someone had followed her home from the bar and her car was vandalized. Contributed / State Historical Society of North Dakota

26/28: Shelly worked dealing black jack at the burnt creek club and had been dating Tony Hulm a bartender there. Shelly told friends and family the patrons at the bar were harassing her and she had asked her supervisor to transfer to a different location. On more than one occasion, Shelly believed someone had followed her home from the bar and her car was vandalized. Contributed / State Historical Society of North Dakota

Shelly Julson's blue and white trailer-home at 716 West Sweet Avenue in Bismarck, North Dakota

27/28: Shelly Julson lived at 716 West Sweet Avenue, in Bismarck. When investigators came looking for her the doors were locked and the TV was on. James Wolner / Forum News Service

28/28: Shelly said she was going to pick up her paycheck at the Fort Abraham Lincoln Foundation office, 309 East Broadway in Bismarck. She never picked up her check. James Wolner / Forum News Service

People in this episode

(In alphabetical order)

Russ Bryant: Investigator for Burlington Northern Railroad
Bill Connor: Bismarck Police Department investigator
Officer Rob Carvell: Bismarck Police Department officer and patrolman, who responded to the Julson missing person report
Larry Helfenstein: Shelly's friend
Tony Hulm: Shelly's latest on-again/off-again boyfriend, and a bartender at Burnt Creek Club
Linda Julson: Shelly鈥檚 mother
Michele "Shelly" Julson: a 26-year-old blackjack dealer and mother of 3-year-old Jaden, she went missing on Aug. 2, 1994.
Wes Julson: Shelly's father
Holly Ness: Shelly鈥檚 friend

Don Schaffer: Bismarck police officer and patron at Burnt Creek Club. Shelly told friends Schaffer had been harassing her at work.
Rick Snell: Did not return to work at Great Lines after Aug. 2, 1994
Julie Thompson: investigator with the Bismarck Police Department.
Dennis Walls: Bismarck Police Department sergeant who was the initial and lead investigator on the Julson case
Jaden Woodworth: Shelly's son, 3-and-a-half years old when she went missing
Kevin Woodworth: Shelly's former boyfriend and Jaden's father
Richard Woodworth: Jaden's paternal grandfather and the last person to acknowledge having seen her when she dropped Jaden at 104 American Ave.
Jenny Yantzer: Barmaid at Burnt Creek Club. Shelly speculated that Jenny was responsible for hangup phone calls and damage to her car. Jenny has denied any involvement.

People in previous episodes

Chris Aziz: Bartender at the Elbow Room. Witnessed Shelly with two men Sunday night.
James Becker: Shelly's friend
Kim Borner: Shelly's friend
Walter Czerwinski: Retired Burlington Northern employee
John Drath: Wes Julson鈥檚 co-worker and acquaintance of Shelly
Clifford Emmert: Bismarck Police Department investigator
Jack Erhardt: Kevin Woodworth's foreman at Miller Insulation
Sheila Heil: Shelly鈥檚 boss and co-worker at Fort Abraham Lincoln Foundation
Darrel Helbing: One of two railroad workers kicked out of The Comfort Inn swimming pool at 3 a.m. on Aug. 3, 1994. The men were in the company of two unidentified women and a third man in a cowboy hat.
Mitch Maher: One of two railroad workers kicked out of The Comfort Inn swimming pool at 3 am on Aug. 3, 1994. The men were in the company of two unidentified women and a third man in a cowboy hat.
Robin Mostad: Shelly鈥檚 co-worker at The Elbow Room
Bonnie Munsch: Shelly's friend and coworker, worked with Shelly at the Burnt Creek Club the night before Shelly vanished. Bonnie felt Shelly did not seem her usual self that night.
Tarileen Olson: Blackjack dealer at Fort Abraham Lincoln Foundation
Mike Quinn: Agent at North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation
Amy Sansburn: Claimed she partied with Shelly at WE Fest.
Tammy Sumner: Shelly鈥檚 babysitter
Troy Schaner: Bismarck police officer who helped North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation's aerial search for Shelly's car
Nick Sevart: Bismarck Police officer
Carol Thomas: Assistant manager at The Fleck House hotel near The Elbow Room bar