10:22 a.m. - CAVALIER, N.D. (AP) — A man suspected of shooting the police chief here and setting fire to the Pembina County Courthouse was known as a quiet farmer with no earlier criminal record, the Pembina County sheriff and area residents say.

James Thorlakson, 54, of Hensel, is charged with attempted murder and arson in the Friday rampage. He was to appear at a bond hearing late Tuesday morning.

Pembina County Sheriff Wayne Samdahl said Thorlakson grew up in the Cavalier area and graduated from high school there in 1969. Samdahl said Thorlakson had no criminal history.

One of his high school classmates, is Richard Geiger, the state district judge who was to preside over Thorlakson's bond hearing. Through a spokeswoman, Geiger told the Grand Forks Herald that the connection years ago would not be a problem for him in presiding over the hearing.

Neighbors and friends said Thorlakson's wife had obtained a restraining order against him. Authorities have refused to discuss the order.

Thorlakson farmed and raised cattle all his life on the farm where he himself was raised, partly by an uncle, whom Thorlakson faithfully has visited in a nursing home, friends said.

Tuesday's bond hearing was scheduled in Grafton, because of the damage to the courthouse in Cavalier. Thorlakson was expected to attend after being released from a Grand Forks hospital where he was recovering from gunshot wounds.

Authorities said Thorlakson was wounded during gunfights with officers Friday, and was arrested in Park River, a Walsh County community about 30 miles south, while seeking medical treatment.

Ken Wolf, Cavalier's police chief, also was listed in satisfactory condition at Altru on Monday. Samdahl said Wolf was hit in the leg, back and buttocks during the rampage.

Pembina County's emergency manager, Becky Ault, said communication systems in the county were operating but she said government services in Cavalier were not expected to return to normal for days. She said a firewall in the law enforcement center may have "saved our bacon."

"The courthouse itself, the lower level — the hallway is a blackened shell," Ault said. "It's quite bad. but it's surprising the offices on the lower level — most of the damage is smoke related. They're pretty well intact. Same thing on the second and third floors — mostly smoke damage."

Ault said the county acted quickly to respond to the incident, helped in part by drills in planning for a terrorist attack.

"In some capacity, some of the plans we put together for responding to that type of incident, we were able to utilize," she said. "We've done an exercise that was terrorist-related. That sort of gets you thinking in another mode rather than just a natural disaster mode. So I think that's helped somewhat."

Authorities said the rampage began after officers tried to serve Thorlakson with a protection order about 4 p.m. Friday. They said Thorlakson, who was armed with a pistol, shot at the officers, then drove about 10 miles to the county courthouse in Cavalier and started a fire in the law enforcement center and courthouse. He allegedly returned to the courthouse while firefighters were trying to extinguish the flames and shot Wolf.

State Insurance Commissioner Jim Poolman said Sunday that damage to both buildings may top $1 million.