Adrian Peterson admitted that he smoked marijuana before taking a drug test last week. He told the courthouse employee that he “smoked a little weed” prior to giving his urine sample. One of his conditions of release was to refrain from using illegal drugs. He posted a $15,000 bond in his felony child abuse case in Texas. The prosecutor is now trying to get his bail revoked and increased because Peterson violated his conditions of release. This would mean that he would be arrested again. Peterson’s conditions of release are broad and have no direct link to the facts of the case he was charged with.
In Minnesota, it is also common to be given conditional release with conditions not connected to the crime. For example, it is possible for individuals charged with domestic assault to be given release conditions such as to refrain from alcohol and drugs even though there is no correlation between the two. In driving under the influence of alcohol cases, common conditional release terms are to refrain from alcohol and drugs, to refrain from entering bars, and to be randomly tested. Individuals must also promise to appear for all future court appearances. Sometimes judges will also order individuals to wear ankle bracelets to ensure sobriety.
It important for criminal attorneys to argue about the terms of conditional release. As seen in Peterson’s case, the terms are important and can come back to haunt you later in the case. Peterson’s attorney should have argued that random testing should not have been a condition as there is no correlation between drugs and child abuse. Max Keller is a criminal attorney in Minneapolis, MN. He argues about the conditions of release at the bail hearing and if needed, at later appearances in the case. Because Max Keller has been a criminal attorney in Minneapolis, MN for so long, he knows how to properly argue about bail and conditional and unconditional release. He is one of the few attorney to have ever appealed bail and conditions of release. Keller Criminal Defense Attorneys has two criminal attorneys in Minneapolis, MN. Call 952-913-1421 for a free consultation.