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Police officers in Minneapolis have made it pretty clear that smoking marijuana is illegal and will not be tolerated. While some may debate the importance of cracking down on drug possession, most Minnesotans would not believe that Minneapolis police would actually give marijuana to people and encourage them to smoke it.
Many people in Minneapolis-St. Paul know how the story goes: a man is arrested and accused of rape. As police, investigators and prosecutors try to build a case of sexual assault against the suspect, forensic experts discover some evidence that conclusively ties the suspect to the crime, landing a conviction for the prosecution. The suspect is sentenced and sent to prison.
A Minneapolis teenager was accused of shooting another teen in a drive-by shooting in August 2011. The 17-year-old is currently being held in a workhouse while he awaits his trial for homicide. The teen was indicted on two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted first-degree murder in the shooting of a 13-year-old boy. The teen was also accused of shooting at two other boys who were with the 13-year-old that was killed.
Minnesota motorists know that blood tests are common for anyone accused of drunk driving or the more serious vehicular homicide. In many situations, a suspect doesn’t have a choice — police will take the suspect’s blood regardless of whether he or she consents. Minneapolis police and prosecutors have long argued that blood tests are an effective way of determining a suspect’s blood alcohol level and, thus, whether he or she was legally intoxicated while driving.
Whenever a public servant is accused of a crime, people are quick to criticize and demonize him or her, even before any evidence that supports a criminal charge is discovered. Because of this intense pressure on public servants to remain perfect in the eyes of public, some people may find it easier to just plead guilty than to face an overly harsh jury.
While it may not seem like a serious offense, stealing can have a much wider impact than just a conviction. Because theft crimes call into question your reliability and your trustworthiness, having a criminal record for theft makes it very difficult for employers, landlords and friends to trust you. It is also very easy for someone accused of a theft crime to say something that police can twist around and use against him or her at a trial, making it important to say nothing to police until you have spoken with your criminal defense attorney.
It is a constitutional right that anyone accused of a crime will be tried by an impartial and unbiased jury. This Sixth Amendment guarantee is a basis of the American criminal system and no Minnesota suspect should ever have it infringed upon. As Amy Senser’s attorney attempts to protect her right to an impartial jury, he faces pushback from the Hennepin County prosecutor who is resisting his request to transfer the case to a new and less biased location in Minnesota.
When one thinks of a Minneapolis officer involved in a sex crime, one thinks of the officer as part of the prosecution’s team, building a case against an alleged offender. In this case, a former Minneapolis park police officer was the defendant.