Blog
Recently, the California state legislature passed a bill that would require law-enforcement officers to obtain a warrant before searching an arrested person’s cellphone. While, the California law does not impact people who live in Minnesota, the law is central to a criminal defense discussion about information collection by law enforcement, electronic devices and search warrants.
Actions surrounding the purchase and use of synthetic drugs in Minnesota are considered drug crimes. Despite the illegal classification of synthetic drugs in the state, the purchase of synthetic drugs continues through black market websites. The dramatic rise in online drug dealing has made it tougher for law enforcement to enforce applicable drug crime laws to synthetic drugs.
A man from St. Paul, Minnesota who plead to a sex crime charge will not serve time in prison and instead will be put on probation. The sentencing decision was partly the result of plea agreement and a misunderstanding on the length of a prison sentence for a second-degree criminal sexual conduct charge.
A clerk who worked for Anoka County recently plead guilty to one white collar crime charge and two others were dismissed. The woman adjusted the status of various marriage certificates in the county as a way to gain some extra cash. The 52-year-old woman made just over $7,000 over the three years she fraudulently changed marriage license applications. The woman faces up to 45 days in jail.
Recently, a technical director at Valspar in Minneapolis was caught for attempting to steal $20 million of chemical formulas from the firm. His goal was to trade the formulas for a high-ranking position with a Chinese firm. For the attempted intellectual property theft, the former Valspar worker was sentenced to 15 months in jail. The story of intellectual property theft is a growing one in Minnesota and the United States.
Yesterday, hundreds of people gathered in Minneapolis in order to further understand the roots of domestic violence and how to stop it. The focus of the local meeting was the results of a recent crime survey. The purpose of the survey was to better understand why individuals who experience domestic violence fail to report the incident.
Over the last few months there has been an increase in the number of car thefts in Saint Paul and Ramsey County. The car thefts involved older models that were taken from residential driveways, city streets and parking lots and sold to one particular salvage company for scrap. Recently, ten individuals allegedly involved in the thefts were charged by the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office.
Synthetic drug use is on the rise in the Twin Cities. According to the Minnesota Department of Human Services, synthetic drugs are designed to mimic the psychoactive effects of traditional, illegal drugs like marijuana and various amphetamines. Even though synthetic drugs are sold online, many synthetic drugs are illegal like N-benzylpiperazine (BZP). Because of the rising popularity of synthetic drugs, seizures of BZP and related drug crimes are on the rise.
