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Dakota County prosecutors accuse an Apple Valley woman of criminal vehicular homicide after a fatal car and motorcycle accident claimed the life of a Burnsville man last week. Police claim that the Burnsville, Minnesota, man was riding his motorcycle on 160th Street in Apple Valley.
There are likely many people in St. Paul who have heard the story of a now-25-year-old man who nearly died while in a federal Drug Enforcement Administration cell. The young man had been arrested as part of a drug raid and was questioned before an officer working with the DEA told him he was not going to be charged. The officer put him in a 5-by-10-foot holding cell, assuring him that he would only be a minute. Instead, the young man spent the next 4 1/2 days in the cell and nearly died.
Even after serving a criminal sentence, the side effects of conviction can follow a person for many years. In particular, a criminal history may make it difficult — or even impossible — to pursue professional opportunities. This is one reason why securing a strong criminal defense can be beneficial.
Most people in Roseville know that if they are arrested they have the right to remain silent. Many of them also know that they have the right to an attorney and that one can be appointed for them if they can’t afford one. With the number of police shows on television these days, it is surprising that someone wouldn’t know their Miranda rights. Even if they know and understand them, however, there are a number of people who waive their rights and talk to police without ever thinking about the consequences.
For decades the FBI has been using hair analysis and other forms of DNA testing to aid in the conviction of defendants. The science has certainly helped defendants who are accused of violent crimes, murder and rape to clear their name, too, but the FBI has recently announced that it will be looking into some of its cases to check for faulty science. One of the biggest problems the FBI has had, it seems, is agents making claims about hair analysis that can’t be supported by science. When those statements led to a conviction, it is very possible that the wrong person was convicted.
While Minnesota does not currently have a medical marijuana law in place, nor does it appear that the state is looking to decriminalize it any time soon, people’s attitudes about the substance are constantly changing. With more and more states passing medical marijuana laws, it is only a matter of time before Minnesota will start making marijuana available to the chronically ill. Until that time comes, however, possession of any marijuana will result in a drug charge.
Most people in Minneapolis know that the state does not have a medical marijuana law, which means that if police find marijuana on you, you will likely be facing criminal charges in Hennepin County. If Minnesota ever decides to pass a medical marijuana law, however, the government is going to have to create clear laws and guidlines for what marijuana is legal and exempt under the law and what is not. Failure to do so could lead to confusion and people who thought they were following the law facing drug charges.
Can police use your cellphone and cellphone towers to determine your location? If so, do police officers need to get a warrant based on probable cause before they do? These are the questions that one lawsuit hoped to solve for the whole country, but the Supreme Court of the United States has declined to hear the case. Since Minnesota courts and the federal court responsible for Minnesota have not yet heard the issue either, it remains to be seen whether this is permissible under criminal law.
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