Category: Criminal Defense

Minnesota Driver Enters Plea Deal to Alcohol-Related School Bus Charge

Minnesota drivers may be aware that the legal limit alcohol level to drive a motor vehicle in the state is generally set at 0.08 percent BAC. Minnesota law also allows prosecutors to pursue charges for driving while impaired based upon the testimony of officers concerning driving conduct, observations in field sobriety tests and other testimony regarding so-called “indicia of impairment.”

Richfield Teen Accused of DWI on Golf Cart in Mankato

Most people are aware of Minnesota’s law prohibiting driving while impaired. This blog has discussed many news reports concerning DWI charges. Recently, an entry discussed a University of Minnesota survey of students regarding bicycling. While a non-motorized bike is not considered a motorized vehicle, some people may not understand how broadly Minnesota prosecutors seek to apply Minnesota’s harsh DWI laws.

U of M Cracking Down on Underage Drinking, DWI and Alcohol Offenses

The school year has obviously begun. Around college campuses, law enforcement agencies around the country typically keep a close eye near a campus-looking for evidence of alcohol-related offenses. This year, TCF stadium began selling alcohol during Gopher football games. When the stadium first opened, police received grants to step up alcohol enforcement laws near the stadium.

No jail time for Minnesota basketball star

A University of Minnesota basketball star was relieved last week to learn that he will not be put in jail for violating his parole when he was charged with drinking and driving in July. The decision was made by a Miami-Dade judge, who concluded that the basketball player still has “the ability to turn around.”

US Supreme Court to Decide in McNeely if DWI Blood Draws Require a Warrant

Every state in the union has laws prohibiting drunk driving. In association with driving while impaired statutes, states generally have implied consent laws in place which mandate that drivers who fail a DWI test, or refuse a test, automatically lose their driver’s license before they have even been convicted, subject to the right to appeal the DL Revocation by filing an Implied Consent Petition.

West St. Paul Police Accuse Woman of DWI and Cocaine Possession

A routine traffic stop for alleged speeding and lane violations has led to a gross misdemeanor drunk driving charge and a tacked-on felony count of cocaine possession for an Eagan, Minnesota, woman. A West Saint Paul Police officer claims that an alleged speeding infraction on Robert Street started the investigation September 6.

Court: DWI vehicle forfeiture not subject to Minnesota exempt property law

A man was stopped in Minneapolis in April 2011 and ultimately charged with first-degree driving while impaired, a felony level offense in Minnesota. He reportedly pled guilty to the felony DWI in the criminal case. But as this blog has reported, a DWI case in Minnesota may also be accompanied by other legal action in civil court, if a defendant timely challenges the implied consent license revocation, or files a court challenge to an administrative vehicle forfeiture that can follow specified DWI arrests.

Minneapolis woman arrested for suspected Apple Valley theft

A 24-year-old woman from Minneapolis has been arrested and charged with felony theft after she supposedly stole items from the Apple Valley Home Depot in December. What Dakota County prosecutors will have to prove, however, is that the woman knew that her friends were stealing from the Home Depot when she drove them away from the store.

Cokato Man Charged With CVH and Injury After Friday Highway 12 crash

Authorities are seeking criminal vehicular homicide and injury charges against a 21-year-old Cokato, Minnesota, man after a Friday night traffic accident near Willmar. The felony DWI charges were formally filed Monday in Kandiyohi County. The man is scheduled to appear Tuesday morning on three counts of felony CVH, one count of criminal vehicular injury, and a misdemeanor charge for open bottle in a motor vehicle.

Minneapolis Veterans Treatment Court needed in outstate Minnesota

Since Hennepin County launched its Veterans Treatment Court only two years ago, more than 100 veterans have appeared before the court to get the help they need instead of a lengthy prison sentence. The Minneapolis court has become a model and now advocates say the same type of court is needed in greater Minnesota as well. The point of the special court is to address the underlying issues veterans facing criminal charges struggle with and what ultimately brings them into the criminal justice system in the first place.