Page 48 – Keller Criminal Defense Attorneys

Oct: 21, 2014

When does Minnesota consider a crime aggravated?

A University of Minnesota student waited at a bus stop in early September. According to Minnesota Daily, a man joined her at the stop and, after a few moments, told her to hand over her belongings. The young woman said she could see there was something under his sweatshirt, but she determined that he did not have a gun. The man grabbed her book bag and fled. A passerby was able to retrieve the bag and noticed that the weapon the man had was a screwdriver. The man fled the scene.

Oct: 20, 2014

What types of evidence can be used against you?

In 2010, a man was charged with threatening federal officers with a gun. The Legal Intelligencer reports that the agents were in an unmarked car performing surveillance in an area known for heavy drug activity. The man claimed he was concerned for his safety, and he was unaware the men were federal officers. He then walked toward the car holding a gun and was subsequently arrested, convicted and sentenced to 30 years in prison

Oct: 20, 2014

Minnesota Health Care Fraud Charge Requires Criminal Defense Lawyer

Health care fraud is a very serious offense in Minnesota. It is also a crime. If the Minnesota Department of Human Services (“DHS”) finds fraud, you will be charged with a crime in state or federal court. Examples of fraud by health care providers that the DHS Office of the Inspector General regulates include things like false and fraudulent claims submitted by health care providers, altering claims, overbilling, billing for health care services that weren’t provided, reporting false employment hours, and providing false time sheets. The DHS may audit your healthcare company or respond to a tip provided to them. If your company is audited, the DHS will find any discrepancies in reporting and accounting.

Oct: 19, 2014

What does it mean to be found incompetent?

In August, a 33-year-old Minnesota man led local officials on a 30-mile high-speed chase. According to the Red Lake Nation News, law enforcement noticed the man driving nearly 20 miles an hour over the speed limit on the highway. When troopers attempted to pull over the driver, he accelerated and, according to law enforcement, was swerving into oncoming traffic. Eventually, the man lost control of the vehicle, got out of the car and started threatening officers, who eventually placed him under arrest.

Oct: 18, 2014

Understanding prosecutorial misconduct

In 1983, two teenagers were accused of rape and murder. The Huffington Post reported that the two young men, both mentally handicapped, admitted to the crime but later recanted the confessions and stated that they were coerced. However, a jury found the young men guilty, and they spent three decades in prison before their convictions were overturned.

Oct: 17, 2014

The role of battered wife syndrome in criminal cases

Last year, a woman called law enforcement to her apartment and told them that she thought she had killed her ex-boyfriend. According to the Press Republican, the 65-year-old man was found beaten and stabbed to death inside the woman’s home. She was arrested and charged with murder and assault. The woman told law enforcement that the victim repeatedly beat her over the course of their yearlong relationship, and the two remained friends after they ended their romance.

Oct: 17, 2014

Should law enforcement have military weapons and tanks?

When a white police officer shot and killed an unarmed black teenager in Ferguson, Missouri, people watching the news may have noticed local law enforcement units utilizing gear that is usually reserved for members of the military. NPR reported that members of law enforcement had assault rifles, wore protective, military-style gear and even rolled through the streets in armored vehicles.

Oct: 16, 2014

Police in St. Paul accused of racial profiling after arrest

In January of this year, an African American man from St. Paul was sitting on a bench inside a bank as he waited to pick up his children from daycare. CNN reports that a security officer told the man to leave the area, alleging that it was for employees only though there were no signs marking it as private. Additional law enforcement were called in and told the man he was going to jail.

Oct: 16, 2014

What is the difference between embezzlement and larceny?

A woman left her job as superintendent of a school system in order to take a similar position with a new system. According to The Courant, her former employer conducted an investigation and found she misspent nearly $9,000, using district funds in the form of a board of education credit card to purchase items to send to her children living in Minnesota and Maryland. State police charged her with first-degree larceny due to the misappropriation of money, and she has resigned from her new position and awaits trial.

Oct: 15, 2014

How are jurors chosen?

Recently, Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson was indicted on child abuse charges for an incident that occurred while he was disciplining his child. According to the Houston Chronicle, the indictment has called attention to the way a jury is selected in the state of Texas, which can either be done at random or under the supervision of a court-appointed commissioner. For Peterson’s grand jury hearing, the chief deputy county clerk was tasked with the process of finding jurors. As an assistant professor of criminal justice notes, the clerk is considered a work associate of the district attorney, which means he may have been influenced during jury selection.

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