Page 71 – Keller Criminal Defense Attorneys

Nov: 29, 2013

Minnesota legislators reconsider sex offender program in 2013

The Minnesota Sex Offender Program confines and treats high-risk offenders after they have completed their prison sentences. Politics in Minnesota reports that the state has the highest per-capita rate of civil commitments in the country, with more than 650 men currently enrolled in the program. Only two individuals have been discharged from the program over the past two decades. According to The Mankato Free Press, sex offenders are confined to high-security treatment facilities at an annual cost of approximately $120,000 per offender.

Nov: 29, 2013

Minnesota at the Forefront of Efforts to Ban 2C-E, Other Synthetic Drugs

In March of 2011, several spring break revelers at a party in Blaine, Minnesota were hospitalized after overdosing on a synthetic designer drug known as 2C-E. One of them, 19-year-old Trevor Robinson, was killed.

Nov: 29, 2013

Minnesota Appeals Court Expungement Ruling Good for Employment Prospects

A serious criminal conviction can be a challenging thing to live with. Even long after repaying your debt to society, your past can come back to haunt you, impairing your ability to get a good job, obtain a professional license or find suitable housing.

Nov: 29, 2013

Fair Sentencing Act Starting Point for Federal Drug Sentencing Reform

It took more than a decade to change one of the biggest inequalities in U.S. drug sentencing laws: the 100 to 1 ratio sentencing disparity for federal crack cocaine and powder cocaine offenses. Prior to the passage of the Fair Sentencing Act on August 3, 2010, those convicted of trafficking as little as five grams of crack cocaine received a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison. The sentence doubled to 10 years for those with 10 grams in their possession.

Nov: 29, 2013

Test-refusal in DWI cases; Alfonzo Dennard case raises question

Many stories concerning drunk driving arrests found in the media may include information about field sobriety tests performed during a traffic stop

Nov: 03, 2013

Lawsuit may lead to changes in Minnesota’s sex offender policy

Convicted sex offenders face notoriously harsh punishments. In fact, only one person has ever been released in the history of the 19-year-old Minnesota Sex Offender Program. A new lawsuit filed by a sex offender that was committed civilly may determine that this current system is unconstitutional. The 2011 lawsuit is yet to be resolved in federal court; in the meantime, the Minnesota Department of Human Services is starting to consider alternative correction methods that are less restrictive.

Nov: 03, 2013

Welfare recipients with past drug charges must take drug tests

People that have been convicted of drug crimes and are also receiving benefits from the state are now required to comply with drug tests according to a law passed by the Minnesota Legislature last year. St. Louis County officials have now begun strictly enforcing the law, which replaces the “self-reporting” system that was in place prior to its passing. The new law requires the state court administrator to provide its list of convicted drug felons to the Department of Human Services.

Nov: 03, 2013

Defense presents arguments in Wright vehicular homicide case

The second half of a pre-trial hearing has begun for the case involving a 27-year-old woman accused of killing two Carlton county highway department employees while driving under the influence of a controlled substance. The woman is being charged with two counts of vehicular homicide.

Nov: 03, 2013

Hearing to determine if Minnesota serial rapist will be released

Not all sex offenders in Minnesota go to prison. In some cases, a court may decide that such a criminal should be held in a treatment center. Minnesota houses nearly 700 sex offenders in treatment facilities at St. Peter and Moose Lake, and $73 million is spent every year to lock these offenders up. In the last 20 years, however, only one person has ever been released from one of these centers. On Nov. 8, a panel of judges scheduled a hearing to determine whether there should be a second.

Oct: 03, 2013

Man chooses to plead guilty in vehicular homicide case

It is rare for a fatal drunk driving case to make headlines unless it was caused by a celebrity, but a 22-year-old man’s case has garnered national attention after he made a YouTube video confessing to driving while intoxicated. Not only did he admit to drunk driving, but he later pled guilty in court to vehicular homicide for causing the death of a 61-year-old man. The young man has also expressed his remorse in court.

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