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.

Embezzlement, white-collar crimes still end with prison

Many people in Minnesota may talk of “country club prisons” in which those convicted of white-collar crimes go for a few years, waiting for the end of their sentences. The idea that rich people convicted o fembezzlement in Minneapolis would somehow end up in anything short of the prisons used for everyone else, however, is preposterous. Though individuals who were convicted of white-collar charges may be in lower-security prisons, they are still in prison.

Panel plans to change the Minnesota Sex Offender Program

It was after a class action lawsuit filed by inmates of the Minnesota Sex Offender Program argued that their indefinite civil commitment was a violation of their constitutional rights that a federal judge ordered the state to change the program. It was after a foreign court refused to extradite a man accused of a sex crime to Minnesota, however, that it truly became obvious how horrible the Minnesota civil commitment program truly is. Calling it a “flagrant denial” of the suspect’s human rights, the court would not send the man to Minnesota even though there was only a chance that he would be civilly committed.

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.”

Exemplary life lightens sentence for convicted bank president

It may be true that the purest of plans often go awry, as it seems to have been the case for a Minnesota bank president whose efforts to save a failing bank has led to a conviction for white-collar crimes. Ultimately, however, a federal district court judge gave the man a light sentence, noting he has led an “exemplary life” and is known for community service and philanthropy. He will not have to pay any fines nor make restitution.

Minnesota Trooper Arrested for DWI at Duluth Training Session

A Minnesota State trooper was arrested at work in late September on suspicion of driving while impaired. Many DWI stories reported in the media begin with details surrounding some kind of traffic stop. Minor alleged infractions on the road generally precede the traffic stop in media reports. The story of the state trooper begins inside a building.

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.