Early yesterday morning a player for the Minnesota Vikings, Benny Sapp, was cited for Misdemeanor 5th Degree Assault and Careless Driving in Minneapolis. Mr. Sapp allegedly was engaged in two confrontations with security officers at the Minneapolis Children’s...
Year: 2011
Watch Out – Police Increase Patrols and Arrests for DWI
Be careful this holiday weekend. Roughly 400 Minnesota law enforcement agencies are conducting increased DWI patrols during the month of December. In the first 11 days of this month, with less than half of the participating agencies reporting, there were over 800...
The Police Need Probable Cause to Stop You
In my last blog post I discussed a recent Minnesota Court of Appeals decision dealing with what police conduct constitutes a stop or seizure. The Court of Appeals in that case did not discuss what probable cause is required for the police to stop or detain you. The...
The Fourth Amendment Still Has Meaning
There is hope that the 4th Amendment still has meaning. The Minnesota Court of Appeals ruled recently in the matter of the State of Minnesota vs. Michael Anthony Clark that a seizure has not occurred by a police officer when the officer activates and shines its...
Arrested for Driving While Under the Influence (DWI) and Charged with DWI Test Refusal
Last week, a Minnesota woman with 2 prior DWI convictions was stopped for driving without her headlights on just south of Minneapolis, Minnesota. The officer noticed a strong odor of alcohol. The woman allegedly performed poorly on field sobriety tests and was...
Possession of Firearms
Minneapolis man was recently convicted of possessing a handgun. The defendant had previously been convicted of multiple felonies, including a crime of violence. As such, he no longer had the right to own and/or possess a firearm. The defendant was sentenced to 15...
Alcohol Plus Accident with Injuries/Death Can Equal Major Felony
Recently, a man was charged and found guilty in a county near Minneapolis, Minnesota of 2 felony counts of Criminal Vehicular Homicide and Injury, along with felony DWI. The felony counts resulted from a motor vehicle accident that would otherwise have been an average...
Stealing a Backpack can Become a Felony
A Salvation Army bell ringer’s backpack was stolen recently while the woman was collecting donations in downtown St. Paul. The contents of the woman’s backpack had an approximate value of $2,500. The St. Paul police have not made any arrests in the case. Under...
DWI Deaths Minnesota Go Down
The residents of Minnesota, collectively, have more than one-half million “alcohol related” driving offenses on record. Moreover, one in every eight (1:8) persons in Minnesota with a driving record has a DWI. Recently, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety (DPS)...