You were recently pulled over for a minor traffic violation. The officer walked up to your vehicle, stated they smelled the odor of marijuana and asked if you had been smoking. You responded that you hadn’t. The officer asked if you have any marijuana on you and you again responded in the negative. The officer then asked if you could...
This question is similar to the age-old philosophical query "if a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?" But in order to get a DWI, someone would have to see you do something. For example, a citizen bystander could report your driving to the cops, who could come into...
There has been a lot of talk in the news lately about obstruction of justice under federal law involving the President. Criminal charges under federal obstruction laws could include witness tampering, obstructing criminal investigations, or obstructing law enforcement, among other things. In Minnesota, the more commonly invoked criminal statute is a little different and typically involves obstruction of legal process...
There are real world implications for those holding a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) who receive traffic tickets. For CDL holders, receiving two or more “serious traffic” violations in a three year period while operating their commercial motor vehicle could entail disqualification from operating their commercial motor vehicle. These “serious traffic violations” can include excessive speed, reckless driving, erratic lane changes,...
The debate over legalizing recreational marijuana is coming to Minnesota. The Minnesota House of Representatives indicated they may take up the issue of marijuana this year, focusing on: broadening the medical marijuana program, reforming criminal justice to lessen penalties for nonviolent drug offenders, and "highly regulated" legalization of recreational use marijuana, in that order of priority. There is also potential...
The short answer is it depends. If one of the following circumstances are present, your driver’s license could be revoked, suspended, or cancelled. A conviction involving an offense with any of the following circumstances will result in a revocation of your driver’s license. The revocation period will vary depending on the offense and can be found in the links provided....
Below are the top criminal law changes in Minnesota in 2018. Misrepresenting an assistance animal is a crime Under Minn. Stat. § 609.833, it is now a petty misdemeanor in Minnesota to intentionally misrepresent an animal as an assistance animal to obtain rights or privileges knowing they are not entitled to such. Subsequent violations are misdemeanors. Property owners are provided...
An arrest warrant can be issued for a number of reasons, including new criminal charges, a probation violation allegation, or for a failure to appear in court. Whatever the reason, the warrant must be dealt with or else you could end up being arrested and taken to jail under very inconvenient circumstances, to say the least. Contact an attorney immediately...
Depending on what city you live in, there are ordinances that prohibit allowing your dog to “run at large.” This varies depending on the city, but they all say generally the same thing. In short, a Dog at Large ordinance imposes a duty upon owners of dogs to refrain from allowing their dog to “run at large” within the city...
So you’re going to be a cop for Halloween? Just don’t go too far when getting into character! In Minnesota, if you falsely impersonate a cop with the intent to mislead another that you’re actually a cop, you could face a misdemeanor charge. And if you take it a step farther and either gain access to a government facility not...
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