Mike Brandt’s client was charged in Wright County Juvenile Court with a felony charge of making threats of violence. This was alleged to have occurred in January of 2018 in Wright County, Minnesota. The allegations stemmed from comments made by Mike’s client at school, which were overheard by other students. After school officials were made aware of these comments, they searched his possessions and found some drawings and writings that caused concern.
Mike’s client was taken into custody and charged with a felony. In preparing for the case, Mike spent a lot of time researching the charges and analyzing the facts that were alleged. Mike also provided a great deal of information about his client to the prosecuting attorney to show that his client was not a danger, did not have any intention of following through with these threats, and that the threats were taken out of context. Mike also had his client obtain a psychological evaluation and Mike presented the prosecutor with numerous letters of recommendation to show the outstanding character of his client.
Based upon all of this information, the prosecuting attorney agreed to reduce the charges to a misdemeanor charge of Disorderly Conduct. Mike’s client was placed on probation for six months with what is called a stay of adjudication. This means that his client was never “convicted” of this offense, and upon completion of probation, the charge will show that it is dismissed. Mike’s client was required to perform a minimal amount of community service and continue with counseling. This negotiation avoided any sort of felony conviction, which could have created huge problems for Mike’s client in the future.