Mike Brandt represented a client who was charged with two counts of felony Second Degree Assault from an incident occurring in March of 2017 in the City of Elk River, Sherburne County, after allegedly assaulting a man with a firearm. Mike’s client vehemently denied the allegations so after reviewing the discovery, collecting witness statements, and consulting with a DNA expert, Mike and his client took the case to trial.
At the trial, the State called their witnesses and Mike Brandt cross-examined those witnesses on critical issues. In doing so, Mike pointed out several discrepancies in the State’s case. Mike had also previously collected information from his DNA expert showing his client’s DNA was not on the firearm allegedly used to assault the victim and provided this information to the jurors. Once the jury got the opportunity to deliberate the case, the jury acquitted Mike’s client after 2 hours of deliberations. Because of this acquittal, Mike’s client avoided a mandatory sentence of three years in prison.