If you are a minor and are suspected of having taken a controlled substance, you have no legal obligation to submit to drug testing at the request of a police officer. The police are only interested in gathering evidence to use against you in a minor c...

What should you do if you suspect there is an outstanding warrant for your arrest? You may be able to find out if a warrant has been issued for your arrest by searching online in the county where the crime occurred. Many police and sheriff's department...

If you are arrested in Minnesota without a warrant you must be brought before a judge within 36 hours.

It's a crime to drive a car in Minnesota when a person is under the influence of a controlled substance. https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/?id=169A.20. Marijuana is defined in Minnesota as a Schedule I controlled substance. The punishment for a convi...

The police may obtain and execute a no-knock search warrant in Minnesota when they have reason to believe that the evidence inside a home or business may be destroyed if advance warning of the police entry was given to the occupants. A no-knock warrant...

Was the self-defense claim doomed in the  Clifford case when he failed to retreat  to avoid the conflict with Vander Lee? The  best defense  for Sgt. Clifford  would have been  to simply ...

Does a defendant  have the right to refuse probation? The answer is yes.   Often times the conditions of probation are more onerous to the defendant then serving out a jail or prison sentence. For example,&n...

What are the penalties in Minnesota for transporting marijuana in a motor vehicle? The answer depends on the weight of the marijuana and its location. If the police find a "small amount of marijuana" in the trunk of your car, the offense is only a pett...

The prosecution is allowed to introduce into evidence at a criminal trial  prior acts of domestic abuse  committed by a defendant against a victim of domestic abuse or against any other family or household members. See https://...

When can the police seize your cell phone without a warrant? This is a legitimate concern especially if  your cell phone contains incriminating information that can be used to prosecute you. The warrantless seizure of a cell phone is unr...

Snitching for the police has always been dangerous business. Police are very interested in climbing up the drug dealer food chain. They want to know who you bought your  drugs from and who else you may know that sells drugs. They want the big fish...

The crime of domestic assault by strangulation is a serious felony level offense in Minnesota. Strangulation means "intentionally impeding normal breathing or circulation of the blood by applying pressure on the throat or neck or by blocking the nose or mouth of another." See Minnesota Statutes Section 609.2247. Strangulation can occur in three ways: (1) manual which is accomplished by the use of the hands; (2) ligature which involves the use of a rope or cord; and (3) [...]