When Can Police Freeze a Suspected Drug House to Get a Search Warrant?

        Officers who conduct a lawful arrest may   freeze a suspected drug house  while obtaining a  search warrant.  Officers must have  probable cause to believe that evidence of criminal activity may be found on the premises. When officers freeze a drug house, all occupants  will be required to stay and will be detained   while other officers  engage in the process [...]

By | November 5th, 2020|Search Warrants|0 Comments

Does a Landlord have Authority to Consent to a Police Search of your Apartment?

It's Saturday night and you are in downtown Minneapolis  with your friends  having a good time. Before leaving your apartment, you smoke some marijuana   and leave behind about 45 grams in a plastic bag  on the kitchen table.  While you are gone, a  pipe bursts in your apartment and water  leaks down through the ceiling of  the apartment below [...]

By | July 22nd, 2017|Drugs, Search Warrants|0 Comments

When Can Police Search a Visitor’s Personal Belongings during a Search Warrant?

The  Fourth Amendment to the Constitution protects our homes  against unreasonable searches and seizures by the police. A home may be search with a valid warrant but this will requires  a showing before a judge of probable cause to believe that a crime has been committed and  the home  contains evidence of the crime. Any [...]

By | December 21st, 2016|Defense, Search Warrants|0 Comments

POLICE SUBJECT MPLS. AIRPORT PACKAGES TO DOG SNIFF

Just when you thought your express mail package was safe from government intrusion, think again. Police at the Minneapolis/St. Paul airport are now free to remove any package from a conveyor belt and subject it to a sniff by a narcotics detection dog. This seeming violation of the Fourth Amendment is no longer considered an unreasonable search and seizure in [...]

By | October 12th, 2016|Drugs, Search Warrants|0 Comments

Anoka County Prostitution Sting

I recently defended two  clients in Anoka County who were charged with  misdemeanor  prostitution. The stakes were high as both clients had green cards and a conviction would  jeopardize their chances of becoming  U.S. citizens. The Coon Rapids Police Department designed an online ad to capture the attention of men interested in paying money for sex. The ad [...]

By | August 23rd, 2015|Defense, Entrapment, Search Warrants, Sex Crimes|0 Comments