2019 News Archives

Man charged in 1992 stabbing death of woman whose body was found by St. Paul Cathedral. On the morning of July 14, 1992, a citizen found Seymour’s body near the entrance of the now-sealed Selby Avenue street car tunnel below the St. Paul Cathedral and called St. Paul police. She was wearing only a black t-shirt. (KMSP - Fox9, Eden Prairie, MN, December 11, 2019).

Who’s scamming Mom? Chances are, it’s all in the family. When his mother was diagnosed with dementia in 2002, Scott S. Campbell had decisions to make. He had power of attorney. She lived with him and his family for a while, but eventually he decided she should move into an assisted living home. (Minnesota Public Radio, St. Paul, MN, November 15, 2019)

Reform coming in how we handle potentially deadly police encounters. Too often, we Americans focus only on society’s problems and the shortcomings of our institutions. We forget to acknowledge when we discover solutions or make progress. One such area is police use of deadly force. (Star Tribune, Minneapolis, MN, November 15, 2019)

Ramsey County, St. Paul abandoned grant offer to address violence after mayor raised questions. For more than a year, Ramsey County and St. Paul officials have discussed the Group Violence Intervention initiative — a carrot-and-stick approach of offering services to people who want to get out of a life of violence and focusing law enforcement on the groups who won’t stop shooting. (Pioneer Press, St. Paul, MN, November 4, 2019).

St. Paul/Ramsey County work on decreasing homicides related to domestic violence. The new Blueprint Firearm Model is an attempt to ensure compliance of a 2014 state law by focusing on communication between different agencies, including law enforcement, courts and social service providers. The goal is to help embed the law into practices and protocols with the goal of getting firearms out of the hands of those charged with domestic violence. (Pioneer Press, St. Paul, MN, October 31, 2019)

East Metro leaders address school safety needs, solutions. The forum featured real-life examples highlighting prevention techniques as well as a broader understanding of risk factors that contribute to school safety incidents. Featured speakers had backgrounds in counseling, law enforcement, and violence prevention research and first-person experience. (Forest Lake Times, Coon Rapids, MN, October 25, 2019)

Ramsey and Washington county prosecutors want to expunge the records of more low-level offenders. Even after people clear the criminal justice system, Choi said, "There is still a lingering impact — a punishment — because these records are still public. We should take active measures to wipe off that scarlet letter on their forehead." (Star Tribune, Minneapolis, MN, October 3, 2019)

County attorneys, AG Ellison hold 'expungement fair' to seal low-level criminal records. The process would seal their records, but not erase their past completely. It only applies to certain low-level offenses, and there is a post-sentence waiting period that varies by severity of the charge. Officials say they're reaching out to eligible people. (Minnesota Public Radio, St. Paul, MN, October 3, 2019)

East Metro prosecutors launch helpsealmyrecord.org; expungement event this Saturday. As of today, after completing their sentence and any applicable waiting period, rehabilitated people with a criminal record in Ramsey or Washington counties will be able to go to www.helpsealmyrecord.org to apply to seal their criminal record following a criminal conviction. (Insight News, Minneapolis, MN, October 3, 2019)

Roseville gets first full-time sex crimes detective. Roseville's police department will get its first designated sex crimes investigator, the latest step in an effort by Ramsey County to reduce heavy caseloads and improve its handling of sexual assault cases. (Star Tribune, Minneapolis, MN, September 24, 2019)

Violence against women sadly too common. Here’s what men can do. It has never entered my mind in my life to force or coerce someone to have sex. Maybe the people who raised me and my own right-and-wrong wiring have something to do with that. Maybe it’s also because of my own victimization when I was a child. (Pioneer Press, St. Paul, MN, September 20, 2019)

Police union angered by plea deal; Texas man drew a gun on St. Paul officers. When a 31-year-old man answered a knock at the door of a St. Paul apartment with a drawn gun last January, he came face-to-face with St. Paul police officers. Asad Mohamud Ibrahim said that when he saw the four officers, who were responding to a noise complaint, he quickly dropped the gun. (Pioneer Press, St. Paul, MN, August 28, 2019).

When Cops Kill Civilians: Finding a Path to Justice. Every U.S. prosecutor should expect that an officer-involved shooting or death will occur “at some point” during her tenure, and have in place a plan to deal with it fairly and transparently, says Roy L. Austin, Jr. a former Deputy Assistant Attorney General at the Department of Justice. (The Crime Report: John J. College, New York, NY, August 22, 2019).

Safe Harbor: Trafficking victims find refuge. Over a decade ago, public safety professionals began to discuss who should really be held accountable for sex trafficking and prostitution, Choi said. The discussion led the Minnesota state Legislature to pass the Safe Harbor Law in 2011. (Shoreview Press, White Bear, MN, August 20, 2019).

New Ramsey County program would give more offenders a second chance.  In an effort to grant second chances to more offenders, the Ramsey County attorney and chief public defender are teaming up to expand the number of cases eligible to be remedied outside the traditional legal system. (Pioneer Press, St. Paul, MN, August 19, 2019).

St. Paul man sentenced to pay restitution, empty 401 K account after taking hundreds of thousands from ailing mother. Mathews has to volunteer for 100 hours in a nursing home that serves elderly patients suffering from dementia, a condition his mother suffered from when the St. Paul man was appointed to serve as her power-of-attorney back in 2011. He was also ordered to write $10,000 promissory notes to four individuals listed in his mother’s will, pay nearly $30,000 in restitution, and turn over the remains of his 401(k) account to the person now acting as his mother’s fiduciary adviser. (Pioneer Press, St. Paul, MN, July 24, 2019).

St. Paul, Ramsey County plan $250,000 legal defense for immigrants facing deportation. St. Paul and Ramsey County have officially joined the Vera Institute of Justice’s “Safety and Fairness for Everyone” Network, a group of 18 communities working with private partners to represent immigrants facing deportation. (Pioneer Press, St. Paul, MN, July 16, 2019).

Good dog: Ramsey County taps retriever to ease courthouse stress. The newest staffer at the Ramsey County Attorney's Office is a highly trained professional. But this staffer doesn't have a law degree — she wears a collar and a leash to work and gets around on four paws. (Minnesota Public Radio, St. Paul, MN, July 2, 2019).

There's clearly a demand for 'courtroom in a box'. They gathered judges, defense lawyers and court reporters at the Saturday event — nicknamed “courtroom in a box” — to help participants work out deals with prosecutors, arrange payment schedules for fees and set court dates. (Star Tribune, Minneapolis, MN, June 10, 2019).

Warrant Resolution Day' brings community approach to criminal justice. While it made taking care of warrants convenient, the bigger draw was likely the event's promise: People who arrived to deal with their warrant wouldn't be arrested. (KARE 11, Minneapolis, MN, June 1, 2019).

'Change the men', say U.S. fighters against sex trafficking. The aim of many john schools is that students return to their jobs and community with a new outlook and ready to make a difference rather than repeat their behavior. (Reuters, Toronto, Canada, April 18, 2019)

Ramsey County pledges better sexual assault investigations. The collaboration commits all the agencies to what they are calling a victim-centered response to sexual assault cases. They pledged to train officers in handling such cases, including what are called trauma-informed interview techniques. Choi said there will also be a commitment to getting victim advocates involved as quickly as possible. (Minnesota Public Radio, St. Paul, MN, April 4, 2019).

Ramsey County authorities say changes to community’s response to sexual assault are working. Perhaps the most telling sign that Ramsey County’s efforts are making a difference is the roughly 75 percent increase the county attorney office has seen since 2016 in the number of sexual assault cases law enforcement is presenting for possible charges. (Pioneer Press, St. Paul, MN, April 4, 2019).

John Choi and Valerie Castile advise nationally on responses to officer-involved shootings. Talking about officer-involved shootings is not something Valerie Castile ever wanted to be doing. (Pioneer Press, St. Paul, MN, March 17, 2019).

Prosecutors, police and communities release toolkit for officer-involved fatalities. They’ve lost loved ones to police violence, but turned that pain into progress, working with prosecutors, police chiefs, policy experts and community advocates to create a new toolkit that can be used nationwide to help reduce officer-involved fatalities. (John J. College, New York, NY, March 16, 2019).

New Ramsey County prosecutor, sheriff investigator to focus on sex crimes. Ramsey County has added a new prosecutor and sheriff's investigator to improve sex crime probes, with the ultimate goal of charging more cases. (Star Tribune, Minneapolis, MN, March 12, 2019).

Ramsey County adding another full-time sex-crimes investigator, liaison. When it comes to better responding to sexual assaults, money matters, according to Ramsey County Attorney John Choi. (Pioneer Press, St. Paul, MN, March 12, 2019).

‘We Have Had Enough’: Toolkit Seeks To Reduce, Prevent Police Shooting Deaths. Ramsey County Attorney John Choi led a group of Minnesotans in a year-long effort to create the toolkit. It will be shared with prosecutors and police across the country. (WCCO-TV, Minneapolis, MN, March 1, 2019).

Considering collateral consequences of conviction. Collateral consequences frequently are deportation but can also mean loss of driving privileges, unemployment, loss of a professional or trade license, eviction and homelessness, which all made a defendant’s eventual rehabilitation problematic at best.  (Minnesota Lawyer, Minneapolis, MN, February 21, 2019).

Ramsey County vets court celebrates 5 years. Veterans courts are a form of “therapeutic jurisprudence” that offer structured probation. Veterans who run into trouble with the law because of service-related drug addiction or mental health issues often can avoid jail sentences if they successfully complete the program. (Minnesota Lawyer, Minneapolis, MN, February 8, 2019).

Court officers say Minnesota still struggles for equal justice. Judges, county attorneys and other legal professionals say Minnesota's criminal justice system still fails people of color 25 years after the state Supreme Court released a seminal report. (Minnesota Public Radio, St. Paul, MN, February 8, 2019).