Some prosecutors will offer the defendant a chance to avoid a smaller license related conviction on their records, if they chow up in court with the issue with their license recticitfied, plus payment of "court costs." No guarantees, but you can ask. Since the issue will need to be... View More

Normally forever. Exception: expungement possibility. But if the defendant instead sets up a court date and gets a prosecutor to agree to an outcome that will eventually avoid a conviction (Continuance for Dismissal, or Stay of Adjudication), then upon successful completion of the period of the... View More

Some Minnesota misdemeanors are treated as "payable offenses" by Minnesota courts, meaning the defendant can be convicted by paying a fine without a court appearance. But taka a look at Minnesota Statutes Section 171.173, saying that such a conviction would trigger a suspension of... View More

If police have no speed measurement evidence, such as RADAR or LIDAR, the prosecution will have less evidence to present at a trial. So that is more favorable for the defendant. But, all the many considerations for defending a speeding ticket would still apply, including how to persuade a... View More

Police can lawfully stop a driver if they observe a violation, or facts amounting to "reasonable, articulable suspicion of criminal activity." Since Minnesota laws requires a working plate light, lack of one can be a lawful basis for a stop. If working, but police claim the contrary, a... View More

Sometimes the law doesn't seem logical, like you cannot carry an ice cream cone in your pocket in August in Lansing, Michigan. But in this case, the 100% consensus is the traffic signal is (by the law) deemed to be smarter than you, and must be obeyed. Welcome to Artificial Intelligence. An... View More

Context provides meaning. A prudent driver would stop for a red light, even when the cross streets at the intersection are blocked off. But a drivers defending a citation for failure to obey a red light might defend the case arguing that the signal should be treated as a stop sign, given the... View More

Yes, you need to stop and wait for light to change. The fact that the cross street is blocked off doesn't change the semaphore to a stop sign. Pedestrians and folks on bikes need to be able cross and ignoring the light doesn't give them a chance to do that.

You can just call and pay the fine. There is information online on how to take care of the ticket. You can just plug in the citation number at this website and you'll be good to go: https://webpay.courts.state.mn.us/CourtWebPay/Search.aspx?ID=100

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answered on Apr 16, 2024

Driving after Cancellation (DAC), specifically when labeled as "inimical to public safety" (IPS), is typically regarded as a criminal offense. The categorization as criminal stems from the potential threat to public safety implied by the IPS designation. This determination means that the... View More

There is nothing you can do for force the county attorney to charge out any particular offense. You can certainly voice your opinions on what you believe should occur in the case, but ultimately, the County Attorney has the ultimate authority of what, if anything, to charge out in this case.

The answer is in Minnesota Rules 7409.2200 HABITUAL VIOLATORS, available online. (For those with a Minnesota Driver's License, at least.) Four petty misd. traffic offenses within a 12-month period; or five traffic within a 24-month period will get a DL suspension. The rule is more complex... View More

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answered on Mar 1, 2024

Receiving a ticket without a citation number or the recorded speed is unusual and might seem like an oversight that could affect the ticket's validity. However, it's important to note that the absence of this information on the ticket itself does not automatically make it invalid. The... View More

It appears to on the "2024 STATE PAYABLES LIST TRAFFIC/CRIMINAL" list for Minnesota Courts. That means it should be "payable" online, via the Minnesota court's website without court appearance. But is that a good idea? Doing so will result in the court... View More

In Minnesota, the license revocation process is a separate civil process from the criminal charges. A license is revoked immediately upon a breath test over the legal limit or a blood/urine test that shows a prohibited substance on board. She can apply for a public defender to represent her in... View More

She should get help from a private criminal defense attorney, or a free public defender, if she qualifies. Then she can work with her lawyer in developing effective defenses, and factual information. On the driver's license issue, she may want to call a "Driver Evaluator" at the... View More

First, I'd look at the consequences for various violations. For example, a parking ticket should have no significant long term implications. Just pay it. But "Exhibition Driving" on the driver's license record could trigger future problems with insurance and police. So... View More

The exhibition driving is going to be a huge issue for your insurance. I would suggest doing what you can to negotiate that ticket down. It looks like you are in Hennepin County, so there is a far greater likelihood that they may be willing to agree to keep it off of her driving record assuming... View More

Typically, if the driver or her lawyer alert the prosecutor to inadvertent errors on the citation by the officer, they will then amend to fix those errors. This removes potential benefits to the driver. A better approach may be to never mention those errors until in the midst of a trial, when it... View More

In general, yes. Generally police can go anywhere non-police can lawfully go (without a warrant, or other special authority). However, when I analyze all the available information about a client's case, I look for every possible defense issue first. Then after a discussion with the client,... View More