Minnesota Legal Blog

As the opioid epidemic continues to surge out of control across the country, law enforcement agencies and prosecutors are getting tough on those whose alleged actions contribute to opioid use, addiction and fatalities. In some cases, that has meant homicide and murder charges against those accused of providing drugs to someone who ultimately died from an overdose.

Here in Minnesota, a 21-year-old woman was charged with third-degree murder last month for providing the drugs that led to a 23-year-old man's death. She's also been charged with third-degree drug sales. According to authorities, three people overdosed in an apartment in Mankato this May. Two of them survived.

You're accused of a crime, and you want to know that your defense is going to be strong. It's always in your best interest to work with a team that knows the law and how to watch out for violations of your rights. If errors take place during the trial's proceedings, your attorney may ask the judge to declare a mistrial.

A mistrial ends a trial before it concludes with a verdict. A mistrial can happen for one of many reasons such as:

• Statements that were made by a witness that were not allowed
• Procedural errors
• Deadlock by a jury (a hung jury)
• A prejudiced jury
• Failing to complete the trial within the set time frame

It's not too often that you hear about the city's mayor getting drunk and driving, but that's what happened in this case out of Minnesota. According to a report from May 7, Minnesota Mayor Mike Maguire admitted that he had been drinking while watching the Vikings place in January. Then, he went on to drive.

The mayor pleaded guilty in his case, stating that he accepted responsibility for the consequences of the errors he had made. On that day in January, he had crashed with a blood-alcohol concentration of approximately 0.19%, which is over twice the state's legal limit. He faced two counts for third-degree driving while impaired.

You were just trying to have a unique experience when you decided to buy drugs. You probably should have been more cautious, though. It turns out that the first person you tried to buy from had connections to the authorities.

It wasn't much after that when an officer approached you and arrested you for buying drugs. Now, you're facing drug charges with a possibility of heavy fines and imprisonment. You just want to go back to how things were before; you only made a single mistake.