Mike Freeman

Kao Xiong, father of 4-year-old who fatally shot 2-year-old brother, charged with two felonies

Kao Xiong left a loaded semi-automatic pistol with no safety wedged between pillows and a mattress in his home's master bedroom. On December 5, his 4-year-old son grabbed the gun and accidentally shot his 2-year-old brother in the stomach. The boy later died.SEE ALSO: Guns make you safer? Minneapoli ... More >>

Minnesota Majority wants you to follow buses leaving polling places on election day

In the fall of 2010, Minnesota Majority, the state's leading pro-voter ID group, created the Election Integrity Watch. As a press release published at the time noted, Election Watch "is a program designed to engage voters across the state to be vigilant, watching for and reporting on election fraud. ... More >>

Mike Freeman on GOPers making Franken-Coleman voter fraud allegations: "They are just liars"

In the most recent edition of the New Yorker, Jane Meyer takes a close look at the Republican lawyer who has spearheaded the drive for tighter voter ID laws nationally and here in Minnesota, Hans von Spakovsky.Along with John Fund, von Spakovsky recently cowrote a book entitled, "Who's Counting?: Ho ... More >>

DRE drug scandal: No criminal charges for alleged dope-distributing officers

Nick Otterson, a state trooper from Hutchinson, has been under criminal investigation since May, when a colleague of his came forward to report he'd seen Otterson give an Occupy protester drugs.SEE ALSO:-- Sgt. Rick Munoz, DRE program boss, is pretty much the biggest jerk ever-- Police did indeed gi ... More >>

Michael Biskey, south Mpls resident, could get 10 years for having a bunch of pot in his garage

At about 11 p.m. on June 14, police were patrolling an alley in between Harriet and Grand avenues in south Minneapolis. There had been a robbery in the area earlier that day.While driving down the alley, they came across a man keying into a locked garage door. He was wearing a large camping backpack ... More >>

Shannon Riley, social worker, had sex with client in the park

Shannon Riley pled guilty this week to felony sexual conduct for having sex with one of her clients at the park. Riley, 40, was entrusted with an adult man who had a "history of chemical dependency and past sexual abuse," according to the Hennepin County Attorney's Office. In early 2011, Riley too ... More >>

William Jacobs, ex-Parks chief and convicted child molester, disbarred

Convicted child molester William Jacobs agreed to disbarment yesterday, according to a press release issued by the Office of Lawyers Professional Responsibility. Jacobs, a former teacher and one-time Minneapolis Parks Police chief, pled guilty to molesting children last month and was sentenced to ... More >>

CeCe McDonald pleads guilty to lesser charge

Chrishaun "CeCe" McDonald, a transgender woman facing two second-degree murder charges, agreed to a plea deal in court today. McDonald pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter, which will carry a 41-month sentence. McDonald was accused of stabbing Dean Alvin Schmitz in the heart outside the S ... More >>

Duane Clark reported baby buried in his backyard to Crystal Police

​Police discovered the "majority of bones" of a 30 to 38-week-old baby boy after Duane Clark walked into the Crystal police station earlier this week and reported that there was a baby buried in his backyard. Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman held a press conference this afternoon to announce ... More >>

Police, prosecutors oppose bill easing "deadly force" requirements

​At a news conference yesterday, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said Minnesota prosecutors "unanimously oppose" a bill that would broaden the rights of property owners to use deadly force. The Minneapolis and St. Paul police chiefs along with representatives of chiefs from around the state ... More >>

Amy Senser still won't talk about hit-and-run

True Thai's chef killed roadside on I-94

Amy Senser charged with felony criminal vehicular homicide

Amy Senser's mugshot after her arrest this morning.​As the family of Anousone Phanthavong looked on, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman announced that his office is charging Amy Senser with felony criminal vehicular homicide. But the short, one-page criminal complaint yields far more questions ... More >>

How Minnesota became the second-highest state for mortgage fraud -- or not

This north Minneapolis house was one of the properties featured in a 2006 fraud scam.​Minnesota is either the second-best or second-worst place to hatch your mortgage fraud scam.The Mortgage Fraud Index came out yesterday morning and ranked Minnesota second-highest in the country for incidence of ... More >>

Aaron Boogaard charged in brother Derek's death [UPDATE]

Boogaard is facing two charges stemming from his brother's death.​Aaron Boogaard, the younger brother of beloved Minnesota Wild tough guy Derek Boogaard, has been charged for selling the drugs that are blamed for Derek's death.Boogaard, 24, is charged with the a third-degree controlled substance c ... More >>

Aaron Boogaard's charges explained by Hennepin County Attorney [VIDEO]

Aaron Boogaard is also being looked at by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement.​Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman held a press conference this afternoon to announce that his office has charged Aaron Boogaard with two crimes related to the overdose death of Derek Boogaard, a former Wild enforce ... More >>

Head shops sue Minnesota over synthetic pot ban

Is Minnesota's ban on synthetic pot unconstitutional? ​The war on synthetic drugs is far from over. A lawyer representing several head shops filed a lawsuit today against the state of Minnesota, alleging that a statewide ban on synthetic pot is unconstitutional and not supported by scientific ... More >>

James and Wendy Ober charged with massive, $10 million mortgage fraud

Hennepin County Attorney's OfficeThe Obers allegedly used these and other fake business identities written on the back of a cell phone.​Hennepin County prosecutors filed racketeering charges Tuesday against husband and wife real estate team James and Wendy Ober of Hudson, Wis., and two Minnesota m ... More >>

Police Chief Tim Dolan scorns "shoot first" bill: "Don't be naive"

Dolan: Don't shoot first.​All Republican Rep. Tony Cornish wants is for every Minnesotan to be able to shoot first and ask questions later if they find an intruder in their homes, and he's getting damned testy about the top cops from Minnesota's largest cities standing in his way. Why don't th ... More >>

Casey Michelle Walters charged in Guadalupe Galeno-Hernandez's shooting

Casey Michele Waletrs faces two felony counts.​Casey Walters, the woman accused of driving the car carrying a gunman who shot 12-year-old Guadalupe Galeno-Hernandez, has a Sureno 13 gang tattoo on her neck. She dates a Sureno 13 gangbanger. And the shooting took place as a result of gang confl ... More >>

Macarr Tyree Hill charged in Powderhorn Park assaults

Photo: Thirteen of ClubsPowderhorn Park residents are determined to keep their neighborhood safe.​While most of us were safe at home last Wednesday evening, getting ready for a long Thanksgiving weekend, three women were fighting off sexual assaults from a gang of teenage thugs in and near Pow ... More >>

"Please ID Me" buttons not OK at polls

Image by dbaird"Please ID Me" buttons aren't allowed here​Today a federal judge told tea partiers NO, they may not wear "Please I.D. Me" buttons to the polls. So if someone asks to see your photo ID, just give 'em the hand. And if they take your picture, take one right back. Minnesota election la ... More >>

Minnesota Majority sues for right to intimidate at the polls

Photo by debairdElection Integrity Watch wants to see your ID​A group of Tea-partying conservative activists is suing for the right to wear campaign slogans and intimidating buttons to polling places on Nov. 2. And oh yeah -- they just might ask to see your ID. So far, 7,390 people have signed up ... More >>

Metro Gang Strike Force criminal probe yields no charges

Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman​Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said today that there will be not a single criminal charge filed in the wake of his investigation into the now-disbanded Metro Gang Strike Force. He says his probe was stymied at every turn by its subjects, 29 of whom ... More >>

Ryedelle Reginald Loving arrested in Gilbert Jordan's murder

​Ryedelle Reginald Loving, a 21-year-old from Northeast Minneapolis, has been booked into the Hennepin County jail on probable cause murder in the death of Gilbert Jordan, the city's 30th homicide victim of the year. Minneapolis police Sgt. William Palmer said Loving was arrested at about 4 a. ... More >>

Gilbert Jordan is 30th Minneapolis homicide of the year

​The original call to Minneapolis police at 3:30 a.m. Sunday was for shots fired at the Old Colony gas station on Washington Avenue at West Broadway. But as Fourth Precinct officers made their way the scene, the call was upgraded to an actual shooting, and when they arrived, three men were dow ... More >>

R.T. Rybak hopes Project Exile can grapple with guns and homicides

​The Minneapolis homicide count keeps creeping up this year, 29 now compared to 19 total the year before. Sure, we're still 10 shy of the 39 in 2008, and a long, long way from 1995's Murderapolis mark of 99. But the current numbers are devastating families and neighborhoods, and feeding news h ... More >>

Daniel James Rick, accused rapist, knowingly spread HIV, charges Hennepin County

"He was just kind of rampantly going out trolling for sex," says the Hennepin County Attorney. "It's pretty despicable."

Wanner's Minneapolis Club child molestation hearing pushed off

Police say the Wayzata businessman was caught on videotape molesting a 10-year-old girl in the hot tub of the swank Minneapolis Club late last year.

Wanner makes court appearance in child molestation case

The Wayzata businessman is accused to molesting a 10-year-old girl at the Minneapolis Club.

Somali students to protest unsolved murders

A Somali group will protest tomorrow, after charges against one suspected murderer was dropped. Ten murders of Somalis remain unsolved, according to Somalis United Against Violence.

Wrestling legend Gagne won't face charges

Wrestling legend Verne Gagne's deadly assault on a fellow resident at the Bloomington care facility they lived in won't result in any criminal charges, the Hennepin County Attorney's office said today.

Former Ward 2 candidate supporters call for criminal charges

After a Minnesota Daily investigation revealed a Ward 2 candidate's campaign was based almost entirely on lies, his duped supporters and volunteers are calling him a fraud and want to see criminal charges filed against him.

ACORN alleged voter fraud hits Minnesota

Holly Collins returns after 14 years in hiding

The battered woman fled to Amsterdam with her children in defiance of a court order

Entenza: former AG candidate, future house husband

Addicted To Drug Court

The Good News and the Bad News: Hennepin County’s drug court has cleared court dockets and steered a lot of people toward treatment. It’s also allowed the county to push thousands more casual offenders into the corrections system.

Invisible Man

Jerry Janezich is staking his U.S. Senate campaign on a populist message and the DFL endorsement. But will any of that matter without TV ads?

Off Beat

Sue 'Em if You Got 'Em

Hennepin County leads the next round of tobacco litigation

Off Beat

Off Beat

The Junge and the Restless

DFL endorsement was su.pposed to catapult Ember Reichgott Junge to the top of the primary heap, but insiders say the AG candidate's campaign is sinking like a lead balloon

Stepping Out

Party Animus

With the outcome all but determined on the first ballot, last weekend's DFL convention in St. Cloud was about as civilized as a war could get

Stool Pigeon

Sure, he's got an unfortunate knack for running afoul of the law. But that's nothing compared to his talent for getting himself set free.

The First Cut

With lean budget times in the forecast, Hennepin County prepares to kill "optional" programs like sexual-violence prevention. But is it just a case of bad management?

Guv Groupies

A key hire by the Dayton campaign marks the start of the gubernatorial sweepstakes

Casualties of War

The feds are reportedly weighing a major drug offensive in Minneapolis.

The Dented Shield