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A CLIENT’S FELONY CHARGES WERE DROPPED BY THE RAMSEY COUNTY ATTORNEY’S OFFICE TODAY.

The client was facing felony animal cruelty charges.  The charges stemmed from a falling out the client had with a former roommate.  The ex-roommate left behind a bunch of personal belongings, including a pet python snake.

After my client and his wife asked the ex-roommates to leave their house, the ex-roommate began threatening to kill my client and his family.  The ex-roommate’s threats were serious enough to compel my client to obtain a Harassment Restraining Order and Order for Protection against the former roommate.  My client and his wife also called St. Paul Police to make arrangements for the ex-roommates to pick up their belongings.

Arrangements were made for a specific date and time, but the former roommates came several hours after the agreed-upon time.  My client had placed the snake in its cage outside covered with a blanket.  Unfortunately, (or fortunately, depending on your view of snakes) the snake died before its owners came to pick it up.  The former roommates called the police to report the death of the snake.  As a result, my client ended up facing felony animal cruelty charges.

THE STATE ORIGINALLY OFFERED TO REDUCE THE CHARGE TO A MISDEMEANOR IF MY CLIENT PLED GUILTY.

We declined the offer and continued to challenge the charge.  After additional information was brought to the prosecutor’s attention, it was clear that my client never acted with intent to harm that snake.  In fact, given the circumstances, my client probably went above and beyond what most people would have done in his situation.  The felony charges were dropped at today’s court appearance.

THIS CHARGE PROBABLY SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN FILED AGAINST MY CLIENT IN THE FIRST PLACE.

After being retained, we started to gather all the information that led to the death of the snake.  Once this information was presented to the prosecutor, the felony charges were dropped.

HIRE ONE OF ST. PAUL’S BEST ATTORNEYS TODAY

If you or someone you know is facing criminal charges, call our St. Paul criminal defense lawyers today.  Our Minnesota criminal defense lawyers provide a free consultation.  If retained, our St. Paul criminal defense attorneys will prepare an aggressive defense.  Call today.

Author Photo John T. Arechigo, Esq.

Attorney John Arechigo has a passion for criminal defense in St. Paul, MN. John received his J.D., from Hamline University School of Law and also carries a Bachelor of Arts from, The University of Minnesota. John was named Attorney of the Year for 2019 by Minnesota Lawyer. Additionally, John was also named as a 2019 Rising Star and was selected to Minnesota Super Lawyers in 2021. He devotes nearly 100% of his practice to defending individuals charged with a crime.

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