State of Minnesota v. Angela Brown case set for Dismissal

MADISON, Minn. - April 17, 2015 - PRLog -- On April 17, 2015 the State of Minnesota and Angela Brown filed a Petition with the Lac Qui Parle County Court requesting that the remaining charge in this case be Continued for Dismissal for a period of 90 days. Jury selection in the case was scheduled to begin next week. The Petition requires Mrs. Brown to pay $100 in court costs and the case will be dismissed after the 90 days expire. Mrs. Brown is not admitting to the facts or pleading guilty to any of the charges alleged in the complaint.

Mr. Hughes and Mrs. Brown were looking forward to presenting their case to the jury and showing that the child was not endangered, but actually helped by the actions of his mother. However, this resolution allows the matter to come to a conclusion and not subject Mrs. Brown’s son and family to anymore hardship caused by the criminal proceedings. The family has incurred a tremendous amount of medical bills related to the child’s treatment because of the emotional trauma caused by the criminal prosecution of his mother. This case has brought a great deal of stress to this working class family and to a child who was already suffering from a traumatic brain injury.

The State had threatened to subpoena the child and force him to testify against his mother at trial. Retired criminal defense attorney Joe Parise agreed to represent the child in the event the government subpoenaed him. Attorney Thomas Gallagher also volunteered to represent the child. These dedicated advocates were prepared to litigate the subpoena issue and offer medical witnesses regarding how detrimental testifying in this case would be to the emotional well-being of the child. This issue alone would have required significant motions and hearings before the trial could have begun. There was a real possibility that the child could have been forced to testify.

This resolution obtains the ultimate goal, which was to get the charges against Mrs. Brown dismissed. It does so without the intense legal wrangling and scrutiny over the child’s testimony and the uncertain outcome of a jury trial. As Mr. Hughes summed it up:

“We were ready for a dog fight. I am very emotional about this case on several levels and have been preparing for this battle since taking the case. At the end of the day all the charges originally brought against my client will be dismissed. I see this as a victory and a positive outcome. Still, what this family has endured is just another sad example of how cannabis prohibition negatively impacts our society.”

The Court will review this Petition and if it approves the agreement and upon receipt, our office will forward a copy of the signed Petition and Order from the Court.

Any inquiries about the case can be made through Hughes Law:

contact@mrhugheslaw.com

Phone: 541-408-9884

1133 NW Wall Street, Suite 202

Bend, OR 97701