Grand Forks Criminal Law Blog

Dealing with criminal charges is difficult enough, but having to go through a criminal trial is even harder. The process is long and emotionally taxing, and the prosecution can be overbearing and relentless to get you to crack under pressure. There may seem like no hope.

However, with a strong defense, you may be able to obtain a better outcome than you expected. Part of that defense includes having a solid alibi, which is not as easy as it sounds. However, the latest tech fads have provided another means of backing up your whereabouts and timeline of events.

The statute of limitations is a very important concept within North Dakota criminal law. Although the length of time will vary from charge to charge, it protects individuals from being criminally prosecuted years or even decades after an alleged crime took place. Two nurses who were arrested and charged with drug crimes claim that their charges should be dropped because they fall outside the statute of limitations for the supposed crime. 

Authorities claim that the two hospice nurses stole medication from patients, provided less effective drugs to some and diluted certain medications. The alleged offenses supposedly went on from Dec. 2012 to Sept. 8, 2014. They were not charged until Aug. 31, 2017, which they argue falls outside the three-year statute of limitations in the case of felony offenses. 

It is a familiar image – a North Dakota police officer on the side of the road watching a driver complete a field sobriety test. The results of these tests are often instrumental in the filing of drunk driving charges, but how accurate are they really? Unlike other forms of testing, field sobriety tests are highly subjective and up to individual officer's discretion. 

A field sobriety test is actually comprised of three different physical tests. Drivers believed to be under the influence will be asked to perform a horizontal gaze test, walk a certain distance then turn back, and stand on one leg for a period of time. Officers use these tests to observe the balance, physical control and concentration of drivers. A good idea in theory, but less so in practice. 

A North Dakota teacher is accused of engaging in inappropriate behavior with minor students. Charged with multiple sex crimes, she quit her job teaching middle school science. She had apparently also been the subject of misconduct allegations at school before her arrest. 

Police were first made aware of the 37-year-old teacher's behavior sometime in June 2018. An anonymous tipper claimed that the teacher had engaged in sexual behavior with an underage student. When asked about the alleged relationship, the student denied that anything occurred. However, one of his friends told investigators that the teen had discussed the incident with him. Police again asked the teen, who apparently admitted that inappropriate behavior had occurred.