Recent criminal charges were filed in Minnesota against a 21-year-old man. As in all criminal cases, filing charges is a first step in the process of adjudication. Much can happen in between the time of arrest and a trial that can help a defendant mitigate his or her circumstances. In fact, some cases never even make it to trial when a judge decides there is not enough evidence to proceed.
Recent arrest took place following incident in a parking garage
The 21-year-old man who is charged with a violent crime is said to have been in a parking garage on a recent Tuesday. Police never saw the man in question in the parking garage. However, they were dispatched to the sixth level of the building where they discovered a man with a stab wound sitting on the ground. The man reportedly identified the defendant in a police line-up.
Injured man told police there had been a fight
Police say that the man who was sitting on the ground near a blood-stained parking garage wall told them he had been involved in an altercation with the man who was later arrested. He said that the defendant had accused him of stealing a bicycle, and he punched the defendant in self-defense, although the defendant had not assaulted him in any way. The man said that, after he threw the first punch, the defendant stabbed him.
Investigations like this often take weeks or months to resolve
The defendant in this case has denied stabbing the man in the parking garage. In fact, he has also told police that he does not even own a knife. It is not the first time this particular defendant has been in trouble with the law, however. In such cases, it is helpful to consult with an experienced criminal defense attorney because there may be several options or recommendations available to help mitigate one’s circumstances.
