Posts Archive: Criminal Defenses

In a momentous decision, the Minnesota Pardon Board commuted the life sentence of Meshbesher & Spence client, Myon Burrell. Governor Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison authorized the Commissioner of Corrections to release Myon immediately.

Any lawyer worth their salt will acknowledge the importance of being an advocate for their client. In fact, according to Daniel Guerrero and Zachary Bauer, Meshbesher & Spence’s criminal defense team, it’s a major part of the job. In this roundtable discussion, both lawyers talk about what being an advocate means to them….

Driving Under the Influence (DUI) is a serious offense, costing drivers the ability to drive and work. In many cases, drivers are even be forced to pay hefty fines or serve jail time for a DUI arrest. Recently, Zach Bauer, a partner at Meshbesher & Spence in Rochester, Minnesota, spoke to a local radio station about the dangers of drinking and driving.
The Facts…

According to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety (DPS), more than 30,000 people are arrested for DWI in Minnesota every year. In 2013, drunk driving claimed the lives of 95 Minnesotans (10,076 nationally) as reported by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
Each of these cases is unique depending on the situation. Your responsibility while …

Having a basic understanding of the difference between a misdemeanor and a felony is a great first step to understanding the law.
In the state of Minnesota, criminal charges can be classified in one of the following categories (each one more severe than the next): petty misdemeanor, misdemeanor, gross misdemeanor, or felony.
Minnesota statutes define these ch…

On August 1st, a new DUI law took affect in Minnesota that tightens the restrictions on intoxicated drivers. The law brings a fundamental change for Minnesota drivers, making it more important than ever that they think before getting behind the wheel after drinking. Recently, Meshbesher & Spence’s Zach Bauer stopped by KROC FM to discuss what Minnesotans need to know about…

In the movies they make it all look so easy, an innocent man answers a handful of simple questions, all while hooked up to a polygraph machine. The polygraph test, administered by an expert, can confirm our hero is telling the truth about his innocence and is set free.
If only life were like the movies.
What is a polygraph test?
The truth is, no matter how r…

Internet crimes like identity theft and Internet fraud are on the rise as the use of the Internet and electronic communications have become more prevalent. Because of this, the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) has begun to crack down, increasing the number of investigations and prosecutions of Internet and cyber crimes in their
pursuit of Internet criminals….

The Minnesota State Supreme Court has made a new ruling involving the testing of blood and urine, allowing them to align with much of the rest of the country. In the summer of 2015, the Minnesota Supreme Court had ruled on warrantless breath tests, where law enforcement can conduct a breath sample as a tool in the incident of an arrest.
The new change states that urin…