Beltrami County Attorney Argues Case Before Minnesota Supreme Court

A Beltrami County Attorney argued a case before the Minnesota Supreme Court on Monday centering on a DWI that happened on the Red Lake reservation in 2017.

According to a press release from David Hanson, the case will have “broad implications for both Beltrami County and the Red Lake Nation.”

The defendant in the case, who had 13 prior DWIs and is currently in prison for this offense, is arguing that because the Red Lake Police Officer who stopped him was not licensed by the State of Minnesota, all of the evidence should be suppressed and his conviction should be overturned.

According to the release, Hanson argued that because Red Lake is a sovereign nation, they have the right to expel people who disturb the peace from their reservation. The defendant in this case was not a member of the Red Lake Nation, and the Red Lake Officer who stopped him merely brought him to the reservation line and handed him over to the Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office for arrest and subsequent prosecution.

The Supreme Court will issue a decision in the coming weeks.