Courts Grant Second Extension, Plea Bargain Pending In Bjerknes Federal Case

Brandon Bjerknes

Federal Court documents filed on Wednesday show that the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota has granted an indictment filing extension in the case of former Bemidji Middle School assistant principal Brandon Bjerknes. Federal court documents show that prosecution is preparing a plea bargain for the case.

Bjerknes is charged with federal sex crimes including child pornography. Bjerknes, 34, also faces multiple charges at a state level for engaging in electronic communication relating or describing sexual conduct with a child.

On June 13, a joint motion between Bjerknes’ defense attorney and the U.S. Attorney Angela Munoz-Kaphing was filed to extend the Government’s indictment deadline. Both sides signed off on the motion on Wednesday, so the indictment must be filed by August 28, 2017.

On May 30, Bjerknes was arrested on a federal complaint in Beltrami County. He has since been detained at a halfway house under 24-hour lockdown.

It was agreed that an additional 30-day extension to bring the matter before a grand jury would best serve all parties involved in the case.

U.S. Attorneys provided Bjerknes with early discovery disclosures on August 4, and is currently preparing a plea bargain

According to court documents both parties agreed that a plea bargain would save substantial resources while allowing the defendant to promptly resolve the matter and reduce his potential consequences.

Bjerknes has been consulted about the extension and agrees that any period of delay is excluded from the calculation of time under the Speedy Trail Act.

Lakeland News has requested comment from the U.S. District Attorney’s Office.