Generally speaking, there are timelines outlined by law governing when criminal offenses can be charged by the State of Minnesota. Those timelines are called the “statute of limitations” and they start running once the crime itself occurs. Crimes may have no statute of limitations or a statute of limitations of six, five, or three years.
Any crime that has not been listed in Part 1 (crimes without limitations periods), Part 2 (statute of limitations of six years), or Part 3 (statute of limitations of five years) has a statute of limitation of three years under Minnesota law. This means that the crime must be charged within three years of the offense. 1
As with all legal issues, there are many nuances to statute of limitations. If you are charged with a criminal offense or concerned charges may be forthcoming, reach out to one of our attorneys to discuss your options.
1 The limitations period excludes any time the defendant was not an inhabitant of or usually resident within Minnesota; any time the defendant participated under a written agreement in a pre-trial diversion program relating to the offense; and any time during which physical evidence was undergoing DNA analysis, provided there was no purposeful delay caused by law enforcement to gain an unfair advantage.