Mike Brandt’s client was charged with violating an Order for Protection (OFP) from the City of St. Paul. The charges stemmed from an innocent email that Mike’s client had sent to the alleged victim when Mike’s client had received paperwork regarding the Order for Protection. Mike’s client works in a field a conviction of a Violation of an OFP would cause him to lose his job. Additionally, it would show up on a background check, affecting future jobs, and it is an enhanceable offense, and could have required two days of probation.
In preparing the case, Mike obtained documentation showing that the email that his client sent was a reaction to what his client thought were divorce papers being served on him. Mike provided this information to the prosecutor, along with other information showing that his client had never been in trouble before and had taken some affirmative steps to show that he did not have any domestic abuse issues. Mike also pointed out to the prosecutor that if the case did go to trial, he would raise the defense that this was not an intentional violation of the order, as the email was sent thinking the papers served were divorce papers.
Based upon all of the information, the prosecutor agreed to dismiss the charge against Mike’s client. This type of resolution is the result of investigation, knowledge of the law, and a willingness to take the case to trial—the attack that Brandt Kettwick Defense takes on every case we represent.