June 15th was World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. The Hennepin County Attorney's Office is stepping up its prosecution of crimes against the elderly in two key areas - financial exploitation and willful neglect.
Protecting Seniors from Financial Exploitation
The Hennepin County Attorney's Office is targeting fraudsters who take advantage of older Minnesotans. Seniors face a number of complicated legal and financial questions, which can create opportunities for scammers. To raise awareness of these issues, we have gathered tips to help prevent financial exploitation. One key safeguard is to discuss your options with a lawyer, financial planner and your family, keeping them informed of your wishes and decisions.
Felony Neglect Law Goes into Effect in August
During the 2012 legislative session, the top priority of the Hennepin County Attorney's Office was helping pass a bill that would make it a felony to willfully neglect vulnerable adults. A bipartisan coalition of advocates for the elderly, prosecutors, and legislators worked on this issue for many years. The bill was successfully passed and signed into law by Gov. Dayton in April. Starting in August, county attorneys will be able to bring felony charges against anyone who intentionally deprives a vulnerable adult of care and it results in substantial or great bodily harm to the vulnerable adult. With this statute, our prosecutors are better able to fight for those who are now longer able to protect themselves.
How to Get Help
If you think you or someone you know may be a victim, contact your local police department. You can also call the Hennepin County Attorney's Office Citizen Information help line at 612-348-5550 or the Minnesota Board on Aging's Senior LinkAge Line at 1-800-333-2433.
Celebrate National Night Out on Tuesday, August 7th
Each year the Hennepin County Attorney's Office participates in National Night Out. It's a night we look forward to and an opportunity to connect with community members s all over Hennepin County.
Staff visit community events and neighborhood block parties. They answer questions about the justice system and share crime prevention tips. If you would like someone to visit your event, please request a representative.
Obtaining Justice
Teenager Pleads Guilty to Shooting Death of Student
Malcolm Maghundi Jackson pleaded guilty to second-degree intentional murder in the June 1 shooting death of Trequan Sykes.
One block from home, Jackson saw some people on the porch of a house and wanted to avoid them because he had lost a fistfight with one of them, Sykes’ brother, two weeks earlier. Trequan Sykes was not at home at that time.
Jackson said he cut through an alley, where he ran into Trequan Sykes. They exchanged words, he testified, and then he “shot the gun once. And then I shot the gun again.”
Sentencing is 8:30 a.m. July 24. Jackson has no criminal record and is expected to be sentenced to the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines term of 306 months in prison.
“This is a tragic case,” said Tom Arneson, managing attorney for the Hennepin County Attorney’s Juvenile Prosecution Division. “One 16-year-old boy is dead and another 16-year-old boy is going to prison for a long time.”
Conviction in Sexual Assault Cold Case
Charlie Lewis, 49, was sentenced to 20 years in prison following his conviction in late March for first-degree criminal sexual conduct. The jury that convicted Lewis also found an aggravating factor, multiple penetration, which was the basis for the increased sentence under the guidelines.
On the evening of July 22, 2004, a woman was sitting in Farview Park in North Minneapolis after a bike ride when Lewis came up and began talking to her. Eventually, he started kissing her and when she resisted, he punched her in the face multiple times and raped her.
The case had gone cold until 2010, when the DNA evidence from the assault was compared to DNA from convicted felons and it matched Lewis.
Judge Finds Man Guilty of Murder
Lonnell Javey Powell, 23, of Minneapolis was found guilty of second-degree intentional murder. Powell waived a jury trial, opting for a bench trial before Hennepin County District Court Judge David Duffy.
On June 8 he was sentenced to prison for 439 months, which is the top of the range for second-degree murder under the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines.
Powell, also known as Lonnell Javay Thomas, and two other men, arrived at a party about 11 p.m. on Sept. 2 at a duplex in the 2500 block of Logan Ave. N. Shortly before midnight, an argument broke out between two men already at the house and Thomas and his friends. The argument turned into a fight, but the two men and the three women in the home were able to get the trio out of the duplex.
Powell and his friends went to a minivan parked in the street, retrieved a gun and Powell went back into the house and shot at the two men who had forced them out, killing Shabar Hildebran.
Guilty Plea in Attack on Northeast Man
Domonic Duran Connors pleaded guilty to a count of aiding and abetting second-degree assault against a northeast Minneapolis homeowner in May.
Connors was designated as Extended Jurisdiction Juvenile, meaning that he will be under juvenile court jurisdiction until he turns 21. As a result, if he violates any terms of his sentence, he could wind up doing 36 months in adult prison.
Judge Magill ordered Connors to report to the County Home School where he will be expected to complete the approximately six-month Short Term Adolescent Male Program Plus. Connors also is to have no contact with the homeowner and stay away from the area of 35th Avenue and Third Street Northeast.
Stash Jay Hanks Jr, 19, of Minneapolis and two other juveniles have been charged with two counts of assault in the case.
Prolific Burglar Put Away for 51 Months
Long-time burglar Charles Medgar Hall will not be bothering Minneapolis residents for several years after a judge sentenced him to 51 months in prison. This is the top sentence allowed under the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines for second degree burglary for someone with five prior felony convictions.
Many community impact statements were written by residents of the area where the 48-year-old Hall operated, including members of Court Watch groups. Three community members read their statements in court. Those statements stressed that burglaries made them feel less safe, forced them to add motion detectors and outdoor lights and caused them to worry about what they would find whenever they returned home.
Justice Done in Senser Sentencing
On July 9th Amy Senser was sentenced to 41 months in prison for the hit-and-run death of Anousone Phanthavong.
Judge Mabley called the sentence a deterrent and a warning to those who might flee the scene of an accident, referencing the dozens of hit-and-run deaths that occurred in Minnesota during the course of the trial.
Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman commented, "Justice was done." More information from the sentencing is available on our website.
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Pat Diamond appointed as a Ramsey County Judge; David Brown named Criminal Deputy
Hennepin County Attorney Criminal Deputy Pat Diamond was appointed to the Ramsey County bench by Governor Dayton. Although we will miss his leadership, we know Pat will continue to serve justice from the bench.
David Brown has been named the new Criminal Deputy. A graduate of the University of Minnesota Law School, he has been a prosecutor since 1987 and has worked in a number of prosecutorial divisions. Most recently he supervised the criminal appeals division and served as the office's representative at the legislature and with the Minnesota County Attorney's Association.
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