The “Stay at Home” order has been in effect for almost two weeks, and despite some outliers, it certainly appears that the vast majority of Minnesotans are taking the situation seriously and practicing good social distancing habits. Recently we heard that police were going to be pretty lax about enforcing Governor Tim Walz’ order, as their focus would be on education as opposed to getting their message across with citations, but it appears that a few Minnesotans needed to learn their lesson the hard way.
As of yesterday, eight individuals have been charged for violating the Governor’s order. The first citation was issued in Faribault County, and two citations have been issued in Dakota County. The other counties who have assessed citations are:
- Hennepin
- Ramsey
- Washington
- Traverse
- Mille Lacs
A violation of the stay at home order is considered a misdemeanor offense, punishable by up to 90 days in jail and fines up to $1,000.
What Were These People Doing?
Here’s a look at what some of the individuals were doing at the time of their citation:
Ramsey – Mahmoud Mohammed Salit was cited for continuing to operate his tobacco store despite not being declared an essential service.
Dakota – Two citizens were cited after police responded to a call about someone shooting paintballs at a residence. Both individuals were cited for a violation of the stay at home order, and one individual received additional charges for their paintball-related actions.
Washington – A woman was cited after police caught her driving on a cancelled license.
Although only eight citations have been issued, police noted that they’ve been receiving multiple calls from concerned citizens about others who may be breaking the stay at home order. One sheriff mentioned that he’s gotten numerous calls about people still using basketball courts at some parks, which concerns him due to the nature of the activity. New signs have been posted at Ramsey County parks, but police say that if those don’t work, they’ll just remove the hoops.
“We hope we don’t have to take that measure but if we really want to stop the spread of this contagion we can’t be having basketball games,” said Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher.
If you or someone you know has been cited and wants to contest the ticket, or you need help with a completely different legal issue, please reach out to Avery and the team at Appelman Law Firm today for a free legal consultation.
