Court Dismisses Rice County Attorney's Appeal in Pedestrian Death Case

Rice County Attorney Paul Beaumaster's arguments regarding the dismissal of charges against a Northfield man accused of criminal vehicular homicide in the 2012 death of a rural Northfield woman were rejected by a state appeals court Monday, according to the Northfield News.

As previously reported by Patch, Waseca County Judge Larry Collins dismissed a Rice County grand jury’s indictment of against Northfield resident Michael Wayne Moreland earlier this year, siting that prosecutors had failed to properly instruct the jury.

Moreland, 56, was the driver of a vehicle that struck Kimberly Motzko while she was walking her dogs along 80th Street in Webster Township the morning of July 26, 2012. Motzko later died at Hennepin County Medical Center.

According to Northfield News, the State Court of Appeals panel of judges found Beaumaster's argument failed to meet the “critical impact” test of showing how a dismissal would negatively affect the county’s ability to successfully prosecute the crime should it seek a new indictment.

The court's decision could open the door for a new indictment, the paper reported.

Read the full story here.

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