Minnesota Court of Appeals Reverses Stearns County Man’s Convictions Due to Inaccurate Plea Agreement

(KNSI) – The Minnesota Court of Appeals has overturned a Stearns County man’s convictions following guilty pleas for drug sales, weapons violations and domestic assault after it was determined the plea was invalid.

In January of 2022, Andre Shyron Kidd pleaded guilty to second degree drug sale, unlawful possession of a firearm, and misdemeanor domestic assault as part of a global plea agreement in Stearns County District Court. A global plea agreement is an arrangement where a defendant pleads guilty to several charges across different cases, resolving all of them in one fell swoop. Several other charges were dismissed in the agreement, but at his sentencing hearing, Kidd pled guilty to a new charge of domestic assault by strangulation. Kidd was sentenced to nearly 16 years in prison.

For a plea to stand, it must be made accurately, intelligently, and voluntarily. For the accuracy to come into play, it must be supported by facts showing the defendant’s conduct, in this case, Kidd, must fall within the charge to which he pled guilty. He appealed, saying his plea for the drug offense was invalid because, during his discussion with the judge, he admitted to possessing over ten grams of cocaine, but he did not admit to selling ten grams or more of cocaine within a 90-day period, which is an essential element of the charge.

Because this case involved several charges and files that were resolved as part of a global plea agreement, everything has been reversed and remanded. The district court will have the opportunity to allow Kidd to withdraw his inaccurate plea and the state to withdraw from the agreement on the other charges and proceed with a new prosecution.

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