Cops and Courts Followup, Aug. 10

•  A Burnsville man previously arrested for malicious punishment of a child now faces additional charges for allegedly defrauding the state. Lance Tyrone Hart, 34, is accused with two counts of theft for wrongfully obtaining welfare benefits.

The first — a felony— is punishable by zero to five years in prison and a $3,000 to $10,000 fine.

According to the complaint, Hart improperly received almost $4,000 in benefits from February 2009 to July 2010. The arresting agency contends that Hart purposely underreported his income, stating that he was unemployed. During that time, Hart allegedly held three jobs on an intermittent basis, drawing a total of $7,524.99 from work.

To read about previous charges against Hart, click .

• Derrick Wallace Dahl, a man accused of inadvertently shooting his friend to death, will enter a plea at his next hearing on Aug. 15.  Dahl, 22, is charged with second-degree manslaughter, a felony weapon charge and two additional misdemeanor offenses, including intentionally pointing a gun at another person and recklessly handling a firearm.

On July 26, a Dakota County judge denied Dahl’s request for a public defender. On Aug. 2, Dahl was released from custody after posting a non-cash bond.

To read the original story click .

• Braden Craig Thompson has pleaded not guilty to a third-degree assault charge, a felony. In June, the 22-year-old Thompson allegedly scratched, beat and bit his male victim and gouged at his eyes during a party in Lakeville.

To read the original story, click .

Thompson entered a not guilty plea on July 18. That day he was also released on a conditional bond of $40,000. Thompson will not stand trial for the alleged offense until February of 2012.

In the meantime, Thompson faces separate charges in Winona County for allegedly ramming his Pontiac Grand Prix into a storage building while driving drunk and “parking awkwardly” inside the structure, according to a report from the Winona Daily News dating to April 2011.  Thompson and his passenger were injured, but fled the scene, only to be discovered later through identifying papers left in the car. Thompson is charged with leaving the scene of a personal injury accident, criminal vehicular operation and a fourth-degree DWI.

Thompson leaded not guilty to these charges on June 1. He faces trial for these charges this coming Monday.

• Two of three defendants arrested during a May sting operation have pleaded guilty to felony narcotics charges. Blanca Isabel Vazquez-Cortes, 32, Raul Perez Garcia, 53, and Salvador Zarate, 21 were arrested after authorities raided their Burnsville home last week and seized methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine and almost $30,000 in cash.

On July 19, Garcia pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree drug possession with intent to sell, a charge that carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine. Five other charges against him were dismissed.

In exchange, he agreed to testify against his codefendants. He was sentenced on the day of his plea to 42 months — a little less than four years — at the prison in St. Cloud.

On Aug. 1, Zarate followed suit. He will be sentenced on Sept. 23.

The lone holdout was Vazquez-Cortes, who pleaded not guilty on July 18. She has another omnibus hearing scheduled on Aug. 29. If she does not amend her plea, she will face a trial by jury on Jan. 30, 2012.