Mary Moriarty, the officer-hating prosecutor?

When I first read that Mary Moriarty was running to become the next Hennepin County District Attorney, I got sick to my stomach. Thus far, she's been a disaster in high heels. Finally, we're finding proof that Ms. Moriarty hates police officers. Alpha News is reporting that "Chief Rutherford criticized Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty for the current controversy surrounding a use-of-force expert that was hired by her office to examine the Londregan case."

Here's the details of "Londregan case." On Feb. 26, 2024, Alpha News reported "Trooper Londregan, 27, had been on the job for a couple of years when in July, Ricky Cobb was pulled over by the Minnesota State Patrol. A trooper initiated a traffic stop and discovered that Cobb was wanted in Ramsey County in connection to a felony order for protection violation. Cobb refused to comply with orders to exit his vehicle, so one of the state troopers on scene opened Cobb’s door and tried to remove him."

This is what happened next:

However, Cobb put his vehicle in gear and attempted to drive away with the state trooper partially inside the vehicle. Londregan, who was on the passenger side of the car at the time, drew his firearm and shot Cobb. Video shows the trooper on the driver’s side was dragged by Cobb’s vehicle for a few feet before falling to the ground. Cobb died from the gunshot wounds.

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty charged Londregan with second-degree unintentional murder, second-degree manslaughter and first-degree assault.

First, Cobb attempted to disrupt a lawful arrest. Next, in his attempt to avoid getting arrested, Cobb put the vehicle into gear and tried driving away, putting the state trooper who initiated contact in danger of death or great bodily harm. This is where the hired expert comes into the story:

Alpha News previously reported that a court document filed by Londregan’s attorneys says Jeffrey Noble, the use-of-force expert selected by the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office (HCAO), told Moriarty that "a reasonable officer in Trooper Londregan’s position would have perceived that Trooper [Brett] Seide was in danger of death or great bodily harm, specifically from being dragged by the vehicle as it continued to accelerate."

Additionally, Noble reportedly "dismantled" various theories regarding Trooper Londregan’s fault in the case. In short, the defense attorneys summed up the situation by saying, "Noble, the HCAO’s handpicked expert, told the HCAO that Trooper Londregan committed no crime."

This news segment isn't helpful to the prosecution:

Moriarty's spokesperson said "The cherry-picked sentence excludes critical facts where the expert acknowledged information he would need to fully analyze the case."

Why didn't Moriarty provide that information so that the expert could fully analyze the case? Was Moriarty afraid to know the entire truth? Was Moriarty afraid that the truth might sink her chance of convicting Trooper Londregan? The MPPOA spoke out on this matter:

House Republicans are calling on Moriarty to resign:

Elected officials across Minnesota have called on Mary Moriarty to resign as Hennepin County Attorney in the wake of an unfolding controversy surrounding a use-of-force expert who was selected by her office.

According to a new court document, Moriarty selected and met with a use-of-force expert regarding her case against State Trooper Ryan Londregan, who is currently facing charges for a July 2023 incident in which the law enforcement officer shot and killed Ricky Cobb.

Cobb, a convicted felon, attempted to flee law enforcement in a vehicle while a state trooper was half-inside, half-outside the vehicle. In response, Londregan shot Cobb as his fellow state trooper was dragged for a short distance by Cobb’s vehicle.

The new court document filed by Londregan’s attorneys says Jeffrey Noble, the use-of-force expert selected by the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office (HCAO), told Moriarty that "a reasonable officer in Trooper Londregan’s position would have perceived that Trooper [Brett] Seide was in danger of death or great bodily harm, specifically from being dragged by the vehicle as it continued to accelerate."

It's time to put clear-thinking people in prosecutorial positions instead of putting police-hating, soft-on-crime prosecutors like Mary Moriarty in charge of district attorneys' offices. With prosecutors like her, it isn't surprising that police officers are leaving Twin Cities' police departments in droves. If the goal of these DAs is to hollow out police departments, they're doing a fine job of it