Prosecutors: Eden Prairie detective lied about search warrant, cases reopened
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office announced Friday that it is dismissing several convictions after discovering an Eden Prairie Police Department detective lied about obtaining a search warrant in a recent drug investigation.
The Eden Prairie Police Department named Detective Travis Serafin its top police officer in 2011. Now, he is accused of lying and essentially falsifying a search warrant, forcing prosecutors to toss out his entire body of work.
Eden Prairie Police Detective Travis Serafin.
The suspect was charged with drug possession and third-degree murder for selling the drugs that lead to another person’s death. The murder charge was later dismissed in a plea agreement in which he pleaded guilty to a drug charge. He was sentenced to six years in prison.
However, the officers did not have a warrant to search the vehicle. Rather than acknowledging that, Serafin falsified documents and allegedly lied about it at a hearing.
A judge flagged Serafin’s actions. Hennepin County prosecutors believe they have to do the right thing and toss out all of his cases.
Thirty cases have been dismissed or are in the process of being dismissed because Serafin was a critical witness. In 11 additional cases where he was a peripheral witness, the defense lawyers have been contacted.
Of those cases, three of them involved men who are in prison.
The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office has sent the case to McLeod County for possible criminal charges against Serafin. The Eden Prairie Police Department said an administrative investigation is underway.
“The Eden Prairie Police Department holds officers to extremely high ethical standards,” the department said in a statement. “The Department also affords officers time for due process if their actions are called into question.”
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Well here we go again, all the hard and honest work undone by another cop doing dirt just to win when it should have been the integrity that wins.
I post some of these bad / racist cop articles because these are reminders to those whose lives are not effected that these type of "professionals " take away from the work of the good guys. And also pointing out that some citizens are effected for the rest of there lives by this failure of proper conduct by those tasked to do so.
And there are enough stories where even i disregard the suspects claim of being railroaded or targeted and then i have to admit. situations like this are happening more and more and it is just so sad because in the end, those citizens (some decent folks and some not) still had there lives turned upside down because we believe cops can do no wrong but clearly they can.
So i get the social movement to make sure good cops exist and bad / racist cops can be exposed and pushed out or fired.
As they say " who needs enemies when these are supposed to be your friends. Sometimes i just got to shake my head.