Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Todd County public commenter urges stronger checks before charging and enforcement of illegal roadside advertising
Summary
At the Feb. 4 Todd County Board of Commissioners meeting, resident Sharon Cutter urged the board to require stronger evidentiary checks before prosecutors file charges and asked the county to enforce Minnesota Statute 160.2715 on illegally posted signs in road rights-of-way.
Sharon Cutter, a resident who identified herself as representing Grama Eagle, used the meeting's public-comment period to say she was the target of felony charges that were later dismissed and expunged and to press the board for changes.
Cutter said an assistant Todd County attorney used the term “confusion” at her expungement hearing and asked the county to adopt policies, procedures and training to ensure people encountered by law enforcement are treated “with dignity and respect” and that factual verification occur before charges are filed. She asked specifically that the county enforce Minnesota Statute 160.2715, which she said governs illegal advertising in rights-of-way.
Cutter told the board that illegal signs often appear under stop signs and at intersections in Todd County and called the practice a traffic-safety issue and an improper exploitation of taxpayer-funded property for personal profit. She suggested fines as a cost-effective enforcement tool and said that, on the county website, the county attorney’s office is listed as having responsibility for the prosecution of misdemeanors and gross misdemeanors.
The board acknowledged her comments and said they would keep her remarks as part of the public record.
Why it matters: Cutter framed her requests as protections for people who may lack resources to defend themselves and called for clearer enforcement and training to prevent erroneous criminal filings and longstanding illegal roadside advertising.
What the record shows: Cutter said the charges against her were dismissed and expunged; the board did not announce any immediate policy or enforcement action in response during the meeting.
Ending: Cutter recommended the board and law-enforcement officials read Bryan Stevenson’s Just Mercy, and closed by repeating her request that the county adopt policies and training to prevent similar harms to other residents.
