Hennepin County Attorney to present plan on youth car thefts

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File photo Mary Moriarty (FOX 9)

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty will present a new plan on Wednesday to help combat youth car thefts.

The former public defender is expected to focus on the growing problem of youth auto theft, making her case to the Minneapolis City Council about taking a different approach to preventing these types of crimes, which are rarely prosecuted.

According to data she plans to present, there were more than 9,700 car thefts in Hennepin County last year. However, only a fraction of those made it to prosecutors for a charging decision. The Hennepin County Attorney's Office says it can only charge cases that are presented by law enforcement, but investigators rarely have enough evidence to file charges.

She will be pitching her office's new youth diversion programs on Wednesday, including a collaboration with law enforcement to curb youth auto theft.

At the same time, Moriarty is facing criticism for charging a Minnesota State Trooper with murder. Since taking office just over 14 months ago, many have raised serious questions about the charging decisions in a number of high-profile cases.

Moriarty is responding to claims her office ignored expert testimony when filing murder charges against Trooper Ryan Londregan for the deadly traffic stop that killed Ricky Cobb II.

"We are committed to trying this case in a courtroom, which is where it belongs. The defense seems to be trying to make their case in the media. We are not going to be part of that," Moriarty said.

The trooper's attorneys claim a national use of force expert told prosecutors that the shooting may have been justified if Londregan thought his partner was in danger. But the defense says Moriarty's office ignored that information and charged the trooper anyway.

Londregan is now charged with murder, assault, and manslaughter in the deadly traffic stop last summer. The case heads back to court next week.