Connect with us

Minnesota

Bizarre Minnesota laws, including penalties for driving a filthy car, that will shock you

Published

on

Bizarre Minnesota laws, including penalties for driving a filthy car, that will shock you


Each state has its own set of laws that seem quite strange, and Minnesota is not exempt. 

Many bizarre laws that come out of states are fictional rumors that somehow spread with no evidence backing them. In Minnesota, this includes it being illegal to cross state lines with a duck on your head or parking an elephant on Main Street. Though, there are certain laws that are surprisingly true. 

Among Minnesota’s strangest laws include not being allowed to drive with dirty tires and the inability to be charged with drunkenness. 

Among Minnesota’s strangest laws include penalties for driving with dirty tires and trouble for mosquitoes. (iStock)

Advertisement

6 WEIRD BEACH LAWS AROUND THE UNITED STATES THAT MAY SURPRISE YOU

Below are more details about these strange laws and more that are on the books in the state of Minnesota. 

  1. You cannot be charged with drunkenness
  2. It’s against the law to drive with sticky, dirty tires
  3. Mosquitoes are a public nuisance
  4. Think twice before hitchhiking

1. You cannot be charged with drunkenness

In Minnesota, public intoxication alone is not a crime. 

This is according to Section 340A.902 of Minnesota law. 

The law states that “no person may be charged with or convicted of the offense of drunkenness or public drunkenness.”

50 BIZARRE LAWS THAT HAVE EXISTED OR STILL EXIST IN AMERICA

Advertisement

That said, a person could still be convicted of other offenses, like if injuring another or damaging property occurs. 

“Nothing herein prevents the prosecution and conviction of an intoxicated person for offenses other than drunkenness or public drunkenness nor does this section relieve a person from civil liability for an injury to persons or property caused by the person while intoxicated,” the written statute goes on to state. 

In the state of Minnesota, you cannot be charged with drunkenness. (iStock)

Minnesota is not the only state which does not consider public intoxication a crime.

BIZARRE LAWS IN CALIFORNIA THAT COULD GET YOU INTO TROUBLE

Advertisement

Montana, Nevada and Wisconsin are other states that don’t criminalize drunkenness in public, according to FindLaw.com. 

2. It’s against the law to drive with sticky, dirty tires

If you have dirty tires that are spreading filth in the road, be wary before driving down a road in Minnesota. More specifically, in Minnetonka, where driving with dirty tires could lead to legal trouble. 

Under Section 845.010, “Public Nuisances Affecting Peace, Safety and General Welfare” in Minnetonka, Minnesota’s Code of Ordinances, drivers are not allowed to drive “a truck or other vehicle whose wheels or tires deposit mud, dirt, sticky substances, litter or other material on any street or highway.” 

“A violation of this ordinance is subject to the penalties and provisions of Chapter XIII of the city code,” the law states. 

Make sure you give your tires a scrub before driving through Minnetonka, Minnesota. (iStock)

Advertisement

BIZARRE MICHIGAN LAWS THAT WOULD PUZZLE JUST ABOUT ANYONE, INCLUDING CONSEQUENCES FOR SEDUCING UNMARRIED WOMEN

3. Mosquitoes are a public nuisance

Minnesota is home to lots of mosquitoes, so much so that there is actually a law written about the insects. 

The law refers to areas where mosquitoes are in abundance. 

Section 18G.14 in part states that “areas where mosquitoes incubate or hatch are declared to be public nuisances and may be abated under this section. Mosquito abatement may be undertaken under this section anywhere in the state by any governmental unit.”

Areas full of mosquitoes are considered a public nuisance in Minnesota. (iStock)

Advertisement

WEIRD SOUTH CAROLINA LAWS THAT WILL SURPRISE YOU, INCLUDING THE RAMIFICATION OF BUYING SILVERWARE ON SUNDAYS

4. Think twice before hitchhiking

Think twice before trying to catch a ride by waiting on the side of the road in Minnesota. 

State statute 169.22 describes the act of hitchhiking as unlawful. 

“No person shall stand in a roadway for the purpose of soliciting a ride from the driver of any private vehicle,” the statute states. 

Minnesota is one state where hitchhiking is not allowed. (iStock)

Advertisement

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP 

Another section of this statute applies to solicitation of business. 

“No person shall stand on a roadway for the purpose of soliciting employment, business, or contributions from the occupant of any vehicle,” the statute states. 



Source link

Minnesota

Shorthanded Clippers can’t keep pace with Anthony Edwards and Minnesota

Published

on

Shorthanded Clippers can’t keep pace with Anthony Edwards and Minnesota


Anthony Edwards scored 31 points, Donte DiVincenzo added 18 and the surging Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Clippers 94-88 on Thursday night.

Jaden McDaniels and Ayo Dosunmu each scored 12 points and Rudy Gobert had 13 rebounds to help the Timberwolves improve to 5-1 since Feb. 9 and 3-1 since the All-Star break.

Edwards, returning to the site of the All-Star Game, where he was the MVP, was 12 for 24 from the floor and sealed the victory with a step-back three-pointer over two defenders for a 92-88 lead with 42.9 seconds left.

Advertisement

Minnesota improved to 2-0 on a three-game trip.

Derrick Jones Jr. scored 18 points and Bennedict Mathurin added 14 for the Clippers, who struggled from the outset with a season-low 38 points in the first half. Kris Dunn had 11 points for the Clippers (27-31), who have lost three consecutive games for the first time since December.

The Clippers struggled on offense without star Kawhi Leonard, out because of ankle soreness. The Clippers shot 40.5% from the floor, including 18.2% (four for 22) in the second quarter. Minnesota shot 43.4% in the game.

The Timberwolves (37-23) scored just 15 points in the second quarter and still topped the Clippers, who had 11. Minnesota led 44-38 at halftime behind 12 points from DiVincenzo and 11 from Edwards.

Advertisement

The Clippers led by six in the third quarter and were up 68-63 heading into the fourth. Edwards’ drive and reverse layup put the Timberwolves up for good at 76-74 with 7:40 remaining.

The Clippers pulled within one three times in the last 2½ minutes, but Edwards answered each time. He scored the Timberwolves’ last nine points.

Up next for Clippers: vs. New Orleans on Sunday night.

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading

Minnesota

Church congregant filed lawsuit against alleged Minnesota church protesters

Published

on

Church congregant filed lawsuit against alleged Minnesota church protesters


A St. Paul church member has filed a federal lawsuit alleging that a group of individuals, including journalist Don Lemon and activist Nekima Levy Armstrong, unlawfully disrupted service last month as part of a coordinated political demonstration.

The complaint, filed by Ann Doucette in the U.S. District Court of Minnesota, alleges that a Jan. 18 demonstration at Cities Church interfered with her ability to worship and caused her to suffer damages, including emotional distress and trauma.

In addition to the former CNN anchor and Armstrong, the complaint names journalist Georgia Fort and activists Will Kelly, Jerome Richardson, Trahern Crews and Jamael Lundy. It also names St. Paul school board member Chauntyll Allen.

Doucette and seven of the defendants did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Doucette filed the complaint without the representation of an attorney. In an emailed statement to NBC News, Crews denied the lawsuit’s allegations “with empathy and compassion.”

Advertisement

The lawsuit accuses the group of civil conspiracy, aiding and abetting, intentional infliction of emotional distress, interference with religious exercise and trespassing.

“As a result of Defendants’ actions, the worship service was disrupted, congregants experienced fear and distress, and Plaintiff’s ability to freely exercise her religion in a private place of worship was unlawfully interfered with,” the lawsuit states.

All eight defendants are also facing federal charges for conspiracy against the rights of religious freedom at a place of worship and for interfering with the exercise of the right of religious freedom. Lemon has pleaded not guilty to all charges, saying outside the court, “I wanted to say this isn’t just about me, this is about all journalists, especially in the United States.”

Fort, Crews and Lundy were released on bond and entered not guilty pleas, according to The Associated Press.

Don Lemon reporting from an anti-ICE demonstration at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minn.@TheDonLemonShow via YouTube

This is the latest legal action tied to protests in the Twin Cities, where tensions remain over the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown and the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.

Advertisement

According to the lawsuit, the demonstrators engaged in “coordinated conduct” by organizing meetings ahead of the “Operation Pullup” protest and promoting it on social media.

The lawsuit alleges that on the morning of Jan. 18, a coordinated group of individuals entered Cities Church, halting the worship service, and chanting “‘ICE Out!’ and ‘Hands Up, Don’t Shoot!’” while obstructing aisles. Protesters could allegedly be seen “confronting the pastor and congregants in a menacing manner,” the lawsuit says, noting that their chanting and “aggressive gestures” caused “severe emotional distress, fear, anxiety, and trauma” and caused children “terror.”

Demonstrators gathered at the church because they said its pastor, David Easterwood, was the acting director of an ICE field office in the city, the lawsuit says.

Lemon was arrested in January in California and accused of violating federal civil rights law after covering the protest on Jan. 18. He was released on a personal recognizance bond before a federal grand jury in Minnesota returned the indictment against Lemon and eight co-defendants, all of whom are also named in Doucette’s lawsuit.

Nekima Levy Armstrong, Cities Church protest arraignment, St. Paul, Minn., February 2026
Nekima Levy Armstrong in St. Paul, Minn., on Feb. 13.Carlos Gonzalez / Star Tribune via Getty Images

In the lawsuit, Doucette alleges that Lemon specifically livestreamed the protest, “noting congregants’ fear and distress, and appeared to take satisfaction in the disruption.”

Levy Armstrong, a Minneapolis-based civil rights attorney and activist, was also arrested for her participation in the St. Paul protest. Her arrest drew national attention after the White House shared on social media doctored photos where she appeared to be crying.

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading

Minnesota

Man arrested, charged with threatening to kill a state senator

Published

on

Man arrested, charged with threatening to kill a state senator



A Hubbard County man was arrested and charged after threatening to kill a Minnesota state senator on Facebook. 

Advertisement

Court documents filed on Wednesday state the Minnesota State Patrol were investigating a threat posted by John Tobias saying that he would “kill every one of you treasonous [expletive] immediately” if he did not get money back that he claims he lost during the 2020 COVID shutdown. 

Court documents go on to say that Tobias then called the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office asking for something to be done about “Minnesota Governor Tim Walz ‘unconstitutionally’ shutting down the state due to COVID-19. 

The Minnesota State Patrol contacted Hubbard County deputies regarding Tobias. Court documents state Hubbard County investigators were already familiar with Tobais after speaking with him regarding similar threats he made in Jan. 

The charging documents state that investigators searched Tobias’ residence on Tuesday and found an arsenal of guns and 45 boxes of ammunition. 

Tobias was taken into custody. During an interview with law enforcement, Tobias admitted to making the threat on Facebook. He also told investigators that “he did not have any intention of killing anyone, but admitted he was trying to get people’s attention,” according to court records. 

Advertisement

In late 2025, Lt. Col. Jeremy Geiger of the Minnesota State Patrol, who oversees Capitol security, told a panel of lawmakers that threats to lawmakers had doubled between 2024 and 2025. 

Tobias made his first court appearance Wednesday morning and is expected back in court early next month.  



Source link

Continue Reading

Trending