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MPPOA files ethics complaint against Moriarty in Londregan case
The Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association accuses Mary Moriarty of misconduct in pursuing murder charges in the shooting death of Ricky Cobb II.
MINNEAPOLIS — A law enforcement organization has filed an ethics complaint against Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty, accusing her of misconduct in pursuit of murder charges against a state trooper in the death of Ricky Cobb II.
The Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association (MPPOA) officially filed the complaint July 16 with the Minnesota Lawyers Professional Responsibility Board. In the complaint, MPPOA Executive Director Brian Peters and attorney Jim Schultz allege that while building her prosecution of trooper Ryan Londregan, Moriarty:
- Knowingly made false statements about the case
- Made public “extrajudicial statements” in an effort to prejudice potential jury members
- Undermined the administration of justice by lying, disregarding key facts and engaging in conduct that was politically motivated.
“Moriarty’s obviously unethical conduct can be explained only by a desire to prosecute a peace officer – regardless of the facts – to achieve political ends,” Peters alleged in a released statement. “Moriarty admitted that even the decision to finally dismiss this case was based on her preferred policy goals, and not in the interests of justice.”
“Mary Moriarty’s conduct in this case was reprehensible,” Schultz added. “She must be held accountable.”
The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office charged Londregan with second-degree murder following the fatal shooting of Cobb on the shoulder of I-94 early the morning of July 31, 2023, despite the trooper’s claims that Cobb was reaching for his department-issued firearm. She was widely criticized by law enforcement groups and even Gov. Tim Walz for pursuing the prosecution, with opinions supporting Londregan’s position that his use of force was authorized by state law.
After hiring a Washington D.C. – based law firm to prosecute the case for her office – at a cost of at least $1 million – Moriarty announced in early June of 2024 that she was dropping charges, insisting it was a legal decision and not an exoneration of Londregan or those who trained him. She singled out the MPPOA, accusing the organization of bullying behavior and painting Londregan as the victim instead of Cobb.
The Minnesota Lawyers Professional Responsibility Board is responsible for handling complaints of unprofessional conduct against Minnesota lawyers and investigating and prosecuting complaints that warrant professional discipline.
KARE 11 has contacted Moriarty’s office for comment on the ethics complaint and will share their response when one is made available.
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The episode also revealed three of the new cast members, one of whom, “Alex,” told Lachey Minneapolis is “not like a major city, but it’s also not a small town,” which he said is just one of the obstacles in his way of finding the one.
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Gary Peterson and his friends are collecting donations to help people in their community.
ST. LOUIS PARK, Minn. — A St. Louis Park pumpkin display is raising money for their local food shelf.
Gary Peterson started carving and painting three pumpkins over a decade ago. It’s now grown to over 100.
“I’ve heard people say they’ve come from Hutchinson,” he said.
Peterson along with two of his neighbors have spent the last 14 years growing their display, turning it into a neighborhood event.
“It’s been incredible, I just can’t believe how much this has expanded,” he said. “We did it just because we like to and then people were asking to give us money to cover the cost.”
The trio refused to take people’s money, but then one of them had an idea.
“My neighbor, Steve Leensvaart, just mentioned how about we just do it for the STEP program and the STEP program is our local food shelf in St. Louis Park,” he said.
So, they started to collect donations to help families in need. They’ve raised hundreds of dollars and donated hundreds of pounds of food over the last few years, carving for a cause.
“It is more gratifying every year,” Peterson said.
He estimated they have over 100 unique pumpkins in their yard. They’ve created the displays and come up with new family-friendly concepts for people to enjoy. Peterson said about 30 of their neighbors carved their own pumpkins to be put on display, and it’s been a big hit.
“It’s great. In the last couple of years, it’s turned into more of a neighborhood event,” said Sarah Durch.
“We love this Halloween display, we come every year to see it. We love that the whole community gets involved to craft and carve the pumpkins,” said Jami Gordon-Smith.
“The shading and the details are unbelievable,” said Elizabeth Hanson.
Hanson hopes to take her 2-year-old son trick or treating for the first time but is worried the cold temperatures might keep them indoors.
“We’re going trick or treating hopefully,” she said. “He’s going to be a firefighter, but we’re probably going to have sweatshirts maybe like two pairs of sweatpants underneath. We’re going to be bundled up.”
Gordon-Smith said her family will be out Halloween night no matter the weather.
“Halloween only comes once a year, so you really have to take advantage and enjoy the evening no matter what the weather brings,” she said. “Guess it’s not totally unheard of in Minnesota to have a cold Halloween, but we are going to try and modify and do a lot of layers underneath our costumes and then we might add some hats and maybe some warmer socks.”
Durch also isn’t surprised they’re in for another chilly night.
“Well, what would Halloween be without Minnesota cold? I feel like every time you plan a costume you have to plan for how you can make this work if it’s snowing,” she said.
Peterson said they will have a bonfire and some hot chocolate and cider on Halloween to keep trick-or-treaters warm while they look at their pumpkins.
Click here to learn where you can see the pumpkins and how you can donate.
