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The Associated Press
Hastings, Minn.

Dakota County to resume collecting DNA from defendants

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A southeastern Minnesota sheriff's department will resume collecting DNA samples from people who have been charged with certain violent crimes but have not yet been convicted.

The move follows a recent Minnesota Supreme Court ruling that reversed an earlier order to stop the practice. The Supreme Court ruled Jan. 11 that Dakota County District Court exceeded its authority when it stopped Sheriff Tim Leslie and his department from collecting the DNA samples.

The Pioneer Press says in 2015, the department started taking DNA from defendants after a judge made a probable cause determination. The samples are sent to the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension for analysis and entered into a database.

The district court order resulted from a road rage incident in which a man was charged with assault. His attorney asked a judge to block DNA collection.