State v. Hentges
Annotate this CaseAfter a jury trial, Defendant was found guilty of felony failure to pay child support. After Defendant filed his notice of appeal, the district court issued a warrant for Defendant’s arrest because Defendant failed to appear for a hearing on an alleged probation violation. The State moved to dismiss Defendant’s appeal on the ground that he was a fugitive who had forfeited his right to an appeal. The court of appeals denied the motion on the grounds that Minnesota has not yet adopted the fugitive-dismissal rule. On review, the Supreme Court adopted the fugitive-dismissal rule, holding that appellate courts have the discretion to dismiss an appeal brought by a fugitive. The Court then reversed and directed the court of appeals to dismiss Defendant’s appeal if he did not surrender within ten days, holding that Defendant was a fugitive and his status as a fugitive granted an appellate court the discretionary authority to dismiss his appeal.
Some case metadata and case summaries were written with the help of AI, which can produce inaccuracies. You should read the full case before relying on it for legal research purposes.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.