Trooper in charge of suspended drug training program has bad track record
Minnesota State Patrol Sgt. Rick Munoz, state coordinator for a drug training program accused of distributing marijuana to the public, has a history of unprofessionalism. MPR News says Munoz may not be implicated in the alleged scandal but documents show the trooper has been reprimanded for belittling citizens, throwing people in jail for no reason and causing complete humiliation.
MPR tells April Carrillo's story when she was pulled over by Munoz while driving her boyfriend's sister home from the Mayo Clinic after two hip-replacement surgeries. Carillo had admitted to speeding but Munoz had her vehicle impounded after insisting her registration was fake. Her severely disabled passenger had to be carried to nearby gas station.
In Munoz' first year heading the Drug Recognition Evaluator program which trains law enforcement to detect drug impairment, a video was released by OccupyMN activists that claims officers were giving marijuana to members of the public.
The program was suspended in May while authorities investigate the claims. A charging decision by the Hennepin County Attorney's Office in that case could come as early as next week, the public radio station reports.
