A tobacco shop owner and a suspected drunken driver are among six people newly charged with violating Gov. Tim Walz's COVID-19 executive orders.
A total of 67 cases have been charged since March for violating Walz's orders requiring Minnesotans to stay home, and for restaurants and bars to suspend dine-in service.
The stay-at-home order also prohibited nonessential businesses from operating. On April 30, Walz extended the order until May 18, allowing previously shuttered retailers to begin curbside or delivery services this month.
The charge is a misdemeanor punishable by up to 90 days in jail and a maximum fine of $1,000.
Some of the new cases — and several previous cases — included instances where the violation was tacked onto other offenses or more serious charges, a practice criticized by the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota and the Legal Rights Center.
Here are the six new cases, according to charges:
• Eagan police received a call on April 22 that United Tobacco & Vape was open. Police saw four people walk to the back of the store. They later told police they had received a text message from the store. The store owner, a Fridley man, was charged. Tobacco shops had been ordered to close.
"Defendant stated he was frustrated with being one of the only closed businesses and did not think it was fair," the charges said.
