Former Hennepin District judge given probation

A former Hennepin District Judge pleaded guilty Monday to stalking harassment for allegedly threatening a St. Louis Park boy last year.

Harvey Ginsberg will receive two years' probation, serve 30 days of sentence to service, pay a $900 fine, write a letter of apology to the boy and have no contact with him.

Ginsberg, 54, was originally charged with making terroristic threats and a misdemeanor fifth-degree assault charge before his lawyer, Hennepin County prosecutors and a judge reached a gross misdemeanor plea agreement.

On April 22, 2007, St. Louis Park police responded to a call from a boy who said he was playing in a park when Ginsberg allegedly drove up and got out of his car with a baseball bat.

Ginsberg hit the ground with a bat, saying, "You want to fight my son?" He swore at the boy and called him a "chicken," a criminal complaint said.

The boy was struck on the arm, the complaint said.

But Ginsberg's attorney, Fred Bruno, said Monday that felony charges weren't warranted because serious questions were raised about the use of a baseball bat and the credibility of the boy.

In 2004, the Minnesota Supreme Court removed Ginsberg from the Hennepin County bench after he had served for 13 years. He was already under suspension after being charged in two criminal cases and had not run for reelection that year.

The Supreme Court said Ginsberg suffered from three diagnosed mental illnesses that prevented him from functioning as a judge. He retired and now receives pension benefits.

"He's doing very well," Bruno said. "These last couple of years have been difficult for him, but he's back on the right path."