Lori Christensen, the so-called "neighbor from hell" alleged to have criminally harassed a family across her White Bear Lake cul-de-sac, should have been allowed to change her mind after pleading guilty last year to violating a restraining order, the Minnesota Court of Appeals ruled Monday.
"We conclude that the guilty plea is invalid because there is not a sufficient factual basis for the conclusion that Christensen violated the harassment restraining order," Judge Matthew Johnson wrote on behalf of the three-judge panel.
Charged with two counts of aggravated stalking and a count of violating a restraining order, Christensen pleaded guilty in July 2013 to the latter charge. But the following month, before she was sentenced, she moved to withdraw the guilty plea. Ramsey County District Court denied her motion, and she appealed.
The case will now return to the district court.
