I wish to clarify a couple of points in a recent Brainerd Dispatch article about James Hunter's trials.
Concerning the theft by swindle accusation, the jury found Mr. Hunter not guilty in June after a brief deliberation. The accusations in the complaint, often quoted by the media, were not accepted by the jury. Mr. McCartan, the claimed victim, never paid Mr. Hunter and was not swindled out of anything. He was upset his wife left him and looking for someone to blame. He found receptive ears in the leadership of Crosby's police department who had their own reasons for wanting Mr. Hunter out of the way, as mayor, he was asking tough questions about how the police department was being run.
In the assault trial, which concluded last month, Mr. Hunter was charged with assault for putting his hand on a pistol which he legally owned, in his vehicle, parked on his property, after he was confronted by two intoxicated individuals. Lieutenant Randolph chose to not interview a key witness who was at the scene, and whose account contradicted that of the claimed victim.
This witness testified to the jury that Mr. Hunter's gun never left its holster during the incident in question and that prior to their encounter with Mr. Hunter he and Nicholas McCartan had been drinking alcohol. He had shared a 12 pack of beer with Mr. McCartan at a private residence and the two men encountered Mr. Hunter on his property after spending time together at a bar. The jury in this matter returned a not guilty verdict after a very brief deliberation In both cases, the leadership of the Crosby Police Department pursued biased investigations with a preconceived agenda, instead of looking for the truth.
Ed Shaw
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Brainerd
Shaw, a Brainerd-based attorney, represented Hunter in his criminal cases
