Pickleball Picks Up in Woodbury

The city administrator’s report provides updates of Woodbury’s courts.

The city administrator’s report for this week’s Woodbury City Council meeting outlines several updates for the city's pickleball courts. Pickleball is “like ping pong being played on a mini tennis court,” Woodbury resident Jim Propes told Patch for a fall 2011 story. Shawnee Park in Woodbury features the largest pickleball site in the state. Neighbors have previously lodged complaints with the city about the sounds of the game, according to a post on the Minnesota Public Radio website from last fall. Check out the video with this post for details on the game. Updates on the courts, via City Administrator Clint Gridley’s report: Portable pickleball courts will be added to the Ojibway Park hockey rink. Staff has ordered portable nets and …

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Woodbury Man Cleared in Alleged Road Rage Incident

His attorney previously said the alleged victim was the aggressor in the incident.

Officials have opted to dismiss the case against a Woodbury man accused of wielding a knife in a road rage incident. William Terence Bice, 27, was cleared of the felony charge in the “interests of justice,” according to a letter from the county attorney’s office provided to Patch by the defendant’s attorney. He was accused of threatening another man in a parking lot at the 7400 block of Currell Boulevard in Woodbury. His attorney, Murad M. Mohammad, of Mohammad, Schiks & Jaafar, has said the alleged victim was the aggressor in the incident, which happened in late January 2012.   Like Patch on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter | Sign up for our free newsletter

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Judge Galler: Do I Really Need a Lawyer?

Washington County District Court Judge Greg Galler discusses the question: "Is it worth spending money to hire a lawyer to represent you?"

Judges see a number of people who come to court “pro se.”  (Pro se means without an attorney.) Judges hear some interesting reasons as to why people aren’t represented by lawyers: “I’ve seen it on TV,” or “My cousin did his own case and did fine,” or “How hard could it be?” The main reason given is that it can be quite expensive to hire a lawyer. Is it worth spending money to hire a lawyer to represent you? Lawyers are highly educated and trained professionals whose job it is to look out for the interests of their clients. In addition to completing college, lawyers also graduated from law school. Law school involves three years of intensive study. Before being allowed to practice, lawyers must also pass the bar exam. The bar exam takes two…

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Fairness in Court: Judge Greg Galler

Is it really just a matter of winning or losing?

“That judge wasn’t fair.” My clients told me this as we walked out of a Ramsey County courtroom nearly 20 years ago. “What do you mean he wasn’t fair?” I asked. “He ruled against us,” they explained.   The case involved a fairly complicated legal issue and we were given nearly an hour for arguments.  Judge Roland Faricy was prepared and asked good questions. I had advised my clients ahead of time that the case could be decided either way.  My clients watched the entire hearing. In the end, although he ruled against us, the judge had been fair. Is it really just a matter of winning or losing? Most of the people who come to court understand that judges work hard to decide cases fairly based on the law and the evidence. However for some, like…

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Brief: Court Rules for Jimmie the Cat

The estate of late Woodbury resident Mary Ray was awarded $150 after a judge ruled that the impounded cat was killed too soon.

A Washington County judge on March 22 found that the Animal Humane Society euthanized Jimmie the cat before the required waiting period and awarded the estate of the animal’s former owner $150. Late Woodbury resident Mary Ray owned Jimmie(*) and left the cat, along with her estate, to Animal Ark, a Hastings-based no-kill animal shelter. Jimmie was euthanized in December 2011 after officials at the Humane Society spoke with Ray’s estranged daughter. But Animal Ark argued that Humane Society officials didn’t hold the cat as long as they were required to, and a judge agreed. “While the court finds that the Woodbury Police and Humane Society both acted reasonably and in good faith, given the unique facts of this case, the impound notice was …

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Court Upholds Civil Commitment For Would-Be Killer From Woodbury

Andrew James Busskohl, 22, planned to kill a Woodbury man in 2008.

Brief: Man Sentenced For Flashing Pistol At Party

The Woodbury 20-year-old was convicted after brandishing the weapon at a high school party last May.

A 20-year-old Woodbury man who brandished a pistol during a high school party last May has been convicted of recklessly displaying a handgun and possessing a pistol while under the influence. Jacob Scott Hanson was recently sentenced in Washington County District Court to a combined 455 days in jail (385 suspended) and three years of probation, along with other conditions, on the two counts. Witnesses told police that Hanson had been drinking and smoking marijuana at the party, which was attended by some Woodbury High School students, according to the criminal complaint. The party was at Hanson's home, on the 7200 block of Braemar Lane in Woodbury. Fearing for their safety, several people left the party soon after Hanson took out the …

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Repeat Offender Faces Drug Charges After Arrest In Woodbury

Maplewood resident Nathan David Walsh, 26, was hit with two counts of felony drug possession and another misdemeanor count for having brass knuckles.

A Maplewood man faces two felony drug charges after Woodbury police discovered that he had more than 4.5 ounces of a substance used to cut methamphetamine. Nathan David Walsh, 26, was recently charged in Washington County District Court with two counts of fifth-degree drug possession and one misdemeanor count of possessing brass knuckles. Authorities found that he had meth, cocaine, baggies and a scale in his possession. On April 12, a Woodbury officer on routine patrol near the Red Roof Inn ran the license plate of a vehicle registered to Walsh, who had several warrants out for his arrest, according to the criminal complaint. Police watched the vehicle until Walsh came out of a hotel room, and shortly thereafter a woman, identified as …

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Snapshot: Improvements At Woodbury’s Odawa Park

Trails at Odawa have been fixed up this summer, wrapping up a number of updates at the park in recent years.

Following a few years of improvements at Woodbury’s Odawa Park, the trails around its dual ponds have been fixed up this summer. The tennis court, basketball court and playground equipment at Odawa Park were updated in recent years. The trail improvements are "kind of tying all that together,” said Bob Klatt, Woodbury’s Parks and Recreation director. Odowa is one of the city’s older parks, Klatt said, and was built in the late 1960s or early ’70s. Last year the city did shoreline-restoration work at the park, and some benches and tables are being replaced or fixed up this summer. There aren’t any major trail reconstruction projects in Woodbury this summer, Klatt said. There are a few minor sections of trails—mostly along roadways—that will…

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Man Who Fled Woodbury Police Said He Didn’t Want To Go To Jail On Christmas Eve

The man allegedly stole more than $500 worth of DVDs.

A Woodbury man charged with fleeing police after allegedly stealing more than $500 worth of DVDs from Wal-Mart told authorities he ran because he didn’t want to go to jail on Christmas Eve. Joseph Tyler Briseno, 38, of Woodbury, was recently charged in Washington County District Court with fleeing a police offer, a felony, and a misdemeanor count of theft. A Woodbury police officer inside Wal-Mart on Dec. 24, 2010, saw Briseno leaving the store in a furtive manner and heard an employee yell, "That guy stole DVDs,” according to the criminal complaint. The officer identified himself and ran after the subject, who entered a black four-door sedan, jumped inside and sped off, according to the complaint. The officer made eye contact with the man…

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