Defendant was convicted following bench trial in the District Court of violating city’s municipal ordinance, which prohibited residents from keeping junked or abandoned vehicles on their property for longer than 30 days without special use permit.
Defendant appealed. The Court of Appeals reversed. State petitioned for review, which the Supreme Court granted.
The Supreme Court of Minnesota held that:
- Court of Appeals was required to determine meaning of city’s municipal ordinance in order to determine whether defendant’s conviction was supported by sufficient evidence;
- City’s municipal ordinance did not require city to give notice of the vehicle to resident violating the ordinance;
- Defendant’s car was an “abandoned vehicle” under city’s municipal ordinance; and
- Defendant’s abandoned car was kept in her yard for longer than 30 days without special use permit in violation of city’s municipal ordinance.