A St. Cloud man accused of randomly firing a gun around Rochester, kidnapping a man, and shooting himself in the arm while trying to shoot his dog returned to court Monday to challenge evidence gathered by authorities.
Olmsted County District Court Judge Jodi Williamson ordered that a contested omnibus hearing be held in early September for Jordan Mitchell Blevins, 29, who has been charged with six felonies and one gross misdemeanor for the alleged April 14, 2010 crime spree.
Blevins replaced his public defender in February with a privately retained attorney, Zachary Bauer. The public defender had waived a pre-trial omnibus hearing at which evidence could be challenged, but Bauer successfully requested on Monday that the hearing be scheduled.
In a court filing, Bauer said that he will seek the suppression of a statement Blevins made to investigators because they allegedly failed to provide him with a valid Miranda warning. Bauer also sought suppression of all evidence obtained from a search of Blevins' vehicle.
The search was conducted at 9:30 a.m., Bauer said in court Monday, but the search warrant wasn't issued until that afternoon.
ADVERTISEMENT
Olmsted County Attorney Office prosecutor Richard Jackson said he has found no flaws in the investigation.
According to the complaint, Blevins became agitated after drinking at a bar to celebrate his birthday, pulling a shotgun from a vehicle in which he was riding and firing at houses as he was driven around town. He then allegedly kidnapped a man after demanding money from him, at one point forcing the victim into a sword fight.
Blevins' dog left the house, and Blevins reportedly told the kidnapping victim to drive him around and find the dog. Blevins shot himself in the arm after holding the gun under the dog's chin, and the kidnapping victim dropped Blevins off at Saint Marys Hospital, the complaint says.
A date wasn't set for the omnibus hearing Monday, but Williamson said she wanted the hearing to be held the week of September 5 or 12 so Blevins' trial could continue as scheduled.
Blevins has a pre-trial hearing scheduled for Sept. 29 and a jury trial set to start on Oct. 24.
