# Potter case *Minnesota prosecution of Officer Potter, convicted of manslaughter in December 2021 and sentenced in February 2022.* The Potter case is a Minnesota criminal prosecution of a police officer identified in the sentencing record as "Officer Potter." According to ABC News, Potter was convicted on December 23, 2021, of first- and second-degree manslaughter after roughly four days of deliberation.[^1] On February 18, 2022, Judge Regina Chu sentenced Potter to 24 months: 16 in prison and 8 on supervised release. The State had requested 86 months. Chu described the sentence as "a significant downward departure."[^1] Two Minnesota Attorney General's Office communications mark how the prosecution reached that sentence. The first, dated May 21, 2021, dates the handoff of the case. FOX 9 and KARE 11 reported that the lead Washington County prosecutor resigned three days later.[^2] The second, dated September 2, 2021, is the charging instrument that sets the baseline from which the sentence departed.[^3] ABC News reporting summarized the sequence this way: the case was moved twice and upgraded once.[^1] ## What Potter was convicted of first- and second-degree manslaughter.[^1] At sentencing, Chu called the matter "one of the saddest cases" of her twenty years on the bench. She also said: "Officer Potter made a mistake that ended tragically, but she never intended to hurt anyone."[^1] The term imposed was below the State's request of 86 months. The court characterized it as a downward departure.[^1] The State's baseline is the charging instrument issued through the Attorney General's Office on September 2, 2021.[^3] ## When - **May 21, 2021**: A Minnesota Attorney General's Office communication dates the handoff of the prosecution.[^2] - **Three days after the handoff**: FOX 9 and KARE 11 reported the resignation of the lead Washington County prosecutor.[^2] - **September 2, 2021**: The Attorney General's Office issued the charging communication that sets the sentencing baseline.[^3] - **December 23, 2021**: Potter was convicted after roughly four days of deliberation.[^1] - **February 18, 2022**: Judge Regina Chu imposed sentence.[^1] ## How much The sentence included a $1,000 fine and a $78 surcharge.[^1] ## How many - **Months requested by the State:** 86[^1] - **Months imposed:** 24 in total, of which 16 in prison and 8 on supervised release[^1] - **Deliberation before the verdict:** roughly four days[^1] ## In the at-issue record Two at-issue pairs in the record name the case. The first pair sets the charging instrument against the sentence reached. The charging communication of September 2, 2021, sets the baseline.[^3] Against that baseline, the State asked for 86 months and the court imposed 16 months in prison, which it called "a significant downward departure."[^1] The second pair sets the handoff of the prosecution against the resignation of the lead Washington County prosecutor. The handoff is dated by the Attorney General's Office communication of May 21, 2021.[^2] According to FOX 9 and KARE 11, the prosecutor resigned three days later, after roughly a decade in the office. The prosecutor stated: "The vitriol from some and the infusion of partisan politics by many has made my job difficult to pursue justice." The Washington [[county attorney]] responded: "I'm losing my best prosecutor and one of my dearest friends."[^2] The record shows the sequence of the case: the handoff, the charging instrument, the conviction, and the sentence. It also shows the reasons stated by the court and by the resigning prosecutor. It does not establish why the case was moved.[^1][^2] ## Notes [^1]: ABC News, *report on the sentencing of Officer Potter* (reporting the February 18, 2022 sentencing) — establishes the conviction date and charges, the deliberation length, the sentence imposed by Judge Regina Chu, the State's 86-month request, the fine and surcharge, the court's remarks, and the "moved twice and upgraded once" summary. https://abcnews.com/US/kim-potter-killed-daunte-wright-sentenced-manslaughter-convictions/story?id=82743918 [^2]: Minnesota Attorney General's Office, *Communication on the Potter case* (May 21, 2021) — dates the handoff of the prosecution, from which the resignation reported three days later is counted. https://www.ag.state.mn.us/Office/Communications/2021/05/21_Potter.asp [^3]: Minnesota Attorney General's Office, *Communication on the Potter case charges* (September 2, 2021) — the charging instrument that sets the baseline from which the sentence departed. https://www.ag.state.mn.us/Office/Communications/2021/09/02_Potter.asp