Thomas Francis LaBlanc

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Charge:	Solicitation of minor by computer
Sentence:	365 days
Years Imprisoned:	0.67
Year Crime:	2009
Year Convicted:	2012
Year Cleared:	2014
U.S. State or Country of Crime:	Minnesota
County or Region of Crime:	Anoka
City of Crime:	Ramsey
Result:	Judicially Exonerated
Summary of Case:	"Thomas Francis LaBlanc was wrongly convicted in 2012 in Ramsey County, Minnesota of soliciting a child to engage in explicit sexual electronic communication. From January to August 2009 LaBlanc communicated online with a boy who listed his age as 16 on his MySpace page, which is the legal age of consent in Minnesota. The boy, D.S., was actually 15 and underage. LaBlanc's defense was the information D.S. provided was he was 16, and he had no knowledge he was 15. Based on stipulated facts the judge found LaBlanc guilty after a bench trial of Minn. Stat. §609.352, subd. 2a(2) (2008). The judge sentenced LaBlanc to 365 days in jail. LaBlanc appealed on the basis the record did not establish beyond a reasonable doubt he knew D.S. was younger than 16 years old. On February 10, 2014 Minnesota's Court of Appeal reversed LaBlanc's conviction on the basis the prosecution's circumstantial evidence was insufficient to support his conviction. The Court stated in part: "... on this record, it is also reasonable to infer that appellant believed that D.S. was 16 years old. ... Accordingly, because the circumstances proved are not inconsistent with any rational hypothesis except that of guilt, we conclude that the evidence was insufficient to sustain appellant’s conviction." Minnesota vs. Thomas Francis LaBlanc, No. A13-0653 (MN Ct of Appeals, 2-10-2014)"
Conviction Caused By:	Judge relied on insufficient evidence in finding LaBlanc guilty.
Innocence Proved By:	"On February 10, 2014 Minnesota's Court of Appeal reversed LaBlanc's conviction on the basis the prosecution's circumstantial evidence was insufficient to support his conviction."
Defendant Aided By:
Compensation Awarded:
Was Perpetrator Identified?
Age When Imprisoned:	64
Age When Released:	65
Sex:	Male
Skin/Ethnicity:
Information Source 1:	"Minnesota vs. Thomas Francis LaBlanc, No. A13-0653 (MN Ct of Appeals, 2-10-2014) (Unpublished opinion)"
Information Location 1:	http://www.mncourts.gov/opinions/coa/current/OPa130653-021014.pdf
Information Source 2:	"Poet LaBlanc's conviction for soliciting boy reversed, By Emily Gurnon (staff), Pioneer Press, February 10, 2014"
Information Location 2:	http://www.twincities.com/crime/ci_25106198/poet-lablancs-conviction-soliciting-boy-reversed
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Thomas Francis LaBlanc

Charge:

Solicitation of minor by computer

Sentence:

365 days

Years Imprisoned:

0.67

Year Crime:

2009

Year Convicted:

2012

Year Cleared:

2014

U.S. State or Country of Crime:

Minnesota

County or Region of Crime:

Anoka

City of Crime:

Ramsey

Result:

Judicially Exonerated

Summary of Case:

Conviction Caused By:

Judge relied on insufficient evidence in finding LaBlanc guilty.

Innocence Proved By:

"On February 10, 2014 Minnesota's Court of Appeal reversed LaBlanc's conviction on the basis the prosecution's circumstantial evidence was insufficient to support his conviction."

Defendant Aided By:

Compensation Awarded:

Was Perpetrator Identified?

Age When Imprisoned:

64

Age When Released:

65

Sex:

Male

Skin/Ethnicity:

Information Source 1:

"Minnesota vs. Thomas Francis LaBlanc, No. A13-0653 (MN Ct of Appeals, 2-10-2014) (Unpublished opinion)"

Information Location 1:

http://www.mncourts.gov/opinions/coa/current/OPa130653-021014.pdf

Information Source 2:

"Poet LaBlanc's conviction for soliciting boy reversed, By Emily Gurnon (staff), Pioneer Press, February 10, 2014"

Information Location 2:

http://www.twincities.com/crime/ci_25106198/poet-lablancs-conviction-soliciting-boy-reversed

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Book Information:

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