Attorney General Present for Joop Bollen’s Day in Court

Attorney General Marty Jackley was present for the charges read against Joop Bollen in his first court appearance in Brown County on Friday April 1, 2016.  Bollen arrived casually dressed in jeans and a sweater, smiling at others in the room.  He sat alone.

The quick events in the courtroom that start the legal journey were documented by Dakota Free Press:

Judge Anderson read the charges, five Class 6 felony counts of destruction, disposal, or removal of personal property subject to security interest. Judge Anderson asked if Bollen understood the charges; “Yes,” said the defendant, his only utterance in the brief hearing. Bollen nodded during the judge’s reading of the defendant’s rights and plea options. Bollen tilted his head slightly, curiously, during the judge’s explanation of nolo contendre. Prompted by Judge Anderson, attorney Rasmussen asked for a preliminary hearing. Judge Anderson set that hearing for Friday, May 13, 2016 at 2:00 PM.

Immediately following Bollen's court appearance, Jackley addressed the press in a separate room:

The press followed Attorney General Jackley across the street to a conference room in the Brown County state’s attorney’s office, where the A.G. opened not with a prayer but with an explanation of the charges against Bollen. He likened the appropriation of funds from the indemnification fund required by Bollen’s contract with the state to improperly converting a car or house loan to personal use. He addressed concerns that it seemed to have taken his office a long time to get to these charges by noting that this prosecution stems from new information discovered on December 23 (almost Christmas Eve, Jackley noted), 2015.

As additional information becomes available, further charges may be laid against the 52 year old, who resides in Aberdeen.

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