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ScottM

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From the Thursday, July 17, 2003 Grand Forks Herald:

UND MEN'S HOCKEY: Brandt cited for theft

By Marcus R. Fuller

Herald Staff Writer

UND hockey goalie Jake Brandt has been cited for theft in Roseau, Minn.

The 21-year-old Brandt, a junior this season, allegedly was involved in the theft of $200 worth of pull-tabs from the Roseau Eagles Club during normal operating hours Saturday.

"My understanding is that he's being very cooperative with the investigation," Roseau Police Chief Ward Anderson said.

A female from Roseau also is being investigated in the case.

Brandt is scheduled to appear in Roseau County District Court on Aug. 6.

He faces a maximum $1,000 fine and 90 days in jail.

UND coach Dean Blais, who was unaware of the incident when contacted Wednesday, said he doesn't know if Brandt would be suspended.

"I haven't heard anything about it yet," he said. "It's hard to make any kind of decision until I talk to the kid. And I have to hear the details from the police."

Brandt, formerly of Roseau, started the most games (19) of any Sioux goalie last season. He recorded a team-high 419 saves while posting a record of 11-4-4.

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He has been charged with a misdemeanor, which, under Minnesota Law, is the lowest severity level criminal charge a person can face. If he pleads guilty or is convicted at trial, the maximum penalty would not likely be imposed, depending on his prior record, of course. Rather, he will likely have to make restitution and pay a fine, but he probably won't have to do any jail time.

Additionally, he may be ordered to perform community service, perhaps during which he can spend his time trying to erase the black mark that this allegation has put on the UND hockey program.

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To add a bit of perspective, I was once convicted of a misdemeanor for driving 95 mph in a 55mph zone. In the eyes of the law these are similar offenses.

Actually, the speeding violation sounds more serious considering the vehicle was a '72 Ford Pinto. :)

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To add a bit of perspective, I was once convicted of a misdemeanor for driving 95 mph in a 55mph zone. In the eyes of the law these are similar offenses.

Similar offenses, yes, but theft carries more

negative backlash than speeding-probably

because it's such a selfish act. Sioux fans

had to endure almost a year of Bochenski jokes,

I can only imagine what Gopher fans will be

spewing this year if he still plays for us :)

If Blais could overlook Bo's counterfeiting,

you'd think he would overlook Brandt's

theft. But then again, maybe not, as Bo

wasn't a UND student at the time & he's

also more talented... :)

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I'm curious to see what would happen to Brandt with the team. An Athlete committing a crime isn't new.

All in all, I wouldn't say Brandt would be off the team. If Winchester can deck a cop and still finish his hockey career at UW as CAPTAIN, I don't see Brandt going anywhere. The most I can think of is a few game suspension and loss of the starting goalie role.

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Here is the AP version of the Herald coverage Sicatoka quoted.

North Dakota coach wants more details on goalie theft case

North Dakota hockey coach Dean Blais says he does not yet know if he would consider suspending junior goalie Jake Brandt.

...

Blais said he did not have enough information about the case.

"It's hard to make any kind of decision until I talk to the kid. And I have to hear the details from the police," Blais said.

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Actually, you will hear about it from Gopher fans, but the fact that he stole $200 worth of pull tabs pales in comparison to conterfeiting $20's. I expect he will get a slap on the wrist from school/coach and be back in the rotation like nothing happened...amazing what a few too many beers (prolly) can do to a guy!

WPoS

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Actually, the speeding violation sounds more serious considering the vehicle was a '72 Ford Pinto. :)

Yeah, but the vehicle was only going 55. When the gas tank blew up I was thrown forward through the windshield and the cop clocked me at 95. :)

All I remember about my little court hearing was what the judge in the little town had to say:

"Whaat we have heeya, is a failyah...to communicate!"

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Actually, you will hear about it from Gopher fans, but the fact that he stole $200 worth of pull tabs pales in comparison to conterfeiting $20's. I expect he will get a slap on the wrist from school/coach and be back in the rotation like nothing happened...amazing what a few too many beers (prolly) can do to a guy!

WPoS

And both of those incidents pale in comparison to Woog paying money to his players, Lou Nanne and Glenn Sonmoor recruiting Zach Parise after he already committed to UND, the Clem Haskins scandal, and the numerous other recent scandals at the University of Rodents.

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And both of those incidents pale in comparison to Woog paying money to his players, Lou Nanne and Glenn Sonmoor recruiting Zach Parise after he already committed to UND, the Clem Haskins scandal, and the numerous other recent scandals at the University of Rodents.

actually counterfeiting $20's is a FEDERAL FELONY. This is what people go to FEDERAL PRISON for, not just paying a fine. You cannot compare this to alleged payoffs to any sports player, FEDERAL offenses are much more serious..

So before you go off and rip on my post, re-read it, I was not ripping Brant, I was merly stating if nothing was done to a counterfeiter, stealing a few bucks won't even be a speed bump.

WPoS

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As far as college payoffs and federal cases, dare I say "Michigan" and "Webber"? :)

WPoS: Bochenski's situation happened before he ever got into Dean Blais' "stable." I'm sure the court's mild response to the situation (in comparison to the possible outcomes that you noted) played into Blais' decision. However, this situation involves someone already in the stable.

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actually counterfeiting $20's is a FEDERAL FELONY.  This is what people go to FEDERAL PRISON for, not just paying a fine.  You cannot compare this to alleged payoffs to any sports player, FEDERAL offenses are much more serious..

When was a member of the Sioux charged with a FEDERAL offense? I remember BB being charged in STATE court, but I don't remember anyone getting charged in FEDERAL court. I could be wrong I guess.

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It's easy to measure that Bochenski's infraction is worse than Brandt's alleged infraction (felony vs. misdemeanor). However, trying to compare the severity of any legal infraction to Minnesota's NCAA rule violations is tough.

State and Federal governments don't particularly care how many NCAA rules you break. The NCAA isn't particularly concerned what laws you break (with a few exceptions). The two sets of rules are on completely different scales and have completely different punitive enforcement schemes, so are really quite difficult to compare generally.

I'll go out on a limb and claim that I think most NCAA athletes would find an NCAA violation that prevented post-season play or removed eligibility to be a much worse infraction than a felony plea that resulted in community service and restitution.

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:)

I can admit I am a Brandt fan and I am trying to tell myself that he is innocent until proven guilty, but I know that probably isn't true. I'd like to know why he did it...and I don't accept too many beers as an excuse. My only hope is that the GF Herald article was right when it said he "allegedly was involved in the theft.

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Someone with legal background will probably know this, but isn't it possible that given Bochenski's age at the time and (I assume) previously clean record, he was charged with a state rather than federal crime? Note that according to news accounts, he pleaded guilty to felony aggravated forgery in Anoka County, MN, not counterfeiting. Is there a federal court in Anoka County? Aggravated forgery is a crime in the state of Minnesota, as well as other states.

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