Ex-MPD officer convicted of civil rights violations, stealing drugs asks for lenient sentence

By KSTP

A former Minneapolis police officer who was found guilty of stealing controlled substances and violating civil rights is asking for a lenient sentence.

A court filing from Ty Raymond Jindra’s attorney says his case warrants a sentence that “falls well below” what he says sentencing guidelines call for — 33 to 41 months.

“Ty Jindra violated the public trust, but he is also an individual who has suffered trauma and addiction,” the letter from Wold Morrison Law says.

In November, Jindra was convicted of three counts of acquiring a controlled substance by deception and two counts of deprivation of rights under color of law.

In the letter, Jindra also admitted to “drinking almost every day to blackout and taking whatever prescription pills I could find to numb the pain.” He went on to say, “When I ran out of my own prescribed Xanax, I began to search for more drugs in the worst way possible- at work as a police officer. I am ashamed and feel extreme guilt for abusing my position to take pills from those I encountered on the street, and I admit to committing the crimes I have been convicted of.”

Despite his crimes, Jindra said, “I still believe that I am a good person with a lot left to contribute to society,” adding that the charges against him were “the best thing that could have happened to me” because he was torn down and forced to rebuild himself.

Jindra’s lawyers said a “just sentence” would be a lenient sentence.

“Mr. Jindra, his family, and the public will be in a better place in the future because of who Ty Jindra has become,” his lawyers wrote.

According to prosecutors, Jindra abused his position to get controlled substances, including methamphetamine, oxycodone, fentanyl, tramadol, and other drugs, from September 2017 through October 2019. He also failed to report and log substances he’d confiscated into evidence and would find ways to conduct searches of people, vehicles, or homes so he could seize more controlled substances, authorities say.

No sentencing date has been scheduled.