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Kari Agotness recall, Ramsey County, North Dakota (2020)
| Ramsey County State's Attorney recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
| Recall status |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2020 Recalls in North Dakota North Dakota recall laws County official recalls Recall reports |
An effort to recall Kari Agotness from her position as the Ramsey County state's attorney in North Dakota did not go to a vote in 2020.[1] The office of the state's attorney is responsible for prosecuting all criminal matters in the county, according to the office's website.[2]
The recall effort was started by Terry Fuller in December 2019. Fuller's son Daniel Fuller was shot and killed by a Devils Lake police officer in July 2018. Agotness did not prosecute the officer, though the officer was fired in February 2019.[3]
Fuller said he was looking for justice. Agotness said she sympathized with Fuller and his family but the decision to not prosecute was the result of an investigation. Fuller had one year to collect approximately 1,300 signatures in order to get the recall on the ballot.[3]
Recall supporters
Fuller said he began the recall effort because he was looking for justice for his son. "Until I get justice I'm going to continue plugging away at this. Danny deserves justice, he was unarmed," Fuller said. "He was injured laying down on the ground."[3]
Fuller also said, "Let the citizens decide if she should keep her job, that's all I'm saying. Let the citizens decide."[3]
Recall opponents
Agotness said the police officer who killed Daniel Fuller did not mean to do so. She said he had an involuntary muscular contraction.[4]
Agotness released the following statement in reaction to the recall effort:[3]
| “ | I sympathize with the position of the Fullers. In my role as State's Attorney I must review the evidence presented after investigations and apply that evidence to the law as it relates to charging someone with a crime.
Those decisions are often difficult and not always popular but are the result of the investigations, evidence and the law.[5] |
” |
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in North Dakota
In order to get the recall on the ballot, Fuller would have had to collect approximately 1,300 signatures within one year.[3]
See also
- Ramsey County, North Dakota
- Recall campaigns in North Dakota
- Political recall efforts, 2020
- County official recalls
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Ballotpedia's Elections Team, “Email communication with Ramsey County Auditor Kandy K. Christopherson," December 8, 2020
- ↑ Ramsey County, North Dakota, "State's Attorney," accessed February 25, 2020
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Valley News Live, "Exclusive: Devils Lake man whose son was killed by ex-officer circulating petition for new state's attorney," December 12, 2019
- ↑ Inforum, "Devils Lake man gathers signatures in an attempt to recall Ramsey County States Attorney," December 20, 2019
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
