State of Minnesota v. Yaroslav Yaroslavovich Murza

Syllabus

Police stopped a car driven by Yaroslav Murza and arrested him on suspicion of impaired driving. The state charged Murza with careless driving and two counts of driving while impaired, and Murza unsuccessfully challenged the validity of the traffic stop at an omnibus hearing during which his attorney and the prosecutor stipulated to the admission of squad-car video footage and police reports. Murza appeals from his subsequent conviction, contending that the district court improperly relied on the stipulated evidence at the omnibus hearing without having first obtained his personal waiver for the stipulation. Because the decision to stipulate to the state's exhibits at the omnibus hearing falls within the strategic purview of counsel and did not require Murza's personal waiver, we affirm.