Alondra Espejel, the former Minneapolis City Council member who served in office as Alondra Cano, was sentenced earlier this month in connection with an October crash outside City Hall, a case that quickly drew attention because of her history as a prominent activist and elected official. According to court filings and police records, officers say she tried to drive away after striking a parked vehicle and later refused chemical testing for intoxication.
Sentence and terms
Hennepin County District Court Judge Andrew Tweeten sentenced Espejel to seven days of "sentence to serve," two years of probation and $450 in fines and fees, as detailed in the plea agreement and reported by The Minnesota Star Tribune. Court paperwork shows that most of a longer potential jail term was stayed under the deal, leaving the short work-crew-style stint and probation as the immediate punishment.
What police say happened
The criminal complaint states that Minneapolis officers were called to the 300 block of S. 4th Street late on Oct. 28 after witnesses reported that a Honda CR-V had hit a parked car and that the driver appeared ready to leave. Officers say the driver initially declined to identify herself and attempted to put the SUV in drive. Responding officers reported smelling alcohol, noted bloodshot eyes and slurred speech, and wrote that Espejel could not complete field sobriety tests before they removed her from the vehicle. Court records and reporting also say she refused a breath test and, when the advisory was explained, allegedly made a vulgar sexual comment, according to CBS Minnesota.
Plea and charges
On Jan. 12, Espejel pleaded guilty to third-degree drunken driving based on her refusal to submit to chemical testing, according to court documents. A related fourth-degree DWI charge was dismissed as part of the plea deal. The agreement and the resulting sentence were entered in Hennepin County District Court under those negotiated terms, as reported by The Minnesota Star Tribune.
Background and political context
Espejel represented Ward 9, which covers parts of central and south Minneapolis, from 2014 until she chose not to seek re-election in 2022, serving during that time under the name Alondra Cano. In 2020 she was one of nine City Council members who publicly pledged to begin dismantling the Minneapolis Police Department after the murder of George Floyd, a sweeping plan that later lost political momentum and was ultimately rejected by voters. Local coverage notes that she has since moved out of elected office, and that public reaction to the case is shaped in part by her earlier high-profile role in city politics, as reported by Bring Me The News.
Legal implications
The conviction in this case is tied to Espejel’s refusal to submit to a chemical test. Under the plea, most of the potential jail time was stayed while probation, work-crew time and financial penalties were imposed immediately. Under Minnesota law, if a person on probation violates its terms, a court may revoke the stay and order that the previously stayed sentence be executed. A revocation hearing can result in the remaining jail time being reinstated. Those rules on stayed sentences and probation revocation are set out in state statute and reflected in the Hennepin County court filings. See Minnesota Statutes for the legal framework governing stays and revocation.
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