Charges dismissed

Charges were dismissed last week against Barnum caregiver Jasmine Collins.

Collins, 18, had been accused of assaulting a young handicapped woman in her care last summer. The mother of the alleged victim, also 18, said she noticed her daughter would scream when Collins entered the home, and that she noticed bruising and some bleeding. The young woman alleged to a physician and investigators that Collins had abused her.

An omnibus hearing scheduled for Dec. 2 was continued at the request of Carlton County Attorney Lauri Ketola, and rescheduled for Dec. 30. That’s when charges against Collins were dismissed by the Carlton County Attorney’s Office, on the grounds of “prosecutorial discretion.”

“After further investigation I do not feel there is sufficient evidence to proceed,” Ketola said when reached by the Pine Knot.