JNS BLOG SUPER EXCLUSIVE: Frank Sam Early, Victim In Latest North Minneapolis Car Shooting, Had Crack Cocaine Convictions...

Stock photo, blog post by John Hoff

Frank Sam Early, age 37, identified by the Star Tribune as the deceased male victim in the most recent North Minneapolis car shooting, had quite a record. He had even more of a record than Steven E. Meyer, the previous victim, whose complete criminal record was reported here, exclusively, on Johnny Northside Dot Com.

Here is Early's record...


27-CR-92-075618
EARLY, FRANK SAM
09/10/1974
09/28/1992
Hennepin Criminal/Traffic/Petty Downtown
Crim/Traf Mandatory
Closed
ASSAULT IN THE 5TH DEGREE

Pleaded not guilty. Then changed plea to guilty. Sentenced to 90 days, but 56 days stayed. Credit for time served, 34 days. There were a couple of warrant requests during the proceedings, so apparently Early wasn't making his hearings.

27-CR-92-073529
EARLY, FRANK SAM
09/10/1974
04/27/1993
Hennepin Criminal/Traffic/Petty Downtown
Crim/Traf Mandatory
Closed
3RD DEG POSSESS CRACK COCAINE

Pled not guilty. Convicted anyway. Appears he got five years probation. Appears he got 90 days in the workhouse, but a notation next to the 90 day sentence (Duration 5/27/94, closed 5/31/94) makes me think he may have only done five days.

During the court proceedings, once again, warrants issued.

A Google search simultaneous with this Minnesota court records search turns up the name "Frank Sam Early" in a 1996 federal case, click here, where Early appealed a 144 month sentence after he pleaded guilty to possession of crack cocaine with intent to distribute.

In summary, Early said his sentence was too harsh and quibbled with the sentencing guidelines. In the course of the appeal, it becomes clear Early was also in possession of a gun while he was dealing crack. He showed the firearm to a confidential government informant, who testified Early said "he (Early) was going to shoot me if he didn't know who I was."

Early tried to say he showed the informant the firearm because he was trying to sell it as part of a separate transaction. This ex post facto, finely-tuned parsing of why Early had a weapon along on a drug deal didn't get him anywhere with the court.

The case also makes mention of two juvenile convictions Early had, without the benefit of an attorney. Those cases are not included in the record I dug up through the Minnesota Courts website, so it appears there is even MORE criminal history out there.

27-CR-94-030409
EARLY, FRANK SAM
09/10/1974
04/15/1994
Hennepin Criminal/Traffic/Petty Downtown
Crim/Traf Mandatory
Closed
CERTAIN PERSONS NOT TO HAVE PISTOLS

Received unsupervised probation. It appears the probation was of "indeterminate" length, but was closed in 5/27/97. Early was apparently on that probation when he got caught in 1996 dealing crack and in possession of a firearm and ended up in federal court.

27-CR-94-078195
EARLY, FRANK SAM
09/10/1974
09/09/1994
Hennepin Criminal/Traffic/Petty Downtown
Crim/Traf Mandatory
Closed
DRIVING AFTER SUSPENSION
NO PROOF OF INSURANCE COVERAGE

The driving after suspension was dismissed, the no proof of insurance was a conviction on a guilty plea. Smells like a plea bargain. He got 15 days, 10 days stayed, credit for 4 days. What, I wonder, happened to the extra day? Once again, there were warrants issued. There were probation violation hearings.

This guy just slipped and slid around the system until he ended up dead in a blast on gunfire on a North Minneapolis street, after a life of drug dealing and getting in trouble with the law.

27-CR-94-100648
EARLY, FRANK SAM
09/10/1974
11/21/1994
Hennepin Criminal/Traffic/Petty Brookdale
Crim/Traf Mandatory
Closed
DRIVING AFTER REVOCATION
FALSE INFORMATION TO POLICE

Driving after revocation dismissed, pleaded guilty to false information to the police.

Hello. Plea bargain.

Sentenced to 30 days. 29 days stayed. Credit for ONE day. (No, THAT'S not the missing day, that day belongs to THIS sentence) All this "staying" of sentences and what happens? These folks go out and do bad, deal drugs and, in this case, wind up dead.

(Editorial and speculative comments, as follows)

So that's Frank Sam Early who, on a different day, could have been on the other side of the gun. However, it would be too easy to say this was "another North Minneapolis drug deal gone wrong" and that the Steven E. Meyer case was probably the same thing.

I do NOT think this was a drug deal gone wrong, and suddenly I don't think that about the Steven Meyer case, either. Rather, I think there's some kind of gang initiation ritual happening which involves standing on a street corner like you're dealing, waiting for a vehicle to pull up, and then shooting whoever is inside.

This does not bode well for idiots who drive to North Minneapolis from places like Eden (Expletive) Prairie to buy dope on North Minneapolis street corners. Oh, no. Not at all!

And it might take a long time to develop suspects in this case and the Meyer case. Months! Years! Maybe never! And another driver might end up shot dead and slumped over a wheel tomorrow, next week, next month. And for what? A hit of crack! A dime bag of weed!

I DO DECLARE, anybody who drives into North Minneapolis to buy dope could wind up dead. Frank Sam Early was undoubtedly a crackhead, but Meyer seemed like more of a regular citizen who just had some rough patches in his life.

I tell you, whoever is doing this awful stuff, THEY DON'T CARE.

Don't go into North Minneapolis to buy dope.

Word.