McLaughlin v. State

Kelly, Justice.

This is an appeal by a state prisoner from the district court’s denial of postconviction relief. Appellant attacks the validity of his arrest and search and the voluntariness of his confession and guilty plea. He further contends that the indeterminate sentence not to exceed 20 years is cruel and unusual punishment for uttering a forged drug prescription. We affirm.

During November 1964, Lieutenant Ernest Williams of the St. Paul Police Department was in charge of investigating a series of forged drug prescriptions. With the aid of a police photograph, one or more druggists had…