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No charges against EP officer accused of falsifying warrant

A prosecutor said the officer clearly falsified the warrant application and did not tell the truth in court, but neither act rose to the level of a criminal act.
Credit: Eden Prairie Police Department
Eden Prairie Detective Travis Serafin

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — No criminal charges will be filed against an Eden Prairie undercover police officer accused of falsifying search warrants that placed numerous drug cases in jeopardy. 

McCleod County Attorney Michael Junge made the announcement Friday involving the case against Travis Serafin, an officer who specialized in undercover work and drug investigations. Junge found that Serafin did not commit forgery or perjury, two offenses of which he was accused. 

The potential charges against Serafin involved a fatal overdose case he was working on that resulted in third degree murder charges against Timothy Martin Holmes, who was accused of selling Fentanyl that killed an Eden Prairie resident. Investigators say officer Serafin filled out an application for a search warrant of Holmes' property, had it signed by a judge, and then changed the front page of the application afterwards to include the suspect's vehicle. Drugs were discovered both in the suspect's home and in his car. 

RELATED: Cases dismissed after detective 'lied' about warrant

When the warrant was challenged in court by Holmes and his attorney, Serafin testified that he changed the application form before it was signed, which was found to be untrue. The judge notified Eden Prairie's police chief and the Hennepin County Attorney's Office, which said it would have to drop dozens of important drug cases as Serafin's reputation as a truthful witness was compromised. 

While Junge's report said the officer clearly falsified the warrant application and did not tell the truth in court, neither act rose to the level of a criminal act or impacted the case against Holmes.

"This result is distasteful for several reasons. An officer falsified an application for a search warrant and does not face criminal punishment. An officer intentionally gave false testimony and cannot be charged," wrote Junge in the case summary.

McCleod County made the charging decision to avoid a conflict of interest with Hennepin County. 

Serafin left the department in early November, shortly after Holmes was released from prison because the officer lied under oath about the warrant. He had worked for the department since October 2000 and once was named its officer of the year. 

 

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