Mower County Attorney fights man’s acquittal

(ABC 6 News) – The Mower County Attorney’s Office has filed an appeal after Mower County judge Jeffrey Kritzer threw out two guilty verdicts from Terry Heggs’ many Mower County court cases.

According to a press release from the Mower County Attorney’s Office, a jury convicted Heggs in April of two predatory offender–failure to register and domestic assault dating back to a November 22 encounter at Austin’s former Wing Bazaar restaurant, 3401 West Oakland Ave.

According to Minnesota court records, Heggs’ defense immediately moved to acquit him of the charges, citing insufficient evidence to sustain a conviction.

Heggs was acquitted in July of several charges from a Jan. 2023 arrest at the same location, including drug possession and fleeing police.

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Judge Kritzer dismissed the jury’s guilty verdicts from the November court case on Aug. 11, citing circumstantial evidence given to the jury, and what he deemed insufficient proof to support the charges given.

According to the Mower County Attorney’s Office, the appeal process may take 8-10 months.

In the meantime, Heggs has been incarcerated at the Mower County Jail since March of 2023.

According to court documents, Heggs’ next court appearance will be a motion hearing Aug. 28, where the State of Minnesota will ask for a warrant to locate an apparent missing witness in a drive-by shooting case from 2021.

Several other 2021 court cases, including three charges of 3rd-degree drug possession and sale, and another charge of predatory offender–failure to register are scheduled for Sept. 25.

Finally, Heggs is scheduled to appear in court on two separate DANCO violation cases — five charges total — in October.