Mankato Attorneys Patrick Casey and Zach Bahr Secure Not-Guilty Verdicts on All Counts in Stearns County Trial
Patrick and Randy
Attorneys from Knutson + Casey represented defendant during multiday jury trial involving two felony charges
Justice was served with this Not Guilty verdict by a jury of our client's peers.”
— Patrick Casey
ST. CLOUD, MN, UNITED STATES, November 11, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- A Stearns County jury returned not-guilty verdicts on all counts against Chibuzo Obinwanne Ikediego following a multiday trial in which he was represented by Patrick Casey and Zach Bahr of Mankato-based Knutson + Casey.
A court order filed November 6, 2026, records acquittals on both charges: first-degree criminal sexual conduct involving allegations of penetration, injury and coercion, and third-degree criminal sexual conduct involving allegations of penetration and coercion.
The case was heard in Minnesota’s Seventh Judicial District in Stearns County, Stearns County Court File Number 73-CR-26-4537.
The charges arose from an alleged incident in St. Cloud on May 7, 2026. Prosecutors filed the criminal complaint on June 5. The complaint contained allegations supporting the charges, not findings of guilt. Following the trial, the jury found Ikediego not guilty of both offenses.
The stakes were substantial. According to the charging document, the first-degree count carried a statutory maximum sentence of 30 years in prison, while the third-degree count carried a statutory maximum of 15 years. Those figures were the maximum penalties listed for the individual charges, the state intended to seek the maximum penalties if they obtained a conviction.
Casey and Bahr represented Ikediego throughout the multiday jury trial. The acquittals mean that neither charge resulted in a conviction.
The verdicts reflect a central protection of the criminal justice system: prosecutors must prove a defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless that burden is met.
For Knutson + Casey, the outcome brings attention to the Mankato firm’s criminal defense practice and its representation of clients facing serious felony charges throughout the State of Minnesota.
The firm has also received community recognition in its home city. Knutson + Casey has been voted Mankato’s No. 1 law firm in consecutive years. Separately, the published 2026 CommunityVotes Mankato results list Knutson + Casey as the Platinum winner in Criminal Law and Lawyers, the highest award level shown in that category.
Knutson + Casey serves clients from offices in Mankato and Rochester. Its practice includes criminal defense, personal injury, family law and bankruptcy.
Patrick Casey
Knutson & Casey PLLP
+1 507-344-8888
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