Man freed because of Cloquet police officer testimony back in custody

A man released from prison because of the testimony of a former police officer is back in the Carlton County Jail on weapons and drunken driving charges.

Clarence Manuel Lozoya Jr., 30, of St. Paul, was taken into custody Tuesday, May 11, after an August 2020 arrest on charges of being a felon in possession of an electronic incapacitation device, refusal to submit to a chemical test, fourth-degree driving while impaired and several other misdemeanors. He was arrested on a warrant after he failed to appear in court for a fourth time.

In March 2017, Lozoya was sentenced to 36 months in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree assault in January 2017. He was accused of threatening and striking a man with a handgun in December 2016.

The assault conviction was vacated and Lozoya was released in February 2019 because of the involvement of former Cloquet Police Officer Scott Beckman.

Beckman was found guilty of lying to a superior officer in February 2016 and falsifying an application for a search warrant in 2016. Then-Cloquet Police Chief Steve Stracek recommended Beckman's employment be terminated in August 2016, but in a grievance process through his police union, Beckman was suspended for 11 days. He eventually left the department under a separation agreement in December 2018.

PREVIOUSLY:

• Cloquet police officer leaves force due to allegations of misconduct A longtime Cloquet police officer has left the force following allegations of misconduct. Scott Beckman, an 18-year veteran of the Cloquet Police Department, was left active duty according to terms of a separation and release agreement Tuesday, Dec.
  
• Cloquet man's assault conviction vacated due to involvement of former cop A Cloquet man jailed for nearly two years for assault was released Friday, Feb. 8, in Carlton County after his conviction was vacated because of the involvement of a former police officer.
  

Beckman's departure from the department prompted a press release from the Carlton County Attorney's Office stating 18 cases involving Beckman were dismissed and another four submitted for review were not charged. The office initiated a "Brady Disclosure Policy" on Dec. 3, 2018, according to the then-acting County Attorney Jeffrey Boucher.
Brady v. Maryland is a 1963 Supreme Court case requiring disclosure of exculpatory material to defendants in criminal prosecutions, including misconduct findings involving law enforcement officers.

A Minnesota state trooper found Lozoya on Aug. 8, 2020, on the side of Interstate 35 in Carlton County. His car was missing the front driver's side tire. Lozoya told the trooper the tire shredded while the vehicle was in motion while his friend was driving the car, the complaint said.

The friend left the scene in search of a tire and while speaking with Lozoya, the trooper noticed the odor of alcohol, bloodshot and watery eyes and slurred speech. Lozoya failed field sobriety tests and attempted to manipulate a preliminary breath test, according to the complaint.

During a search, officers found an electronic incapacitation device in Lozoya’s pocket, the complaint said. Lozoya is prohibited from possession of firearms or stun guns because of a 2010 felony conviction for first-degree aggravated robbery.

Lozoya refused to take a breath test at the Carlton County Jail. He also violated his probation relating to January 2020 misdemeanor domestic assault charges.

If convicted on the weapons charge, Lozoya faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison, a $10,000 fine or both.