Jeremy Jyrone White

On August 13, 2017, at approximately 8:57 A.M., North Branch Police Officers responded to the Budget Host Hotel located in the City of North Branch, Chisago County, Minnesota for an armed robbery report. Dispatch had received a 911 hang up from the hotel as well. An Officer responded to the hotel and spoke with staff B. B. And K. B. Staff advised a male arrived at the hotel and called into the hotel using the outside phone, indicating he needed a room for the night. Staff let him into the hotel and the male walked up to the lobby counter.

The entire incident is captured on video surveillance. The male is wearing a dark Nike hoody, with the hood pulled up and jeans. Staff stated the male argued about the room rate charge. Staff indicated the African American male pulled out a handgun and jumped over the hotel's front counter. Video depicts the male grabbing a post it style note on the counter as he pulls himself over. The male does not appear to be wearing gloves. Staff advised the male party demanded money. The male party moves to the cash till and takes approximately $475 to $500 in cash.

The male party points the gun at each staff member's head, pushing the staff to different areas in the office. The male then ripped the phone cord out of the wall for two phones. The male then went back to the till and took quarters out and placed the quarters in his pocket. The male party then hops back over the counter and exits through the front door of the hotel. Law enforcement searched the area, but could not locate the male suspect. A Chisago County Sheriff's Office Investigator responded to the scene.

The Investigator collected DNA samples from various parts of the lobby counter and office where it appeared the male suspect touched something. The Investigator also collected the post it style note that the male touched. All the evidence collected was sent to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension ("BCA") for testing. The BCA lifted two latent prints from the note and compared those prints to the Midwest Automated Fingerprint Identification Network ("MAFIN") and the FBI Next Generation Identification ("NGI") databases.

A suitable candidate for comparison was generated in NGI. The results indicated one latent print matched the left ring finger of JEREMY JYRONE WHITE [DOB REDACTED], herein Defendant, and one latent print matched the left index finger of Defendant. The State obtained a Rule 9.02 order from a district court judge to obtain a buccal swab from Defendant, for a known DNA sample. An Officer then obtained a known DNA sample from Defendant and submitted the sample to the BCA for comparison testing. A North Branch Police Investigator also completed a photo lineup with B. B. And K. B. Both identified Defendant as the person who robbed the hotel.

The BCA compared the known DNA sample from Defendant to swabbing collected from the hotel front desk counter. The swabbing collected from the counter was a mixture of four individuals. Defendant is indicated as a contributor to this DNA mixture. Defendant's case proceeded to jury trial on May 6, 2024. After a three day trial, a jury found Defendant guilty of aggravated robbery in first degree. Defendant appealed the verdict. On January 5, 2026, the Minnesota Court of Appeals issued an opinion on Defendant's appeal, reversing the conviction.