Angela Lipps is a Tennesee grandmother who, through no fault of her own, is making headlines in North Dakota, and the region, and the nation, for something you don't want to make headlines for.

She was subjected to arrest at gun point, months of detainment during the extradition process, all because the Fargo Police Department used an artificial intelligence facial recognition tool to match her to security camera footage of a suspect who allegedly defrauded banks in North Dakota.

Lipps was quickly released when her Fargo-based defense attorney, Jay Greenwood, submitted finaicial records and other evidence to authorities showing that she was in Tennessee when they allege she was in North Dakota committing fraud.

"Imagine what the best case scenario in in this situation for the Fargo PD is," Greenwood said on this episode of Plain Talk. "Let's say they have some new evidence and they discover that Angela Lips was the one that actually did do this. I don't think she did based on what I've seen. But let's say they do that and they say, 'Nope, we're going to recharge her.' So, they have to start this entire process over again, having screwed this entire thing up the first time because they didn't have the evidence that they needed before they charged her."

"They brought her to Tennessee. They held her in Tennessee. They flew her on an airplane to North Dakota. They held her in North Dakota. Paid for all of that stuff," he continued. "Then they got some information, dismissed the case instead of, you know, using all this new evidence. And now she's back in Tennessee. And if they find something new, now we start the process all over again. And in addition to that, after all this uproar and the ineffective way that the Fargo police went about this, imagine trying to empanel a 12 person jury in Cass County that is going to listen to any of this.

"It's just the best case scenario for the Fargo PD is a nightmare."

Also on this episode, me and guest co-host Jessica Bell weigh in on the ongoing debate over data centers -- two central North Dakota counties in coal country have instituted moratoriums against the facilities -- and we respond to listener feedback.

If you want to participate in Plain Talk, just give us a call or text at 701-587-3141. It's super easy — leave your message, tell us your name and where you're from, and we might feature it on an upcoming episode. To subscribe to Plain Talk, search for the show wherever you get your podcasts or use one of the links below.

Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Pocket Casts | Episode Archive

687: 'The best case scenario for the Fargo PD is a nightmare'