People often tell me that someone else is pressing charges against them, or that they want to press charges against someone else. In Minnesota at least, individuals do not decide whether to press, or file charges against someone else, those decisions are made by the prosecutor, either the County or City Attorney depending on where someone lives and what they are charged with. Crimes are reported, either by the police if they think someone is violating the law, or by an individual who reports a crime that they saw. A person who is the victim of a crime has input into the legal process but only the prosecutor decides whether to file charges, and how to handle the case once the charges are filed.

Bottom line, when you report a crime you turn the process over to someone else, you do not control it any more.