Legal Question in Criminal Law in Minnesota

Re: admissible evidence

That is a huge topic. A comprehensive answer would be as long as a book. You could look at Article 4 of the Minnesota Rules of Evidence "Relevancy and its Limits," for starters. If some proposed evidence is reasonably related to a criminal charge or a defense, it would likely be relevant. Evidence can be excluded on grounds other than relevance, however.

It sounds like you are wanting to assert a defense like "necessity," "choice of evils," or "defense of others," though for all of those the legal status of animals as property, not persons, presents a problem. As for whether stolen files could be admissible, I don't know. Perhaps equivalent documents could be obtained legally, to avoid problems with that question.