Vehicle Search – Backpack
Police searched a motor vehicle for missing items stolen from a convenience store and all of the items that were believed to be missing were recovered. After the items were recovered, police searched a backpack found in the vehicle wherein drugs were found. The Court finds that the police lacked probable cause to continue searching the contents of the car once all of the stolen items were recovered. The Court affirms a District Court suppression order. State v. Quast
Vehicle Stop – Suspicious Conduct
An Edina police officer observed a motor vehicle driving on school grounds at about 1:00 a.m. near a construction site at the high school and when the school was closed. The vehicle was on a road that encircled two schools and did not provide access to anywhere other than the schools and the construction site. The vehicle left the school area, drove across a main road, through several residential roads and returned to the main road. The officer knew that construction sites are often targeted for theft and vandalism crimes. The Court finds that the officer had a reasonable suspicion to stop the vehicle. Robinson v. Commissioner
uspicion to Request Search Lacking
The Court reverses a District Court denial of the defendant’s motion to suppress evidence found in a search of the defendant’s vehicle following a traffic stop. The Court found that the record did not support a conclusion that the trooper articulated a reasonable suspicion to justify his request to search defendant’s vehicle. State v. Horn
