When an officer pulls you over, he or she must have a reason to do so. If you were driving with a light out, had smoke coming from your vehicle or were speeding, for instance, then an officer could choose to pull you over legally.
When an officer pulls you over, that doesn’t give him or her the right to search your vehicle right away. The officer only obtains that right if there is an obvious crime taking place, an open container in your vehicle or other signs of drug or alcohol abuse.
Two people in Eau Claire are facing drug charges following a traffic stop. According to the July 19 news, the pair, a man and woman from Eau Claire and Altoona, respectively, were charged in Eau Claire County Court.
The stop, a routine stop in Altoona, went wrong when the man gave a false ID and name to the police officer. Upon realizing the deception, the officer arrested the man. There was an active DOC arrest warrant out for his arrest. He has been accused of possessing marijuana and faces a charge for felony ID theft.
The officer searched the woman and discovered marijuana, heroin, meth, pocket knives and drug paraphernalia. Now, she faces three felonies for drug possession among other crimes.
In a case like this one, it’s important to make sure that the officer followed protocol. If you can show that your vehicle was stopped without a reason or that it was searched without a warrant or reasonable suspicion, your attorney may be able to have the evidence in the case withheld from the court.
Source: ABC News 18 WQOW, “2 people in Eau Claire County face drug charges after routine traffic stop,” Jesse Yang, July 19, 2017
