United States v. Mendoza; United States v. Tovar, No. 11-3055 (8th Cir. 2012)
Annotate this CaseDefendants entered conditional guilty pleas to possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. On appeal, they challenged the district court's denial of their motions to suppress evidence. Because the traffic stop did not violate the Fourth Amendment, the evidence obtained from the search of the vehicle and Defendant Tovar's subsequent statements to law enforcement were not the fruits of a constitutional violation. Accordingly, the court affirmed the judgment.
Court Description: Criminal case - Criminal law. District court's finding that police officer's testimony regarding defendants' traffic stop was credible was not clearly erroneous; officer had reasonable suspicion to believe that the defendants' vehicle did not display valid proof of registration as required by Iowa law; because the traffic stop did not violate the Fourth Amendment, the evidence seized from defendants' vehicle and defendant Tovar's statements were admissible.
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