State v. Lester
Annotate this CaseAfter a bench trial, Defendant was convicted of third-degree possession of a controlled substance. Defendant appealed, arguing that the district court erred by denying his motion to suppress the heroin seized from the car he was driving on the grounds that the police unlawfully searched the car without a warrant. The court of appeals reversed, concluding that the police did not have probable cause to arrest Defendant or to search his car. The Supreme Court reversed, holding that the warrantless search of Defendant’s car was lawful under the automobile exception because there was probable cause to believe that Defendant’s car contained contraband, and therefore, the district court properly denied Defendant’s motion to suppress.
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