Whalen v. State (Majority, with Concurring)
Annotate this CaseIn 2012, the Arkansas State Police conducted a sobriety checkpoint on an exit ramp on an interstate. Appellant was stopped and subsequently arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated. After a bench trial, Appellant was convicted of driving while intoxicated. Appellant appealed, arguing, inter alia, that the sobriety checkpoint was illegally conducted, requiring reversal of his convictions under the Fourth Amendment. The Supreme Court reversed, holding (1) the sobriety checkpoint was unconstitutional because the State failed to demonstrate that the field officers’ discretion was properly limited; and (2) the seizure of Appellant through the checkpoint stop was unreasonable, and therefore, any evidence obtained as a result of the checkpoint should have been suppressed.
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