Trotter v. State

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IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE DEVIN L. TROTTER, Defendant Below Appellant, v. STATE OF DELAWARE, Plaintiff Below, Appellee. § § § § § § § § § § § No. 264, 2016 Court Below: Superior Court of the State of Delaware Cr. ID. No. 1502012432 Submitted: April 12, 2017 Decided: April 18, 2017 Before STRINE, Chief Justice; VALIHURA, VAUGHN, and SEITZ, Justices; SLIGHTS, Vice Chancellor,* constituting the Court en Banc. ORDER This is a case with a complicated record, and the single issue of colorable merit on appeal is whether defendant Devin Trotter’s motion to suppress was improperly denied. But the bottom line is that the police had probable cause, based on the totality of the circumstances as reasonably perceived by the key officer, to believe that Trotter, at the very least, illegally concealed a deadly weapon, and thus had grounds not just to detain Trotter, but also to arrest him. For that reason, the Superior Court properly denied the motion to suppress. * Sitting by designation under Del. Const. art. IV, § 12. NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS ORDERED that the judgment of the Superior Court is hereby AFFIRMED. BY THE COURT: /s/ Leo E. Strine, Jr. Chief Justice 2

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