Collins v. Commonwealth
Annotate this CaseDefendant was convicted of receiving stolen property and sentenced to three years’ imprisonment. Before trial, Defendant moved to suppress evidence obtained when police conducted a warrantless search of a stolen motorcycle parked in the driveway of a home where Defendant resided. The trial court denied the motion to suppress. The court of appeals affirmed. Defendant appealed, arguing that the police officer trespassed when he walked up the driveway of Defendant’s residence without permission or a search warrant and conducted an unconstitutional search by removing the motorcycle tarp to reveal its VIN. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding that the officer’s search of the motorcycle was justified under the automobile exception to the warrant requirement of the Fourth Amendment.
Prior History
- Ryan Austin Collins v. Commonwealth of Virginia, No. 1096-14-2 (Vt. Ct. App. Jul. 21, 2015)
Subsequent History
- Collins v. Virginia, No. 16-1027 (U.S. May. 29, 2018)
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