Legal Topics

Criminal law — Driving under influence — Search and seizure — Vehicle stop — Tip — Citizen informant

Mar 13th, 2021 in News by admin

Criminal law — Driving under influence — Search and seizure — Vehicle stop — Tip — Citizen informant — Where tips that allegedly intoxicated defendant was driving vehicle towing boat while veering onto road shoulder and into oncoming traffic lanes was provided by two citizen informants whose identities were known, stop of defendant by deputies responding to BOLO was lawful — Detention of defendant and request that he perform field sobriety exercises were lawful where deputies had tips regarding defendant’s driving pattern and fact that he was in possession of numerous empty beer cans, deputies observed that defendant had slurred speech and that truck bed contained empty beer cans, and defendant admitted to drinking beer — Deputies had probable cause for arrest based on tips, their own observations, and defendant’s performance of exercises — Motion to suppress denied