Client was stopped for not displaying front license plate. During the course of the encounter with the client and the passenger, the officer decided that he wanted the drug dog brought to I75 to search the vehicle because the client looked nervous. The officer dragged out the encounter with small talk with the client. The drug dog finally arrived and “alerted” on the client’s car that there were drugs inside. The officers turned the car inside out. They found containers with marijuana residue, a marijuana pipe, 3 cell phones, a ledger and $1,000 in cash in $20 bills wrapped in a rubber band. The client was cited for paraphernalia and a warning for not having a front license plate.
A motion to suppress the evidence was filed by counsel based on the illegal continued detention of the defendant based on recent case law. The prosecutor objected to the motion’s filing. The court allowed the motion and it was set for hearing on the issue of continuing justification to detain. The goal of the motion was to suppress the search of the car and the item found therein.
Prior to going into the courtroom for the hearing, the prosecutor offered to dismiss the paraphernalia charge if the client would plead to a new citation of Failure to Display a Front License Plate.
Client plead to Failure to Display a Front License Plate and received a $25 fine.