Blog - GRL Law

Plain View Observation is Not Probable Cause to Search

November 30, 2021

Do police have the right to search your car without a warrant if they see THC edibles in your center console during a traffic stop? The answer may surprise you. Suspected contraband in plain view does not necessarily provide probable cause to search the passenger compartment. Sure, the observation alone might provide PC under the right circumstances, but it's still the State's burden to prove it. The drug defense attorneys at GRL Law believe PC requires more that just a plain view observation. Like furtive movements or efforts to conceal. Or uncooperative behavior or false identification by the driver or passengers. Maybe the overpowering...

November 23, 2021

Today, the magistrate court dismissed charges against a GRL Law client whose dog bit a DMPD officer. The evidence showed the officer attempted to coax our client into the common area of her downtown loft to "discuss" a complaint. However, when she declined, the officer crossed the threshold of the door to arrest her. That's when the owner's small dog intervened and caused $80.00 in damage to the officer's tactical pants. We believed there was a defense to the merits because the ordinance requires proof that the owner "allowed" the dog to cause damage property. Hard to "allow" damage when you are...