DUI Prince William Virginia Lawyer Drug Possession Intention Stop

Cassandra v. Commonwealth

Facts:

Defendant appealed a decision of the Circuit Court of Prince William County (Virginia) that convicted her for possession of marijuana with intent to distribute.

DUI Prince William Virginia Lawyer

Issue:

• Whether the defendant voluntarily consented to the search of the vehicle?

Discussions:

On appeal from her conviction of possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, defendant challenged the stop of her automobile. She contended that she was illegally detained because a state trooper stopped her automobile under a pretext of a drug courier profile. The defendant also contended that consent to search her automobile was obtained by coercion and that certain statements she made were inadmissible because they were made before she was advised of her Miranda rights. The court found that the trial court did not err in finding that the trooper was justified in stopping her vehicle because she met a drug courier profile and she was speeding. The court articulated that the trooper had a justifiable and legal reason (speeding) to stop the vehicle. The court opined that she also voluntarily consented to the search of her vehicle. The court noted that merely advising a defendant that a search warrant could be obtained was not coercion. The court held that the trooper was not required to advise her of her Miranda rights prior to the time she made incriminating statements because she was not in custody, but was merely a subject of a Terry stop.

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Article written by A Sris

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Disclaimer:

These summaries are provided by the SRIS Law Group. They represent the firm’s unofficial views of the Justices’ opinions. The original opinions should be consulted for their authoritative content.