Summary
The Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia affirmed the denial of Brian Scott Wood’s motion to suppress evidence obtained during a traffic stop. The court held that officers had reasonable, articulable suspicion based on a named caller’s report of individuals throwing beer bottles from a specifically identified vehicle and the caller’s real-time location information.
Holdings
- The officers had a reasonable articulable suspicion to stop Wood's vehicle because an identified caller reported observed unlawful conduct and supplied detailed, contemporaneous information about the vehicle and its location.
- Suppression of the subsequently obtained evidence was not warranted because the initial traffic stop was supported by reasonable articulable suspicion.
Questions Presented
- Whether officers had a reasonable articulable suspicion to initiate the traffic stop based on information supplied by an identified caller.
- Whether evidence obtained during the traffic stop should have been suppressed as fruit of an unlawful seizure.
Disposition
affirmed
Cases Cited (10)
- Kennedy v. Frazier, 178 W. Va. 10, 357 S.E.2d 43 (1987)(followed)
- State v. Head, 198 W. Va. 298, 480 S.E.2d 507 (1996)(followed)
- State v. Georgius, 225 W. Va. 716, 696 S.E.2d 18 (2010)(followed)
- State v. Lacy, 196 W. Va. 104, 468 S.E.2d 719 (1996)(followed)
- State v. White, 228 W. Va. 530, 722 S.E.2d 566 (2011)(followed)
- State v. Bookheimer, 221 W. Va. 720, 656 S.E.2d 471 (2007)(followed)
- State v. Stuart, 192 W. Va. 428, 452 S.E.2d 886 (1994)(followed)
- Muscatell v. Cline, 196 W. Va. 588, 474 S.E.2d 518 (1996)(distinguished)
- Dale v. Ciccone, 233 W. Va. 652, 760 S.E.2d 466 (2014)(followed)
- Navarette v. California, 134 S. Ct. 1683, 188 L. Ed. 2d 680 (2014)(followed)
Cited In (0)
No citing cases on record yet.
Court Document
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