Whenever police pull over a vehicle on the road, the end result may be far from the reason for the initial stop. Police may be able to search a vehicle and use what they find against a person as they file criminal charges, depending on very specific procedures and reasoning for a search. After a recent traffic stop, a man in Indiana is now facing drug charges even though suspicion of drug crimes was not the reason for pulling over his vehicle in the first place.
The 36-year-old was pulled over by police because there were warrants against him. The warrants related to a failure to appear in court, although there was no report as to why the man was supposed to appear in court. Police then searched the man's vehicle.
Inside, police say they found a variety of drugs. They sent the materials away for further testing at a lab in Indianapolis. Initial tests identified the drugs as possibly being suboxone and methamphetamine. Unspecified marijuana paraphernalia was also seized. The man now faces possession charges and was being held in the county jail on bond.
Police searches that result in charges related to alleged drug crimes can and often are contested in court. Many people may not be aware of their rights if pulled over by police for any given reason and then confronted with a request to search the car. In Indiana, anyone pulled over and searched and then charged with a crime related to that search may benefit from understanding the legality of search and seizure situations.