Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca5-03-50499/USCOURTS-ca5-03-50499-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Leon Dashann Bratcher
Appellant
United States of America
Appellee

Document Text:

* Pursuant to 5TH CIR. R. 47.5, the court has determined

that this opinion should not be published and is not precedent

except under the limited circumstances set forth in 5TH CIR.

R. 47.5.4.

United States Court of Appeals

Fifth Circuit

F I L E D

February 13, 2004

Charles R. Fulbruge III

Clerk

IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS

FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT

 

No. 03-50499

Summary Calendar

 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,

Plaintiff-Appellee,

versus

LEON DASHANN BRATCHER,

Defendant-Appellant.

Appeal from the United States District Court

for the Western District of Texas

USDC No. SA-01-CR-606-ALL

Before JONES, BENAVIDES and CLEMENT, Circuit Judges.

PER CURIAM:*

Leon Bratcher challenges the district court's ruling on

his motion to suppress evidence in his appeal of count one of his

jury conviction for possession with intent to distribute cocaine

base. Bratcher argues that a police officer’s initial stop of his

vehicle violated the Fourth Amendment.

 Case: 03-50499 Document: 0051173072 Page: 1 Date Filed: 02/13/2004
2

Suppression hearing testimony indicates that a police

officer stopped Bratcher’s vehicle because Bratcher failed to use

a turn signal when pulling out of a parking lot onto a street.

Texas Transportation Code section 545.104 requires a driver to use

a turn signal “to indicate an intention to turn, change lanes, or

start from a parked position.” Id.; see Krug v. State, 86 S.W.3d

764, 766 (Tex. App. 2001)(“[b]y its plain language, Section 545.104

applies whenever the driver has an ‘intention to turn’”). Because

the officer had probable cause to believe that a traffic violation

had occurred, the decision to stop the vehicle was reasonable and

did not violate the Fourth Amendment. See Whren v. United States,

517 U.S. 806, 810 (1996). The judgment of the district court is

therefore AFFIRMED.

 Case: 03-50499 Document: 0051173072 Page: 2 Date Filed: 02/13/2004