Opinion ID: 2521453
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: State v. Rankin

Text: On September 17, 1999, a vehicle driven by Karena Gunn was stopped by a Snohomish County sheriff's deputy. The deputy did so because he observed Gunn's vehicle roll over a marked stop line, a noncriminal traffic offense. Rankin's Clerk's Papers at 5. James Rankin was a passenger in Gunn's vehicle. Although the deputy did not observe Rankin engaged in any criminal activity on this occasion, he recalled that he had arrested Rankin approximately a month earlier for possession of a stolen vehicle and possession of controlled substances. The deputy requested Gunn's driver's license, and then asked Rankin if he had any identification on his person. Rankin and Gunn each responded by providing the deputy with identification cards. The deputy used the personal information from the cards to run a check to see if there were warrants outstanding for either of the individuals. He learned that there were no warrants for Gunn but that there was an outstanding warrant for Rankin's arrest for allegedly violating a no-contact order. Consequently, he placed Rankin under arrest. During a search incident to the arrest, the deputy discovered a knife and about one ounce of methamphetamine on Rankin. Rankin was charged in Snohomish County Superior Court with possession of a controlled substance. Rankin then moved to suppress the evidence that was seized from him at the time of his arrest. The trial court granted the motion and suppressed the evidence, concluding that the encounter was a seizure. It then dismissed the case, concluding that the State possessed insufficient evidence to maintain the charges against Rankin.