Opinion ID: 2445810
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Detective Janvier Had Probable Cause

Text: Detective Janvier, a 13-year veteran of the Wilmington Police, directly observed Thomas' movements on January 23, 2009. Those observations corroborated multiple factual representations that were provided to her by a past, proven reliable, informant that Thomas was engaged in selling drugs. Detective Janvier personally observed Thomas behave in precisely the manner the informant predicted. She observed Thomas carrying a number of bags into his home at the time the informant reported that Thomas would be receiving a large shipment of heroin and then leave his home and go toward the Riverside area, a well-known high drug area. Probable cause is determined by the totality of the circumstances, as viewed by a reasonable police officer in the light of his or her training and experience. [1] To establish probable cause, the police are only required to present facts which suggest that there is a fair probability that the defendant has committed a crime. [2] Under the totality of the circumstances standard, we hold that Detective Janvier had the requisite probable cause to arrest Thomas at the time he was stopped by Detective Jordan. [3]