Court Opinion

ID: 9794415
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-31 03:05:21.508851+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T08:13:03.070949
License: Public Domain

RUSSON, Judge
(concurring in the result):
I concur in the result of the main opinion, but write separately because I prefer a different analytical approach to reach the same result. I would hold that probable cause to arrest Leonard existed at the time at which the officers stopped Leonard’s vehicle. The facts which support probable cause include: (1) evidence that the continuing surveillance had resulted in several arrests and convictions relating to the possession and manufacture of methamphetamine; (2) Officer Fox’s observation that Leonard’s dress and manner were suspiciously inconsistent with those of a legi-mate businessman; (3) the Datsun truck’s attempt to block Officer Fox from following Leonard; (4) Leonard’s evasive driving manner, including driving at excessive speeds and making numerous illegal lane changes; (5) Leonard’s apparent attempt to signal the occupants of the Datsun truck by waving bandanna-type flags out the window; (6) Officer Fox’s discovery that no owner was registered for the license plates on the vehicle that Leonard was driving; and (7) the fact that Officer Caldwell had learned from Intertech what items had been purchased by Leonard and his companion, in concert with Officer Caldwell’s knowledge that the said items are commonly used in the manufacture of methampeta-mine. On the basis of these facts, I would hold that the officers had probable cause to arrest Leonard when they stopped his vehicle, and that therefore the trial court properly denied Leonard’s motion to suppress. Accordingly, I agree that Leonard’s conviction should be affirmed.