Court Opinion

ID: 9542737
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-07 16:37:59.088199+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T15:08:49.374981
License: Public Domain

JUSTICE KARNS, specially concurring: While I concur in the judgment of the court and agree that the stop and frisk was fully justified as a Terry stop, I believe that the unusual facts present here supplied probable cause for a warrantless arrest of defendant and the attendant search was incident to a lawful arrest. Defendant, on parole from a prior burglary conviction, a fact known to Officer Walston, was seen riding a bicycle, in the rain, at 4:30 in the morning one block from a store that was burglarized a short time later. When Walston observed defendant four or five blocks from the store, he was on his bicycle, shirtless, carrying something large and bulky on his lap, covered by his shirt; although when seen earlier he was wearing a dark-colored shirt. Had Officer Walston failed to arrest defendant under those circumstances, he could well have been disciplined for dereliction of duty as a police officer.