Court Opinion

ID: 9496050
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-05 16:16:58.207394+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:57:20.825857
License: Public Domain

DeMOSS, Circuit Judge,
specially concurring:
Because (1) a drug sniffing dog alerted to the exterior of the trunk of Moore’s vehicle; (2) that alert occurred prior to the time the arresting officers got any response to the license check they initiated as a result of making a traffic stop of Moore’s vehicle; and (3) such alert of a drug sniffing dog does not constitute any kind of illegal search or seizure, I conclude that the officers had reasonable suspicion to search the trunk of Moore’s car. Accordingly, I concur in the panel decision to reverse the District Court’s order suppressing the drugs found in the trunk of Moore’s vehicle. But for these circumstances, however, I would have concluded that the conduct of Officer Fountain in placing handcuffs on Moore and ordering him to sit on the side of the road would have constituted a warrant less arrest without probable cause and the drugs discovered thereafter would have been sup*406pressed as the fruit of an illegal search made without Moore’s consent.