Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

 

warrant Tag

How Cops Find Drugs During Traffic Stops

How Cops Find Drugs During Traffic Stops

A person pulled over for suspected DUI or another driving offense may find himself in more trouble if police search the vehicle. If law enforcement finds evidence of another crime, such as illegal drugs, in the vehicle, they can charge you with that crime too. A simple traffic infraction could escalate to much more serious criminal charges. Usually, police need a warrant to search cars. During traffic stops, however, they can search vehicles without a warrant for several reasons. First, police may search a vehicle incident to a driver’s arrest. Often this type of search is legally permitted because police reasonably...

Continue reading

Bail: How Does It Work?

Bail: How Does It Work?

If you or a loved one needs to make bail, you probably have questions about the process. Here are a few tips to help you move forward. After you have been arrested, you will be booked into jail, where you will wait until your first time seeing a judge. This initial appearance is called an arraignment. At the arraignment, you will be told the charges against you. The judge will set a bond amount that you must post to leave jail and return home to your family. Sometimes, the judge will release you on an “Own Recognizance” Bond, meaning you do...

Continue reading

The Oklahoma Citizen’s Arrest

The Oklahoma Citizen’s Arrest

In Oklahoma, a private citizen may arrest a person if the citizen has reasonable cause to believe the person has committed a crime. The arrest is known as a citizen’s arrest. Arrests by citizens are very similar to arrests by police officers: the citizen may restrain a suspected criminal and then deliver him to a police officer or the stationhouse. 22 O.S. § 22-187. Just as police officers must have probable cause to arrest a suspect, citizens must also have probable cause. Because most citizens have not been trained in arrest and restraint procedures, it may be easier to challenge your...

Continue reading

What Is a Motion to Suppress?

What Is a Motion to Suppress?

A lawyer defending a client accused of driving under the influence frequently will file a motion to suppress evidence on the client’s behalf. A motion to suppress asks the court to suppress, or not allow to be used in court, a certain piece of evidence. The motion argues that the evidence should not be used in court because it was obtained illegally, it is tainted, or for some other similar reason. Motions to suppress arise from the exclusionary rule in criminal cases. The exclusionary rule states that defendants have the right to have excluded from trial any evidence that was...

Continue reading

Warrant or No Warrant? Your Rights

Warrant or No Warrant: Your Rights

Three key Supreme Court cases discuss the need for a warrant when police require a suspect to submit to blood and breath tests. The first addresses the amount of force used to compel a test, and the second two discuss whether a warrant is required for blood versus breath testing in DUI cases. Use of Force and Warrants In the case of Rochin v. California, 342 U.S. 165 (1952), the Supreme Court considered whether police may force a suspect to turn over evidence without a warrant. The facts are harrowing: sheriffs entered a man’s home without a warrant and saw capsules on...

Continue reading

Legality of the Car Search in Oklahoma

Legality of the Car Search in Oklahoma

During DUI arrests in Oklahoma, police may be able to legally search the driver’s automobile. But wait – you may say – doesn’t the Fourth Amendment protect people against unreasonable searches and seizures of their property? Yes, and so does Article 2, Section 30 of the Oklahoma Constitution. However, several exceptions apply during traffic stops that could allow police to search your car. Police usually must have a search warrant to conduct an automobile search. If there was no warrant, the courts assume that the search was unreasonable, and the government must demonstrate that the search was reasonable. Otherwise, evidence from...

Continue reading