State v. Prinkleton

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The motion court did not err by applying the inevitable discovery doctrine to deny Defendant's motion to suppress evidence of drugs found on his person before the issuance of a search warrant.The Unified Criminal Docket found Defendant guilty of unlawful trafficking in scheduled drugs and ordering a criminal forfeiture. In denying Defendant’s motion to suppress drug evidence, the trial court found that law enforcement officers’ warrantless entry into an apartment was not justified by exigent circumstances but that it was highly likely that the officers inevitably would have discovered drugs. The Supreme Court affirmed the denial of the motion to suppress, holding (1) the motion court did not err by finding that the police inevitably would have discovered the drug evidence at issue by lawful means; and (2) application of the inevitable discovery doctrine does not create an incentive for police misconduct and does not significantly weaken Fourth Amendment protections. View "State v. Prinkleton" on Justia Law