Issue

Traffic stop—independent reasonable suspicion—traffic violation—impaired driving

Summary

Defendant's Fourth Amendment rights were not violated as a result of a traffic stop and search of his vehicle where law enforcement officers had independent reasonable suspicion–apart from a traffic checkpoint–to justify stopping defendant's vehicle, based on the officers' observation that defendant's car ran off the road and onto the grass alongside the road before coming to a stop at the checkpoint, which indicated a traffic violation of failure to maintain lane control and possible impaired driving.

Summary from the North Carolina Reports digest (official subject index). Read the opinion →