Police officers in the nearby Michigan community of Dowagiac recently arrested two individuals after stopping their vehicle and searching them and their property. Apparently the officers involved in the matter spotted the driver of the vehicle and recognized him as an individual with a warrant out for his arrest. Incidental to their arrest of the driver on the outstanding warrant and the arrest of his passenger for a parole violation, the officers searched the vehicle and allegedly found illegal drugs therein.
The drugs were seized and per information released by the police department the men may face multiple drug charges. The search allegedly produced narcotics and articles that could be used in the dealing of drugs to others. The men will be arraigned on their charges and thereinafter more information on this story may become available.
What can be gleaned from what is given, though, is that law enforcement officials may have a wide scope of discretion to wield when conducting arrests. The stop of these two men was not based on the officers’ reasonable suspicion that there were drugs in the car; rather, an unrelated matter led to the stop and from that the officers were able to search the men’s property and allegedly find evidence of possible drug crimes.
These two men now must face significant legal challenges as they work to overcome their pending warrant issues, alleged parole violations, and possible drug crime convictions. To help them work through the multitude of challenges they may face it is possible these men will hire criminal defense attorneys to support them in their efforts to preserve their freedom.
Source: mlive.com, “Drugs found during traffic stop, 2 people arrested,” Meagan Beck, July 24, 2017
