United+States+v.+Ross

United States v. Ross

November 27, 1978 police detectives, located in Washington D.C, recieved a reliable top that a man described as "Bandit" was selling drungs from the trunk of his car. The informant told dectives the location of the car, and gave a discription of the car and driver. Police arrived on the scene and found the car matching the given discription. The police called in a computer check to run registration on the car, and discovered the man owning the car matched the description of "Bandit". They waited near by. amd watched a man get into the car, soon pulling him over. Upon pulling him over, Police saw a bullet in the passengar side seat, and searched the glove department, resulting in the discovery of a pistol and subsuqentialy the arrest of "Bandit" or Albert Ross. Police, there after, searched the trunk of the car and found a brown bag containing heroin, and a pouch containing $3,200 in cash. Ross's attorney file a motion to dismiss the evidence as the police di not have a warrent tosearch the car and the evidence was not covered by Ross's arrest. The motion was denied, and later turned over on appeal by the D.C. District Court, stating, the search of the bags was unconstitutional.
 * Background:

****Majority Opnion**: 6 Justices agreed that the warrentless search of the containers found during the search of the car was constitutional, as it fell under the automobile exception.

3 Justices objected to the idea that a police officer's idea of probabal cause was equal to the neutraity of a magistrate. **
 * Dissenting Opnion: