IN: Flight from car is abandonment of the cell phone inside, too

Defendant’s flight from his car and into the woods was an abandonment of the car and the contents. Thus, the warrantless search of his cell phone left in the car was reasonable. Harrison v. State, 2015 Ind. App. LEXIS 357 (April 21, 2015).

Columbo-style consent valid in Georgia. Defendant was stopped for a taillight being out, and the officer gave him a warning about it and made small talk and let defendant go. As he was about to get into his truck and go, the officer asked if he’d answer some questions, and defendant then validly consented to a search of the vehicle. State v. Anderson, 2015 Ga. App. LEXIS 275 (April 21, 2015) (see § 12.18 of the Treatise).

“In sum, the affidavits contain ample evidence related to the confidential informants’ veracity, reliability, and bases of knowledge. Moreover, much of the information provided by these informants and contained in the affidavits is corroborated by other informants, seized items, and/or audio and video recordings. Accordingly, their statements, as presented in the affidavits, are sufficient to establish the necessary probable cause for the search warrants.” United States v. Ashrafkhan, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 51849 (E.D. Mich. April 21, 2015).*