MO: Two week old information in call to child maltreatment hotline was not stale nor without exigency

A call to a child maltreatment hotline was made two weeks after the observation that motivated the phone call. The exigency still existed for a warrantless entry. State v. Prince, 2017 Mo. App. LEXIS 348 (April 25, 2017).

Defendant’s vehicle was stopped because of a broken taillight but it was circling a block like the driver was looking for a hand to hand deal. Walking up to the car, the officer could smell burnt marijuana. “As long as the police officer had the proper probable cause to make the traffic stop, the officer’s ulterior motives will not render the stop unconstitutional.” The search of the car was thus valid under the automobile exception. Christopher v. State, 2017 Ark. App. 237, 2017 Ark. App. LEXIS 247 (April 19, 2017).*

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