WA: Confronting students about skipping school to smoke dope was a stop

An officer confronting students allegedly skipping school to question them about smoking marijuana was not a mere “social contact” and became a detention. State v. Guevara, 172 Wn. App. 184, 288 P.3d 1167 (December 6, 2012).*

The officer was given consent to look in the car. While the officer was looking at the bumper, he could tell the defendant’s stress level went “through the roof.” He noticed that the screws around the inside of the trunk were worn from being removed repeatedly, and plastic push pins were broken. That led to reasonable suspicion to detain for a drug dog. State v. Ochoa, 2012 Tenn. Crim. App. LEXIS 999 (December 7, 2012).*

Because defendant’s backup lights came on when he hit the brakes, the officer was justified in concluding that the brake lights were not in working order, and that justified the stop. State v. Gonzalez, 2012 Tenn. Crim. App. LEXIS 990 (December 5, 2012).*