By North Carolina Judicial Branch
State v. Johnson
Whether reasonable suspicion--necessary to justify a warrantless Terry search of defendant and the area of his vehicle under his direct control--existed where the responding officer testified that, during a traffic stop in a high-crime area at night for a non-moving violation, defendant (1) held his hands outside the driver's window as officers approached his vehicle, (2) appeared nervous in his interactions with the officer, (3) was 'blading' his body when retrieving documentation from the center console, and (4) possessed a criminal record with violent crime and weapons charges.
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Summary
Whether reasonable suspicion--necessary to justify a warrantless Terry search of defendant and the area of his vehicle under his direct control--existed where the responding officer testified that, during a traffic stop in a high-crime area at night for a non-moving violation, defendant (1) held his hands outside the driver's window as officers approached his vehicle, (2) appeared nervous in his interactions with the officer, (3) was 'blading' his body when retrieving documentation from the center console, and (4) possessed a criminal record with violent crime and weapons charges.