Walk It Through: The Cash In The Trunk
A stop on the interstate, a request to search, marijuana and cash, and a car the state wants to keep.
On the interstate, a trooper stops a borrowed car for speeding and asks whether it may be searched.
Two things a person in this spot might do. Picking one shows what the law says about it.
One stop with a small amount of marijuana. Intent to distribute, a dog sniff, a passenger's rights and a federal forfeiture are not worked through here.
A practice walkthrough, not a prediction of how any real one will go. Legal information, not legal advice.
Words this turns on
Terms with a legal meaning that is narrower than the everyday one. Each links to the definition and the authority behind it.
- Financial responsibilityThe insurance, bond or deposit every driver or owner maintains on a vehicle at all times. Failing to maintain it is a Class 2 misdemeanor.
- Petty offenseA lesser kind of offense, such as not having the license on the driver. An officer may detain a person only as long as it takes to issue the complaint and summons, and that detention is not an arrest.
- Secondary actionSomething an officer may ask about or enforce only after stopping someone for another reason, such as proof of insurance or a seat belt.
- CardholderA person with a medical cannabis registry card, who is not subject to arrest, prosecution or penalty for medical use within the allowable amount.
- Class 1 misdemeanorThe more serious of the two misdemeanor classes, with a maximum of one year in a county jail or a $2,000 fine, or both.
- Class 6 felonyThe least serious felony class: a maximum of two years in a state correctional facility or a fine of $4,000, or both.
- Innocent ownerAn owner whose property is not forfeited, to the extent of their interest, for an act they show was done without their knowledge or consent.