Arizona vs Grant Case
On August 25, 1999, acting on an anonymous tip that the residence at 2524 North Walnut Avenue was being used to sell drugs Tucson police officers Griffith and Reed knocked on the front door and asked to speak to the owner. Gant answered the door and, after identifying himself stated that he expected the owner to return later. The officers left the residence and conducted a records check, which revealed that Gant’s driver’s license had been suspended and there was an outstanding warrant for his arrest for driving with a suspended license. When the officers returned to the house that evening they found a man near the back of the house and a woman in a car parked in front of it. After a third officer arrived they arrested the man for providing a false name and the woman for possessing drug paraphernalia. Both arrestees were handcuffed and secured in separate patrol cars when Gant arrived. The officers recognized his car as it entered the driveway and Officer Griffith confirmed that Gant was the driver by shining a flashlight into the car as it drove by him. Gant parked at the end of the driveway got out of his car and shut the door. Griffith who was about 30 feet away called to Gant, and they approached each other meeting 10 to 12 feet from Gant’s car. Griffith immediately arrested Gant and handcuffed him. Because the other arrestees were secured in the only patrol cars at the scene Griffith called for backup. When two more officers arrived they locked Gant in the backseat of their vehicle. After Gant had been handcuffed and placed in the back of a patrol car two officers searched his car One of them found a gun and the other discovered a bag of cocaine in the pocket of a jacket on the backseat. Gant was charged with two offenses possession of a narcotic drug for sale and possession of drug paraphernalia the plastic bag in which the cocaine was found He moved to suppress the evidence seized from his car on the ground that the warrantless search violated
References: ^ "Law professor Tomkovicz writes brief for case in upcoming Supreme Court term". The Press-Citizen. 2008-09-29. http://www.google.com http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arizona_v._Gant