Pubdate: Fri, 04 Jul 2014
Source: Palm Beach Post, The (FL)
Copyright: 2014 The Palm Beach Post
Contact:  http://www.palmbeachpost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/333
Page: B2

COURT: CAR'S COLOR CAN'T JUSTIFY STOP

The Florida Supreme Court on Thursday overturned the conviction of a 
man who was found to have cocaine and marijuana after an Escambia 
County sheriff 's deputy pulled him over based on the color of his 
car in June 2010.

The deputy ran the license tag number on a bright green Chevrolet 
through a state database. The database indicated the car had been 
registered as being the color blue, an inconsistency that led the 
deputy to pull over the car.

The deputy noticed the smell of marijuana, leading to a search of the 
car that turned up marijuana and crack cocaine . The driver, Kerrick 
Teamer, was convicted of trafficking in cocaine and possession of 
marijuana and of drug paraphernalia.

The Supreme Court said changing the color of a car is not "inherently 
suspicious" enough to justify a stop by police.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom