Biting an officer constitutes an assault charge
Facts Christopher Cleveland was riding as a passenger in a car driven by Kendrick Green when the car was stopped at a routine roadblock. Officer P. L. Gage, one of the officers conducting the roadblock, recognized Cleveland and was aware that a warrant for his arrest had been issued. According to Gage, when he informed Cleveland […]
Subject was in custody for purposes of miranda when interviewed at hospital
Facts Joyce H. Canups died after being injured at the intersection of U.S. Highway 61 and Casino Center Drive in Tunica County, Mississippi, when the car she was driving was struck from behind by a red pickup truck allegedly being driven by Gary Hopkins. About forty minutes after the wreck, Mississippi Highway Safety Patrol Sergeant […]
Edwards not violated when subject re-initiates communication with police
Facts In 1996, the body of 78 year old Minnie Smith was discovered by her son-in-law. The police investigation revealed that Smith had been stabbed to death, apparently in the course of a burglary of her home. Law enforcement officers interviewed neighbors within a radius of several miles, before eventually focusing their attention on Blayde […]
absence of criminal identification tags in photo lineup did not single out defendants
Facts In 1998, Tim Seese, a delivery man for Tom’s snack foods, parked the company delivery van in front of Laird’s Hospital in Union, Mississippi. Seese left the doors of the van open as he was inside of the hospital making an inventory of the snack machines and refilling them. Sherry Whinery and Faye Walker, two […]
an officer may stop and detain a person to resolve an ambiguous situation without having sufficient knowledge to justify an arrest
Facts Officer Wayne Drexler received a call from a confidential informant (C.I.), known to Drexler and who had proven reliable in the past, that three black males were selling drugs at the intersection of Kingsway Drive and Brooksdale Drive in Picayune, Mississippi. Several arrests had been made in the past on information received from this […]
Passenger lacks standing to object to stop of car
Facts In 1998, Trooper Dennis Weaver of the Mississippi Highway Safety Patrol was driving on Highway 6 in Batesville, Mississippi when he saw a green Camaro driving in front of him. Weaver stated that the Camaro appeared to have tinted windows which were darker than allowed by law. According to Weaver, upon passing the vehicle, […]