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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Eye On Boise

Judge tosses evidence of 55 lbs of pot due to ISP’s unlawful detention of motorist

Here’s a news item from the Associated Press: NAMPA, Idaho (AP) — An Idaho judge has thrown out evidence against a man accused of having loads of marijuana in his car during a traffic stop. The Idaho Press-Tribune reports (http://bit.ly/2qka9xq ) the evidence against 56-year-old Huu V. Tran had been thrown out this week because police "unlawfully prolonged the detention of the defendant to ask for consent to search the vehicle." Tran had been accused of having 55 pounds (25 kilograms) of marijuana in his car during the traffic stop. He had been pulled over by an Idaho State Police trooper for following too closely and obstructing his rear license plate. The judge decided the state had not met its burden of proof demonstrating that the defendant's consent to having his vehicle searched was voluntary.



Betsy Z. Russell
Betsy Z. Russell joined The Spokesman-Review in 1991. She currently is a reporter in the Boise Bureau covering Idaho state government and politics, and other news from Idaho's state capital.

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