Medina County Court of Common Pleas Judgment Reversed

In
State v. Harper, a woman successfully appealed a judgment entry of the Medina County Court
of Common Pleas. The woman was initially stopped by police while driving
on the interstate for following too closely behind a tractor-trailer,
which is a violation of R.C. 4511.34. The trooper who pulled her over
found that she had two outstanding warrants, but the woman claimed that
she was only driving to take care of those warrants. The trooper arrested
the woman for her warrants and arranged to have her car towed. The car
she was driving was not actually hers, but belonged to her cousin.

In the process of the car being inventoried, officers discovered
cocaine so they also indicted her on one count of
drug possession and specified her as a Major Drug Offender. The defendant filed a motion
to suppress the evidence that law enforcement obtained from the car on
the grounds of illegal traffic stop and illegal search. The motions were
denied and the defendant was found guilty. The defendant appealed and
the Medina County Court of Common Pleas’ judgment was reversed.