skip to Main Content
Name: People v. Medina
Case #: F051748
Court: CA Court of Appeal
District 5 DCA
Opinion Date: 12/27/2007
Summary

A suspicionless search pursuant to a probation condition was not prohibited by the Fourth Amendment. Police stopped Medina for an inoperable tail light. Medina was in the driveway of his house, and told officers it was his house. A records check showed that Medina was on felony probation subject to search for narcotics. The officer searched the car, finding no contraband. He then did a probation search of Medina’s room in the house, finding a small amount of methamphetamine. The trial court granted a motion to suppress and dismissed the case, and the prosecutor appealed. The appellate court reversed the order of dismissal. A search conducted pursuant to a known probation search condition, even if conducted without suspicion of criminal activity does not violate the Fourth Amendment as long as the search is not undertaken for harassment or for arbitrary reasons.