Police received a report of an armed intruder who had entered an apartment, and subsequently stopped and detained Rousseau, who fit the intruder’s description. Officers handcuffed Rousseau and searched his vehicle, resulting in the seizure of an unlawful weapon. Rousseau was arrested for possession of the weapon by a felon, and moved to suppress the weapon as the fruit of an unlawful search. The appellate court here affirmed the denial of the motion to suppress. Officers had probable cause to believe that Rousseau was armed and had just committed a crime. The investigatory stop was therefore justified.
Case Summaries