Ex Parte State of Alabama. (in Re State of Alabama v. Jennifer Leigh Clayton) ex Parte State of Alabama. (in Re…

Summary

The court held that officers lawfully entered and searched the defendants' apartment without a warrant because the strong, recognizable odor of methamphetamine manufacture established probable cause and the dangers associated with that manufacturing process created exigent circumstances. The court reversed the Court of Criminal Appeals' suppression ruling and remanded for further proceedings. Justice Murdock, concurring specially, agreed with the result but noted that the State relied only on public-safety risks and did not argue that preventing destruction of evidence independently justified the police entry.