The People of the State of Colorado, Plaintiff-Appellant v. Devon Paul Garrett Burnett, Defendant-Appellee.

Summary

The court held that the traffic stop lacked reasonable suspicion because the governing statute does not require a driver to signal continuously for a specified distance before changing lanes. The trooper's contrary interpretation was an objectively unreasonable mistake of law because the statute's plain language distinguishes turns from lane changes, so the court affirmed suppression of the evidence obtained after the stop. Justice Boatright, joined by Chief Justice Coats, dissented, concluding that the interpretation was correct or objectively reasonable and that suppression was unwarranted even if the interpretation was unreasonable.