The People of the State of Colorado, Plaintiff-Appellant: v. Travis Roland Barnett. Defendant-Appellee:

Summary

The court held that deputies had reasonable suspicion to stop a vehicle after discovering that its license plates were registered to a different vehicle. It also held that ordering the driver and passenger to exit during the lawful investigatory stop was justified as a reasonable safety precaution, although the conceded pat-down lacked sufficient justification. Because the record did not establish how deputies discovered the glass pipe, the court reversed the suppression order and remanded for further factual findings and a new ruling on the legality of the search.