State v. Leticia T.

Summary

The New Mexico Supreme Court held that officers lawfully searched the cab and trunk of a vehicle without a warrant after receiving reports that an occupant had pointed a rifle at people from the vehicle. The reported rifle assault, the matching vehicle, the weapon's absence from the passenger compartment, and the presence of bystanders supplied probable cause and exigent circumstances under the New Mexico Constitution. The Court reversed the Court of Appeals and allowed the defendant's conditional plea to stand.