Supreme Court of Rhode Island

State v. Isabel Taveras

March 22, 20122012 R.I. LEXIS 28

Summary

The Rhode Island Supreme Court affirmed the trial justice’s denial of the defendant’s motion to suppress, holding that the officers had reasonable suspicion to conduct a Terry‑type stop and that directing the defendant to unzip her jacket was a permissible, less‑intrusive search. Justice FLAHERTY dissented, arguing that the search exceeded the scope of a Terry frisk and should have been suppressed.