Jeffery Michael St. George, Jr., Appellant v. the State of Texas

Summary

The Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed the Fort Worth court of appeals' reversal of the trial court's denials of Jeffery Michael St. George, Jr.'s motions to suppress, holding that Hood County deputies unlawfully prolonged a routine traffic stop by continuing, without reasonable suspicion and in a non-consensual manner, to demand a passenger's name and date of birth after issuing the driver a warning citation. Because the deputies did not know the name first given was false, and because nervousness alone cannot supply reasonable suspicion, the continued detention exceeded the scope of the stop under Terry. The post-citation identity statements and the marijuana found incident to arrest on warrants discovered only through that prolonged detention were therefore suppressible fruits of the unlawful seizure. Presiding Judge Keller dissented.