State v. Santacruz

¶1 — The scope of a Terry1 stop may be enlarged and prolonged to address suspicions unrelated to the original stop given proper circumstances. Here, police noticed Edward Santacruz’s dilated pupils during a stop for an expired vehicle registration. The officer asked about the condition of his eyes. Mr. Santacruz said he had used methamphetamine earlier in the day. The court concluded the question was unrelated to the original scope of the Terry stop and suppressed the resulting drug evidence. The questioning here and the subsequent consensual search were easily justified by the condition of…