State v. Howard

Smith, Chief Judge.

This appeal involves the validity under the Fourth Amendment of the search of the car that Ralph Dorsey Howard was driving and in which his wife Sharon Howard and Ronnie Lee Williams had been passengers. The trial court granted appellees’ motions to suppress evidence, which included cocaine and a pistol found in a duffel bag on the floorboard of the car, and the State appeals. We find that impoundment of the vehicle was reasonable, and an inventory search is permitted in conjunction with impoundment. We also find that the search was incident to Howard’s lawful arrest. We…