Cottrell v. State

The appellant, Dedrick Demond Cottrell, pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm with an altered or removed serial number, a violation of § 13A-11-64, Ala. Code 1975. Cottrell was sentenced to one year and one day in jail; the court suspended the sentence and placed Cottrell on probation for two years. Before entering his guilty plea, Cottrell specifically reserved his right to appeal the circuit court's ruling denying his motion to suppress the gun, which was recovered as a result of a traffic stop.

Cottrell argued in his motion to suppress that the traffic stop was illegal because the stop was…