State v. Rynhart

PARRISH, Justice:

INTRODUCTION

¶ 1 Tanja Rynhart was arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance after police officers discovered a small bag of cocaine in her purse. At the time of the discovery, Rynhart’s purse was in her van, which she had left unattended in a marsh after driving off the road and crashing through two fences. Rynhart filed a motion to suppress the cocaine, arguing that the police officer illegally searched her van in violation of her rights guaranteed by the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution. The State argued that the search was valid…