James v. State

Miller, Judge.

Michael James was arrested for theft by receiving stolen property, and in a search incident to the arrest, officers discovered methamphetamine. Following his convictions on several drug-related counts, James appeals from the denial of his motion to suppress the evidence, arguing that the search was incident to an illegal arrest. We conclude that there was probable cause for the arrest and therefore affirm.

Upon review of the trial court’s denial of a motion to suppress, we are guided by three principles:

First, when a motion to suppress is heard by the trial judge, that judge sits…