Alvin L. Lewis v. Putnam County Sheriff's Department

Baker, Judge.

[1] Alvin Lewis was pulled over as part of a routine traffic stop. The deputy told Lewis he would merely get a warning but, because of some inconsistent answers provided by Lewis, the deputy decided to conduct a dog sniff of Lewis's vehicle. After the dog alerted, the deputy searched Lewis's vehicle and found over $ 77,000 in cash. Lewis denied that the money was his. No criminal charges were filed, but the State seized the cash and filed a motion to turn the money over to the federal government, which the trial court granted. Lewis now appeals, arguing that the search was…