Ward v. State

Ruffin, Chief Judge.

Karen Lynn Ward appeals her conviction for possessing methamphetamine, arguing that she was unlawfully detained and patted down by the arresting officer and that the trial court should have suppressed the drugs the officer found. For reasons that follow, we reverse.

When considering the denial of a motion to suppress where the facts are undisputed, we review de novo the trial court’s application of the law to the facts. Here, Officer Reuben Beltran testified that while on routine patrol in the early morning hours of July 3, 2003, he noticed a vehicle with the driver’s side…