Roberson v. State

Lewis Roberson appeals a conviction and sentence for possession of cocaine, contending that the trial court erred in admitting physical evidence seized from a car in which he was a passenger, and erred in admitting statements that he made subsequent to the seizure. We conclude that the physical evidence was obtained pursuant to an illegal search, and reverse.

Roberson was a passenger in a car that was stopped by a highway patrol trooper for speeding. When the driver of the car was unable to produce a driver’s license, Roberson told the trooper that he had a driver’s license and that the car…