State v. Sanders

¶ 1. Dwight M. Sanders argues that the police violated his Fourth Amendment rights *164when they pursued him into his residence in order to arrest him for obstructing an officer. We hold that the misdemeanor crime of obstructing an officer will not support a warrantless entry of a home under the hot pursuit doctrine. We further conclude that officers lacked probable cause to believe that Sanders was engaged in illegal drug activity and therefore the entry cannot be validated on those grounds. We reverse the judgment and order of the circuit court.

Facts

¶ 2. On May 6, 2005, Jorge Garcia and…