Commonwealth v. Lana

¶ 1 On June 13, 1998, Philadelphia Officer Russell Shoemaker stopped appellant, Richard Lana, for suspicion of driving while intoxicated (DUI). In the course of providing the officer with his identification, a clear Baggie fell from appellant’s pocket. That Baggie later was ascertained to contain crack cocaine.

¶ 2 On July 12, 2001, in Municipal Court, appellant’s motion to suppress was denied and he was convicted, following a bench trial, of one count of possession of a controlled substance.1 He was sentenced that same day to six (6) months reporting probation followed by six (6) months…