Ponce v. State

Phipps, Judge.

Hector Ponce was charged with trafficking in cocaine after police found more than 400 grams of it hidden in a load of watermelons in his tractor-trailer. Ponce moved to suppress the cocaine, arguing that it had been discovered during an illegal stop and search of his vehicle. The trial court heard the motion in conjunction with a bench trial, denied the motion, and found Ponce guilty as charged. He appeals, and we reverse because the stop violated his Fourth Amendment rights.

In reviewing a trial court’s ruling on a motion to suppress, we construe the evidence most favorably to…