State v. Downing

WYNN, Judge.

Under North Carolina law, a search warrant is not required to conduct a lawful search based on probable cause of a motor vehicle in a public roadway or in a public vehicular area. State v. Isleib, 319 N.C. 634, 638, 356 S.E.2d 573, 576 (1987). In this case, the record shows that the police lawfully stopped a vehicle fitting a description given by a reliable confidential informant, lawfully entered and moved the vehicle with Defendant’s consent, and smelled cocaine upon entering and moving the vehicle. Because we hold that these facts show that probable cause existed to search the…