Commonwealth v. Chown

On January 20, 2006, the defendant, Kristian A. Chown, was stopped for speeding and then arrested for operating a motor vehicle without a license in violation of G. L. c. 90, § 10. During the subsequent inventory search of his motor vehicle, police recovered drugs, cash, and other items. As a result, the defendant was indicted for trafficking in cocaine, in violation of G. L. c. 94C, § 32E (b) (2), and possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, in violation of G. L. c. 94C, § 32C (a). The defendant moved to suppress the evidence recovered from the inventory search, contending that…