Owens v. State

The majority holds that a drug dealer who leaves an unlocked bag containing over $75,000 worth of drugs at the home of a “friend” is the victim of an unlawful search when the friend authorizes the police to determine whether there are drugs on her premises. I would affirm the trial judge’s ruling that the search was valid for any or all of the following reasons: First, Ms. Gardin could give valid consent to a search of the bag. Second, even if Ms. Gardin lacked actual authority to consent to the search of the bag, the police acted reasonably when they searched based on Ms. Gardin’s apparent…