Banks v. State

Pope, Presiding Judge.

Ladds Taylor Banks appeals his bench trial conviction for misdemeanor possession of marijuana. He claims that the Gwinnett County State Court lacked jurisdiction over the crime charged and that the court erred in denying his motion to suppress the marijuana seized during a late-night “security check” of his business. We conclude that the state court had jurisdiction, and that officers conducting routine, nighttime investigations of businesses on their patrol may enter an unlocked commercial premises to check for intruders. Accordingly, we affirm the conviction.

1. In his…