State v. Jones

OPINION

ALARID, Judge.

{1} The State appeals from a trial court order suppressing cocaine and drug paraphernalia seized from Defendant’s automobile without a search warrant. We hold that the State has failed to establish exigent circumstances justifying the warrantless seizure of evidence from inside Defendant’s automobile. We therefore affirm the trial court’s suppression order.

FACTS

{2} On June 5, 1999, at about 2 a.m., Alamogordo police officer Bruce Roberts was dispatched to investigate a suspicious automobile parked on a public street. Officer Roberts knew of a string of burglaries in the…