State v. Hunnel

Anna E. Hunnel appeals her Kitsap County Superior Court conviction of unlawful possession of a controlled substance, RCW 69.50.401(d). She contends that the police illegally searched her purse after arresting the driver of the automobile in which she was a passenger. Specifically, Hunnel argues that her right to privacy was violated when the police ordered her to exit the vehicle but leave her purse, which was on the floor beneath the passenger’s front seat. We affirm, holding that the officer’s order was lawful because the police had authority to search the purse under the “bright-line” rule…