Our client was charged with drug possession following a search of his private garage. Rather than accept a plea deal, he stood on principle — and attorney Alexandria Stanton-Campos vindicated that decision completely, securing a full dismissal of the charge.
The facts were straightforward. Our client was sleeping in his car, parked in his own garage at his home. A passing police officer observed that the garage door was open and entered the property without a warrant or invitation. Once inside, the officer used a flashlight to illuminate areas he could not otherwise see, and ultimately searched a closed container inside the garage — where he found the drugs that formed the basis of the charges.
Our client had been offered the opportunity to participate in a diversion program in exchange for dismissal of the case. He declined. He believed the officer's entry and search of his private garage was unconstitutional, and he was not willing to accept any deal that glossed over that violation.
Ms. Stanton-Campos argued that the warrantless entry into the garage and the subsequent search violated our client's Fourth Amendment rights. The court agreed, suppressing the evidence obtained during the unlawful search. Without that evidence, the prosecution had no case, and the charge was dismissed entirely.
This case is a reminder that how evidence is obtained matters as much as what that evidence shows. If law enforcement violated your rights in obtaining evidence against you, that evidence may not be usable in court. Our attorneys know how to identify those violations and fight to protect your rights. Sometimes the best trial is the one that never happens.
