As in all things, hearing the other side of a story can truly put certain events into perspective. For example, a man walking slowly down a dark street staring at each house may seem suspicious to some, but he could easily be looking for the street number for a house he has never visited before. Whether or not something is suspicious is relative. In Chicago, police searched and arrested a man on charges of drug possession after allegedly observing what they described as suspicious behavior.
The arrest occurred in late August. Police claim they saw a 30-year-old man engaging in suspicious behavior. However, it is unclear what the behavior was. As a result of their apparent suspicions, they arrested him.
Officers allege that a search of the man revealed cannabis. Additionally, reports claim that a search of the man’s vehicle turned up almost 50 grams of crack cocaine. He now faces several charges as a result of the search and is being held on $200,000 bond.
People in this country are afforded many rights. One of these rights is related to a police officer’s ability to stop individuals and search them. The accused in this case may want to ensure that his rights were upheld during his arrest and subsequent search. If it is determined that these acts violated the man’s constitutional rights, Chicago prosecutors may not be able to use evidence gained from the searches against him during proceedings regarding the drug possession charges. In all criminal cases, those accused are considered not guilty until — and only if — prosecutors provide sufficient evidence to prove otherwise.
Source: myfoxchicago.com, “More than $5K worth of crack cocaine found in man’s car”, , Aug. 28, 2014