The 41 grams of heroin discovered in the backseat of a car stopped for speeding should have been suppressed at the driver’s trial because the prosecution failed to show that troopers followed proper procedures for inventory searches, a 4-1 Appellate Division, Third Department, panel ruled Thursday.
The court found that while authorities were not required to offer the state police manual into evidence when showing the 2012 search adhered to procedure, troopers’ “vague explanation” of their decision making offered “meager proof” that the search was reasonable.
