Law Enforcement Case Summary

On 7 August 1999, at approximately 3AM, Baltimore County police officer Jeffrey Snyder observed a vehicle which was speeding and the driver was not wearing a seatbelt. Upon making a legal traffic stop, Officer Snyder could see there were three occupants in the vehicle and were later identified as: Donte Partlow, who was the vehicle owner and was driving; defendant Joseph Pringle, was sitting in the front passenger seat, and Otis Smith, who was sitting in the back seat. Officer Snyder asked Partlow for his driver license and registration and when Partlow opened the glove compartment to retrieve the registration, Officer Snyder could see a large roll of cash. Officer Snyder conducted a check for wants and warrants on Partlow, revealing no violations, so Officer Snyder issued Partlow a verbal warning about speeding and lack of a seat …show more content…
Upon arrival of a second officer, Officer Snyder asked Partlow if he could search the vehicle and when Partlow consented, Officer Snyder found the roll of money he had observed earlier, totaling $763, as well as five plastic baggies of what was later identified as crack cocaine located in the armrest of the backseat. All three of the vehicle occupants were questioned separately about the narcotics and cash; all three denied any knowledge and provided no other answers. All three men were subsequently arrested and transported to the police station. Later that morning, Pringle waived his Miranda rights and spoke to law enforcement officers, providing a verbal and written confession, stating the narcotics were his and that the Partlow and Smith knew nothing about it. At trial, Pringle requested the court suppress his statements because the arrest and subsequent confession were obtained without