United States Fourth Circuit

Defendant's conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm is affirmed where: 1) the circumstances of a face-to-face encounter between an informant and an officer provided sufficient reasonable suspicion to justify the Terry stop of defendant's vehicle; and 2) given the circumstances confronting the officers, the brief protective search of defendant's vehicle was proper.

Appellate Information

• Decided 12/17/2009
• Published 12/17/2009

Judges

• Before TRAXLER, Chief Judge, and GREGORY and SHEDD, Circuit Judges.

Court

• United States Fourth Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellees:
  
• ARGUED:  Matthew Segal, Federal Defenders of Western North Carolina, Inc., Asheville, North Carolina, for Appellant.  Mark Andrew Jones, Office of the United States Attorney, Charlotte, North Carolina, for Appellee.   ON BRIEF:  Claire J. Rauscher, Executive Director, Kevin Tate, Federal Defenders of Western North Carolina, Inc., Charlotte, North Carolina, for Appellant.  Gretchen C.F. Shappert, United States Attorney, Charlotte, North Carolina, for Appellee.