United States Eighth Circuit

Defendants' drug conspiracy convictions are affirmed where: 1) an officer who searched defendants' vehicle did not violate defendants' Fourth Amendment rights by extending the traffic stop to search their vehicle, because he had probable cause to believe there was contraband in the vehicle; 2) from the perspective of defendants, there was nothing so coercive about the officer's simple act of leaving them alone in the patrol car that would justify characterizing the officer's behavior as interrogation; and 3) the circumstantial evidence introduced at trial was sufficient to support the jury's findings of defendants' knowledge.

Appellate Information

• Decided 04/06/2010
• Published 04/06/2010

Judges

• COLLOTON, Circuit Judge., Before COLLOTON, BEAM, and BENTON, Circuit Judges.

Court

• United States Eighth Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Stanton A. Anker, Rapid City, SD, argued, for Appellant.


• For Appellees:
  
• Mark A. Vargo, I, Asst. U.S. Atty., Rapid City, SD, argued, for Appellee.