Want access to unlimited case records and advanced research tools? Create your free CasePortal account now. No credit card required to register.
Try CasePortal for FreeJ. Abele finds the trial court properly denied defendant's motion to suppress in his guilty-plea case to trafficking in cocaine. His failure to use headlights at night gave the arresting officer probable cause to initiate a traffic stop, while his story he intended to stay in West Virginia for several days - one contradicted by his rental car agreement, which required the return of the vehicle to Chicago the following day - was enough to establish probable cause for a search with the officer's canine unit. Although the "field test" weight of the cocaine found in defendant's vehicle differed from that established by subsequent lab tests, the trial court properly admitted the cocaine into evidence because the prosecution established a proper chain of custody and the weight discrepancy was addressed by an expert witness at trial. Affirmed.