Can a Law Enforcement Officer Extend a Traffic Stop to Determine if the Driver is Properly Licensed?
- Jeffrey Ehasz
- Oct 4, 2024
- 1 min read
U.S. v. Brown
No. 23 – 3657
Sixth Circuit Appellate Court
September 19, 2024
License Plate did Not Match Vehicle
On Wednesday May 5, 2021 at around 1:00 a.m., Akron Police Officer Guilmette and Officer Mook initiated a traffic stop of the vehicle Mr. Damarcus Brown was driving because the license plate did not match the vehicle’s make and model. In Ohio, vehicle owners may use their old license plates on their new vehicle for up to thirty days, a fact the officers knew. Because his mother, Diann Pou, had purchased the vehicle on April 15, Mr. Brown’s mismatching license plate was not in violation of Ohio law.
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