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Driver Arrested In Ohio For Secret Car Compartment Full of Nothing
schwit1 writes about the hazards of driving through Ohio in a car with a secret compartment in the trunk. From the article: "Norman Gurley, 30, is facing drug-related charges in Lorain County, Ohio, despite the fact that state troopers did not actually find any drugs in his possession. Ohio passed a law in 2012 making it a felony to alter a vehicle to add a secret compartment with the 'intent' of using it to conceal drugs for trafficking."
This is the first person arrested under the strange law.
http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/bills.cfm?ID=129_SB_305
(I) This section does not apply to a box, safe, container, or other item added to a vehicle for the purpose of securing valuables, electronics, or firearms provided that at the time of discovery the box, safe, container, or other item added to the vehicle does not contain a controlled substance or visible residue of a controlled substance.
So it's OK to have a hidden compartment in your car as long as it does not contain a controlled substance or visible residue of a controlled substance. For the record, I still think the law is crap but it's not as bad as the article makes it out to be.
Make sure you have a "carry concealed" permit for the pistol, otherwise you might otherwise face charges anyway.
And in states like MA, this sort of "overwhelming smell of marijuana" (which cannot later be verified if it was a lie), is NOT probable cause, for the exact reason that police often lie. I have personally had my ripped apart for a police officer claiming I had marijauana (which I did not). I was let go after an illegal search and detention of myself and my passenger, and given a ticket for failing to use my turn signal (while I was going straight, not changing lanes). The cost of a lawyer was simply too high (and I did consult multiple lawyers) to purpose prosection.
Seriously, if I had a secret compartment in my car, I would keep a copy of the King James Bible, a copy of the Constitution and Bill of Rights, and a registered handgun in there.
[sarc]
Terrorist!
Those are far, far worse than illegal drugs!
Carrying a copy of the US Constitution, according to the US government, is an indicator of someone possibly being a domestic terrorist, as is anyone who is a military vet, or a Christian, or a member of the TEA Party, or who talks about making the world a better place.
Enjoy your stay at GITMO.
[/sarc]
Strat
Progressivism (aka US 'Liberalism'): Ideas so good they need a police/surveillance-state to enforce.
This law has nothing to do with our rights or protecting against crime. It serves three things:
1: It provides the police legal ammo to threaten a person with disassembling their ride unless they immediately consent to search.
2: It provides a seized vehicle. Vehicle seizures are big money. Just 1-2 a day of cars can provide a department an added income in the millions of dollars from the police auctions. This is a civil action, so even if found innocent, one's ride is gone.
3: Ohio is notorious for their private prisons. Private prisons have a very strong lobby, and DAs and judges are forced to convict, or next election cycle, replaced by a candidate who will (with plenty of campaign dollars in their war chest coming in.) On March 27, 2012, Ohio signed a contract that they will keep all private prisons 90% full or else pay fines by the diem.
Private prison stock is of course having an Apple-esque rise due to this.
Because of the pressure to keep the private prisons full, it would not be surprising that even the cops on the beat may have an arrest quota, just like a ticket quota, but relying on how many people cuffs go on.
So, this law is a no-brainer. It gets cash-strapped areas free cars to sell, it puts people in the system who end up paying hundreds of thousands regardless of innocence/guilt, and the guilty ones make two private, well-heeled, powerful companies even more richer, on taxpayer dollars (which makes the state even more cash-strapped.)
No, the article proves that having a car that reeks of marijuana and has a secret compartment is enough to get you arrested.
Strangely, they forgot to copy that line from the article that spawned the story.
Do you mean the 33 year old stripper whose life savings was confiscated while it was in transport to purchase a nightclub? Daily Mail
You sure are lonely and blue, following this link you will make it through : http://dumblaws.com/
Make sure to check you local laws mate, unless you want to be some cop bate.
Tomorrow is another day...
Just plain wrong. Many states share reciprocity and honor CCP's issued by other states in the union. It's really not that much different from marriage licenses.
http://www.usacarry.com/concealed_carry_permit_reciprocity_maps.html