RUFF JUSTICE

Man’s Conviction Vacated Because Drug-Sniffing Dog Put Paws on His Car

A court found that the dog trespassed, making the search illegal.

Idaho’s top court has vacated a suspect’s conviction, ruling that a drug-sniffing police dog was trespassing when he put his paws on the man’s car. The Idaho Statesman reports that three of the five judges on the panel ruled that the K-9 named Nero was conducting an illegal search when he jumped up against the car and rested his paws on the driver’s door. That led cops to search the car and find a small amount of meth and to question the passenger, who said there was more meth in a motel room. Police found 19 more grams there and the suspect was charged with felony possession and delivery. “There is no asterisk to the Fourth Amendment excusing the unconstitutional acts of law enforcement when they are accomplished by means of a trained dog,” one judge wrote.