Arrest, Search, Seizure, Warrant I need some one to explain what happened?

[snapoo7]

I was driving to a friends house with another friend in the car. As we came around the corner and saw a friend of my passenger walking out of his house. We pulled up to his house and my passenger was talking to him with the window rolled down. About 90 seconds later a police car turned on his headlights when he was about 150 feet away. It is a very long street and nobody saw anything until the headlight turn on right in front of us. The police car then drove passed us made a U-turn and pulled right behind my car. Two officers came up to the windows and ask what we were doing here then ask if he could "look around a bit". I'm only 18 and have never been stoped by an officer before. So I thought "look around a bit" means just that, looking around. He then told me to turn the car off and step out and sit on the curb. He then started searching my car while the other officer search all three of us. He then comes out of the car with a little bag of cocaine that he said he found in the passenger side of the car in the place where you keep the maps on the side of the door. My passenger and I were both arrested for felony poss. while the person my passenger was talking to walked back into his house. Can someone tell me what just happened to me. There is more to the story if you want to hear it.

 

[Michael Wechsler]

Your case is very fact intensive. There are many areas that are unknown and unexplained. If the officer ordered you to turn off the car and get out that could be viewed as being different than voluntarily "looking around." This is impossible to discuss properly without all the facts and my guess is that your lawyer does or should have all of them.

Right now it's simple. The police found cocaine in your car and possession is imputed to you since it is your car.

Originally posted by snapoo7
I was driving to a friends house with another friend in the car. As we came around the corner and saw a friend of my passenger walking out of his house. We pulled up to his house and my passenger was talking to him with the window rolled down. About 90 seconds later a police car turned on his headlights when he was about 150 feet away. It is a very long street and nobody saw anything until the headlight turn on right in front of us. The police car then drove passed us made a U-turn and pulled right behind my car. Two officers came up to the windows and ask what we were doing here then ask if he could "look around a bit". I'm only 18 and have never been stoped by an officer before. So I thought "look around a bit" means just that, looking around. He then told me to turn the car off and step out and sit on the curb. He then started searching my car while the other officer search all three of us. He then comes out of the car with a little bag of cocaine that he said he found in the passenger side of the car in the place where you keep the maps on the side of the door. My passenger and I were both arrested for felony poss. while the person my passenger was talking to walked back into his house. Can someone tell me what just happened to me. There is more to the story if you want to hear it.

 

[Lt116]

Snapoo,
This is really straight forward if what you are saying is true. Even though it does not seem like you were doing anything illegal, the fact that when the officer stated "can a look around a bit, you stated yes, you basically waived your right from protection to illegal search and seizure. You could have stopped the officers at anytime, and there would have been nothing that they could have done about it, unless they had seen something in "plain view." However, if the officer ordered you to turn off your vehicle and get out of your car for no apparent legal reason, than you would have a claim,' but again, it would be your word against his.

The situation sucks, but I guess we all learn form our mistakes.