Opinion
Top court could decide when searches pass the smell test
A case at the North Carolina Supreme Court could clarify when an odor allows law enforcement officers to conduct a warrantless search.
News
DAs, sheriffs, police chiefs urge top NC court to uphold conviction tied to ‘smell search’
Groups representing North Carolina’s district attorneys, sheriffs, and police chiefs all hope the North Carolina Supreme Court will uphold law enforcement searches based on the presence of marijuana odor and a “cover scent.”
News
State Supreme Court takes up challenge of law enforcement ‘smell searches’
The North Carolina Supreme Court will hear a case challenging a 2021 Greensboro police traffic stop search based on officers smelling the odor of marijuana and a "cover scent." Defendant Tyron Lamont Dobson argues he never could have been convicted of a gun crime without the objectionable search.
