In Ohio you can now be arrested for having a compartment in your vehicle that police think might be able to contain drugs, even if it has nothing to do with drugs. This is not just one of those stupid laws on the books that nobody pays attention to. Instead this is a law passed in 2012 that was enforced for the first time with an arrest in late November 2013.
On November 19th Norman Gurley, 30, was pulled over for speeding in Northeast Ohio and then arrested on a felony charge for having a hidden compartment in his vehicle that could be used to transport controlled substances. No drugs or drug residue was found.
“During the search, they noticed some components inside the vehicle that did not appear to be factory,” Lt. Michael Combs with State Highway Patrol told WKYC . “Without the hidden compartment law, we would not have had any charges on the suspect.”
In other words, Mr. Gurley was booked for a felony because a trooper could imagine drugs being transported in a compartment, at some point.
Does this sound like a violation of the 4th Amendment protection from unreasonable search & seizure to you? If so, share this article to spread the word. Your voice is your power.
A police spokesperson praised the arrest, noting that even one fewer drug “trap” car on the streets was a positive thing and downplaying the fact that Gurley didn’t have any drugs.“We apparently caught them between runs, so to speak, so this takes away one tool they have in their illegal trade,” said Lt. Michael Combs in a statement to local news. “The law does help us and is on our side.”It’s a justification that rings hollow to John Whitehead, president of civil liberties group the Rutherford Institute.“Although Norman Gurley had no drugs on his person, nor in his car, nor could it be proven that he intended to conceal drugs, he was still arrested for the ‘crime’ of having a hidden compartment in the trunk of his car,” he wrote. “This is what a world without the Fourth Amendment looks like.”
