A St. Louis man faced first-degree trafficking, multiple counts of unlawful use of a weapon, and other possession charges. The trafficking charge alone carried a minimum 10-year prison sentence. Police responding to a domestic disturbance found him in an apartment hallway with luggage after his girlfriend kicked him out and accused him of domestic assault. A search of the luggage uncovered a kilogram of methamphetamine, other drugs, and firearms.
At the bench trial, attorney Brian Cooke challenged the constitutionality of the luggage search and repeatedly impeached the officers about their handling of the seized drugs and firearms. One officer ultimately admitted that he could not determine who packed the bags and therefore could not establish that the defendant knowingly possessed their contents.
The judge acquitted the defendant of seven of nine counts, convicting him only of possessing a small amount of drugs found in his pocket and a firearm in plain view. We secured suspended imposition of sentence probation on those charges, allowing our client to avoid a felony conviction if he successfully completes probation.
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