Can a state trooper pull you over without bluelights?
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Can a state trooper pull you over without bluelights?
I had a state trooper pull in to a service station after I had gotten out of my truck and almost walked into the store, then he ask me to return to my car and charged me with DWLR and no seatbelt, can he do this?
Asked on August 31, 2011 North Carolina
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 12 years ago | Contributor
If you were in fact driving with your license revoked and without a seatbelt, then the answer is "yes," he can do this, so long as he had some ground or cause for investigating you. There are number of ways this could be the case: he may have seen you drive without a seatbelt, then run your plates as a general precaution before speaking with and citing you, for example; or perhaps you were driving in some way that gave him pause (driving somewhat erratically or reckless?), and so he then checked; etc. It would be worth while for you to consult with a criminal defense attorney to see if there is some way to attack the stop or to plead down the charges, but there is no reason to believe it is inherently illegal for the trooper to have done this--it will depend on circumstances.
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