State v. Harrison
Annotate this CasePolice officers stopped Defendant’s vehicle after discovering that the vehicle’s license plate frame covered up the county name on the license plate, which the officers believed violated Iowa Code 321.37(3). As a result of the stop, Defendant was charged with possession with intent to deliver crack cocaine, a drug tax stamp violation, and driving under suspension. A district court judge denied Defendant’s motion to suppress, concluding that the license plate frame violation gave no reason to stop Defendant but that the stop was lawful based on a reasonable suspicion of drug dealing. A different judge who presided at trial upheld the stop based on the license plate violation alone. After a jury trial, Defendant was found guilty as charged. The court of appeals affirmed, which held that the traffic stop was lawful based on reasonable suspicion of drug dealing without deciding the license plate issue. The Supreme Court affirmed the conviction without reaching the issue of whether the traffic stop was lawful based on reasonable suspicion of drug dealing, holding that a license plate frame that covers up the county name violates Iowa Code 321.37(3) and provides a valid basis for a traffic stop.
Some case metadata and case summaries were written with the help of AI, which can produce inaccuracies. You should read the full case before relying on it for legal research purposes.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.