Legal Question in Criminal Law in New Hampshire

In order to answer this question, I would need to secure from you a more detailed version of the events. I hesitate to respond with any real analysis without a better sense of the facts. There may well be very legal and factual issues to press in your defense. It is not clear to me why the police approached you in the first place. Typically, the police need reasonable and articulable suspicion to conduct a stop of you, which means that they need some sense that you have committed, are committing or will soon commit a motor vehicle or criminal offense. Based on the facts that you described, I don't understand the original police justification for approaching your car. Next, it appears that they searched the car and your girlfriend's belongings. In New Hampshire, any person in a car can object to a search because we have an "automatic standing" rule for possessory offenses. Typically, a warrant is required in order to search a home, car, computer or person. There are several well established exceptions to this requirement. One is for items in plain view. In New Hampshire, there is also something called a "tow inventory" search, where the police have to tow the car and they conduct an inventory search for the stated purpose of identifying your valuables to guard against allegations from you that they stole or the tow operator store any of your possessions. In reality, this inventory search is used to uncover evidence that relates to the police investigation. This is an area ripe for more litigation in NH. There may be issues related to the search in your case. To provide a more thorough review, I would need more information. This response simply provides some general reactions of mine based on my professional experience and does not account for all of the facts of your case as I do not know all of the facts. Additionally, this response is not an attorney client communication and does not create and attorney client relationship with you.