Legal Question in Criminal Law in South Carolina

jurisdiction of town cops

If I was outside the town limits and the town cops show up, are they allowed to seach the vehicle that I am in? And if they do, and they find marijuanna, would they arrest you themselves? The situation was... the town cops pulled up and pulled someone out of the car. They searched him and found some money. Without asking, they searched the vehicle and found a dime sack of marijuanna weed. The county cops pulled up after they were in cuffs. The town cops said, ''Look what we found!'' and gave it to the county. The county arrested the person and took them to jail. Then the county signed an affidavit saying they found the marijuanna. Can they do that?


Asked on 1/10/04, 10:27 am

1 Answer from Attorneys
Robert Johnston Law Offices of Robert J. Johnston

Re: jurisdiction of town cops

Jurisdictional laws have certain exceptions which may or may not have applied in your situation. Its possible for city police to contract with a county which could allow for jurisdiction, and there are also exceptions pertaining to chasing someone and witnessing a crime being committed. I suggest you make an appointment with a lawyer and go over what happened in detail.

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Answered on 1/10/04, 3:08 pm


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