Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals · 2003
State v. Paul
If you have probable cause to believe a vehicle contains contraband or evidence, the automobile exception generally lets you search it without a warrant. Be ready to articulate the specific facts that gave you probable cause as to that car.
62 P.3d 389
Find the opinion for State v. PaulOklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals · 2006
Seabolt v. State
Once the traffic stop's purpose is done, you need reasonable suspicion to keep the driver. A nervous, fidgety driver whose car had been parked at a suspected drug house, with nothing linking him to the house, did not justify a 25-minute wait for a dog. The evidence should have been suppressed.
2006 OK CR 50, 152 P.3d 235
Find the opinion for Seabolt v. StateOklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals · 2018
State v. Strawn
Once you've returned the license and paperwork and finished the traffic enforcement, more questions can be a consensual encounter that needs no reasonable suspicion, if a reasonable person would feel free to leave. In Strawn, a relaxed, non-accusatory tone with no show of authority made it consensual, even though the driver wasn't told he was free to go.
2018 OK CR 2, 419 P.3d 249
Find the opinion for State v. StrawnEach summary was checked against the court’s majority opinion on September 30, 2026. Read the decision and follow your agency’s policy; this is reference guidance, not legal advice.