illegal search

[sonyafv]

What is the name of your state? Arkansas I was with a male friend of mine and i pulled into wal-mart. I went in and he stayed in the car. When i came out of the store the cops were searching my car. The cop was circling the parking lot when my friend noticed him. He had a warrant for his arrest so he decided to get out of the car and find out what was taking so long. He started walking towards the store and the cop pulled behind him and asked if he had any identification. The officer told him that there had been a BOLO on a car fitting the description of mine that had been threatening wal-mart employees. My friend gave him his id and the officer called it in. It came back that he had a warrant and he was arrested. They then began searching my vehicle and found .5 gram of meth in his cigarette pack and fake id's. I was arrested. Is it legal for them to search my vehicle under these circumstances?

[panther10758]

Legal search get a Lawyer your in trouble

[outonbail]

I get the feeling you're not providing an accurate rendition of this incident. I mean, what are the odds of there being a BOLO on a car being seen at walmart and the description of said car just happens to match yours, which just happens to be in a walmart parking lot, which just happens to have a criminal inside, who just happens to exit a vehicle suspected of criminal activity to see what's taking you so long and who decided to leave his drugs and fake id's in your vehicle, which was quick thinking on his part since he just happens to then get shaken down by the police, who discover he just happens to have an active warrant for his arrest.
Talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time,,,,,

I assume he didn't roll the windows up and lock the vehicle when he exited it to see why you hadn't made your getaway, or rather your exit from walmart yet, is this correct? This could possibly relate to the legality of the vehicle being searched. Although I doubt the officers forced entry into your vehicle. My guess is they simply reached through the open window to retrieve the cigarette pack they saw your friend toss back in the car after lighting one with trembling hands.

What exactly were you arrested for? possession of meth? under the influence of meth? possession of fake id's? attempting to pass a bad check using a fake id? bothering walmart employees? all of the above?
Do you have any prior criminal contacts?

What type of warrant was your friend picked up on and what are the charges he's facing in that case? Same as above?

If you want any help, or more than just an opinion of whether the search was good or not, you'll have to post truthful information. Otherwise, the advice you receive will only be as accurate as the details you provided.

Although, the advice you received from panther, is certainly advice you should follow,,,,,