Reasonable Suspicion to Stop

Defendant appealed the decision of the Appeals Panel reversing the decision of the trial court which dismissed the charge of violation of R.I.G.L. § 31-27-2.1 (refusal to submit to a chemical test). The Court held that in determining whether reasonable suspicion to stop existed, the totality of the circumstances must be viewed through the eyes of a reasonable police officer. Here, because the defendant’s car was stopped in a travel lane of a city road, she drove off when she saw the officer, and had a disheveled appearance, there was reasonable suspicion to stop her. Accordingly, the court affirmed the decision of the Appeals Panel and sustained the charge against the defendant.Dina Ricciardelli v. State of Rhode Island, A.A. No. 06-107 (2007).pdf