RI District Court and Traffic Tribunal Case Law

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Dina Ricciardelli v. State, A.A. No. 06-107 Reasonable Suspicion

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.

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