State of Iowa
v.
Walter Deon Latrell Baylor
Appellee
State of Iowa
Appellant
Walter Deon Latrell Baylor
Attorney for the Appellee
Anagha Dixit, Assistant Attorney General
Attorneys for the Appellant
Travis M. Visser-Armbrust (until withdrawal)
Michael H. Johnson
Court of Appeals
Court of Appeals Opinion
Opinion Number:
Date Published:
Summary
Appeal from the Iowa District Court for Muscatine County, Jeffrey D. Bert, Judge. AFFIRMED. Considered by Greer, P.J., and Ahlers and Badding, JJ. Opinion by Greer, P.J. (9 pages)
After a warrantless search of Walter Baylor’s vehicle, the district court initially granted Baylor’s motion to suppress, concluding the officers conducted an improper inventory search. The State moved to reconsider the ruling. Applying the automobile exception, the district court then reversed course and denied the motion to suppress. Baylor appeals, arguing the district court’s initial ruling applying State v. Ingram, 914 N.W.2d 794 (Iowa 2018) was correct. OPINION HOLDS: We find there was probable cause to search the vehicle once an officer observed a digital scale with residue in an open glove box, so the automobile exception applied to search the vehicle without a warrant. We affirm the district court’s ruling denying Baylor’s motion to suppress and affirm his conviction and sentence.