Page 114 - North Carolina 2020 Legal Guide
P. 114

Task: Plain View Seizure




          Horton v.California, 496 U.S. 128 (1990).

               Officers may seize, without a warrant, items of evidence and


               contraband that are in plain view, subject to the following limitations:

          • Officer must be lawfully present in an area protected by the 4                                                 th

               Amendment when he observes the item in plain view.


          • Officer must immediately have probable cause to believe the item is

               evidence or contraband without making any further intrusion.

          • The slightest movement to determine if the item is evidence or

               contraband will constitute a “further intrusion” and invalidate the

               plain view seizure.


          • The finding of the evidence need not be “inadvertent” as had been

               required in previous cases.








                                     ©2020 Jack Ryan  Legal & Liability Risk Management Institute                                   113
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