People v. Trujillo CA5

FACTS

Bakersfield Police Officer Dinsmore testified that on August 10, 2012, at about 3:20 p.m., he observed a car on the roadway in front of him with registration tags that were expired. He ran the tags and learned the registration had expired on October 24, 2011. He pulled the car over and contacted both defendant, who was driving, and his front-seat passenger. Dinsmore asked them for identification and asked them whether they were on probation or parole with search terms. The passenger said he was. Defendant stated the car was his. Dinsmore requested backup for officer safety, and he impounded the car pursuant to Vehicle Code section 22651, which provides for impoundment of a vehicle on a public roadway whose registration had been expired for six months.1 Based on Dinsmore’s experience in the gang unit, he knew the neighborhood was a high crime area. Dinsmore conducted an inventory search of the car. He found in plain view $1,780 in various denominations in the rear storage compartment of the front passenger seat. This large amount of currency raised his suspicion. Dinsmore also found inside the

1 Vehicle Code section 22651 provides: “A peace officer … may remove a…