United States v. Duane Moore, Jr.

MEMORANDUM

Defendant-Appellant Duane Reed Moore, Jr. appeals the district court’s denial of his motion to suppress evidence and statements taken following a traffic stop of his car. We affirm the district court’s denial of Moore’s motion to suppress, because the officers who conducted the stop of Moore’s car possessed reasonable suspicion to believe that Moore’s car was in violation of California’s laws regarding the display of license plates.

The California Vehicle Code provides: ‘When two license plates are issued by the department for use upon a vehicle, they shall be attached to the vehicle for which they were issued, one in the front and one in the rear.” Cal. Vehicle Code § 5200 (a). However, California law permits a driver to display a temporary registration in lieu of license plates when: (1) he has not yet been issued license plates; and (2) he purchased the car less than six months prior. Id. §§ 4456(c), 5200. In the event that a purchaser of a new vehicle falls within this exception, the California DMV’s handbook directs such a purchaser to display the temporary registration in the lower rear window unless the registration information would be obscured, in which case…