People v. Prince CA3

I. BACKGROUND

Sasha Wessitsh, a supervising ranger for the California State Parks, and his certified canine officer, Ben, were assigned to patrol the Broderick Boat Ramp area of West Sacramento in August 2020. This area includes a parking lot which is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Wessitsh generally patrolled the parking lot four times a week. During those patrols, he observed what he believed to be narcotics sales and prostitution. In June 2020, Wessitsh stopped an unidentified person in a broken down vehicle with no license plates, registration, or identifying information. That person told Wessitsh he had purchased the vehicle from “Antwon.” Wessitsh called Antwon and asked him to bring identifying documentation. Antwon arrived in a white Mercedes-Benz with a “very expired” vehicle registration. Antwon did not have his driver’s license with him. Wessitsh gave Antwon a verbal warning about the vehicle registration and driver’s license and told Antwon the next time he saw the white Mercedes, he was going to tow it.

2 While on patrol, Wessitsh had previously seen Antwon at the boat ramp frequently in different vehicles engaging in actions consistent with narcotics…