search and seizure

Running from police can give them among the basket of reasons that amount to permitting them to at least temporarily detain you. Devon Lamar Washington v. Commonwealth of Virginia, ___ Va. App. ___ (April 14, 2026) As a Fairfax criminal lawyer, I know that if...

Search arguments are needed when your Virginia prosecution is based on the alleged discovery of controlled substances or other alleged contraband. As a Fairfax criminal lawyer, i know it is important that if you lose your evidence suppression motion under the foregoing circumstances, to talk...

Police demanding honesty riddles bodycamera footage produced in discovery by the Fairfax prosecutor's office and beyond. As a Fairfax criminal lawyer, I repeatedly hear police urge "Be honest" when seeking admissions from criminal suspects. More recently, a Virginia police video that I reviewed showed a...

Drug dealing convictions in Virginia can result from matching packaging and so-called expert testimony about intent to distribute. As a Fairfax drug lawyer, I know the risk of the presence near drugs risking a prosecution and conviction for possessing or trafficking in those drugs. Consequently,...

Privacy protection of our home property is limited for all police movements that do not have them enter our houses. As a Fairfax criminal lawyer, I know that appellate court decisions for decades have chipped away at our Fourth Amendment rights regarding searches and seizures...

Drug court judges repeatedly hear police justify stops, frisks, searches and arrests of criminal suspects based on their purported "knowledge, training and experience" and behavior consistent with criminal activity. As a Fairfax criminal defense lawyer, I know that police have no superhuman cognition. I also...

Car contraband is at risk of court-okayed police searches, says Fairfax criminal lawyer Car contraband abounds, particularly in the form of illegal drugs and weapons. As a Fairfax criminal lawyer, I warn you that automobiles do not receive the same level of court-covered Fourth Amendment...

Collective knowledge doctrine can be a hurdle to Virginia criminal defendants seeking to suppress evidence Collective knowledge doctrine (CKD) was addressed this month by the Virginia Court of Appeals in denying a drug felony appeal. As a Fairfax criminal lawyer, I know that this doctrine...

Exigent circumstances permit a drug search despite a defective search warrant, says the Virginia Supreme Court. Virginia v. Campbell, __ Va. __ (Dec. 14, 2017). As a Fairfax criminal lawyer, I know about exigent circumstances all too well.