Garrett Harrison, 18, and Latiff Khan, 44 were both arrested for the cultivation of marijuana at their rental property in Seminole yesterday. The police were tipped off to the marijuana cultivation by neighbors who reported to police suspicious behavior. When the police investigated they found 100 marijuana seedlings growing in the ground as well as in pots.
Now, the real question concerns probable cause. Did the police have sufficient cause to enter the rental property to search for illegal activity based on witness reports of "suspicious behavior"? Unfortunately, "probable cause" is a real catch-all term that can be very liberally applied by law enforcement. It's the job of the criminal trial lawyer to question their application of probable cause in any given scenario. In any criminal case, probable cause often means the difference between guilt and innocence and even sometimes charges being dropped altogether. It's an important part of the criminal justice system and a good criminal lawyer will know the intricacies and every minute detail of the legal concept.
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