Traffic stops for obscured license plates given green light

LANSING (AP) — The state Supreme Court has ruled that police can pull over motorists whose license plates are obstructed by an object such as a bike rack or trailer hitch.


The unanimous opinion says the Michigan Vehicle Code requires motorists to attach their plates in a place where they can be seen without obstruction.

Justices overturned an appeals court ruling that suppressed evidence seized from a truck that was pulled over because police couldn’t read the license plate. 

The court reinstated evidence in the felony gun and drug case against Charles Almando-Maurice Dunbar. He argued his his Fourth
Amendment protections against unreasonable search and seizure were violated. 

He and his attorney were considering whether to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.