EAST GRAND RAPIDS (AP) — The Michigan Court of Appeals has affirmed the drunken-driving conviction of a man who was stopped near Grand Rapids solely because one taillight was weaker than the other.
The case against Trevor Vanderhart was a misdemeanor, but it has gone through three courts so far. The appeals court decision last week produced 18 pages of analysis by three judges.
A police officer in East Grand Rapids said he stopped Vanderhart in 2014, based on a weak taillight. Tests revealed a blood-alcohol level above the legal limit.
Vanderhart argued the evidence should be thrown out because a dim taillight is not a reason to stop a car. But appeals Judge Brock Swartzle says the light created a dangerous condition that was enough to justify the stop under state law.
- Posted April 17, 2017
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Appeals court: Weak taillight is enough to stop drunken driver
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