The Good Faith Exception To The Exclusionary Rule Saves A Deficient Missouri Search Warrant

When will a search warrant be supported by probable cause?  What is the “exclusionary rule”?  And what is the “good faith exception” to the exclusionary rule?  These were some of the questions considered by the Missouri Court of Appeals last month (February 2015) in the case of State v. Gregory Robinson Sr, (WD 77664), which came out of Randolph County, Missouri.

The Defendant (Robinson) was charged with manufacturing drugs.  At his trial, his attorney filed a motion to suppress the evidence seized in the case, claiming that the search warrant used by the police officers did not show sufficient “probable cause” to search the premises.  He won his motion, and the evidence was suppressed.  The State, however, appealed.

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