When driving on any Tennessee road, it is important that you understand how certain items in your possession may affect you. If the police pull you over with pills in your possession, what could that mean?
The laws across the country spell out the consequences for carrying certain substances in your motor vehicle. How could things happen if the police catch you with pills?
The police pulling you over
A police officer needs a reason to pull you over. Depending on your background and behavior, you may go on your way with a citation or warning. However, if the officer finds a reason to dig deeper, including searching your vehicle, things may start to turn sour.
The vehicle search
When an officer has probable cause to search your vehicle, something has alerted her to the possibility that you have something illegal in your possession. It is during this search that the pills you have may turn up. Once they do, the stop may proceed in a couple of different ways:
1. The officer will ask you to identify the pills. Keep in mind the officer may already have a good idea of the identity of the drugs.
2. The officer will ask who they belong to. If the officer locates the pills near you and there is nobody else riding with you, the automatic assumption is you knew they existed.
The lesson
When driving with pills, you should always understand the consequences. If your doctor wrote you a prescription, keep them in the bottle with the label intact. Do not add any other pills. This one step can keep you from facing drug possession charges. On the other hand, should you operate a vehicle with pills that do not belong to you, know that the police will most likely charge you with possession of an illegal substance; depending on the amount, you may face jail time.
Remember when operating a vehicle, you, as the driver, have the responsibility to know what is inside. The police assume you have possession of the vehicle, and, therefore, everything in it.
If you have been arrested for illegal possession of a controlled substance, know that there are defenses to every criminal charge. Speak with an experienced criminal defense lawyer as soon as possible.