Missouri Court of Appeals, Southern District / May 29, 2025
STATE OF MISSOURI, Appellant vs. DENISE MARGARET LAFFERTY, Respondent
Denise Margaret Lafferty moved to suppress evidence found during a traffic stop, arguing that a warrantless "Terry search" of her pockets was unconstitutional. The circuit court sustained her motion, leading to an interlocutory appeal by the State. The State contended the search was valid or, alternatively, that the evidence would have been inevitably discovered. The appellate court affirmed the suppression, holding that the officer's command to empty pockets exceeded the permissible scope of a Terry search and that the State failed to prove inevitable discovery.