NIKIA BARNUM, Defendant- Missouri Cases

Nikia Barnum appealed his convictions for drug trafficking, resisting arrest, possession of a controlled substance, and possession of drug paraphernalia following a bench trial. He challenged the sufficiency of the evidence for felony resisting arrest and the denial of his motion to suppress evidence obtained after a ruse drug checkpoint. The appellate court affirmed, finding the ruse checkpoint and Barnum's conduct established individualized suspicion, and alternatively, the initial encounter was consensual, leading to probable cause for arrest. The court also found sufficient evidence that Barnum was being arrested for a felony when he resisted.