Supreme Court Rules Against Police Over Motorcycle Search

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday for the second time this month put restrictions on police searches of vehicles, ruling that officers unlawfully searched a stolen motorcycle parked on private property in Virginia because they did not have a court-approved warrant.

The 8-1 decision cast into doubt evidence that police obtained from the search that was used to convict defendant Ryan Collins of receiving stolen property. The case will return to lower courts to determine if the officers had alternative grounds for entering the property without a warrant.

The case involved a stolen motorcycle that was covered by a tarpaulin and parked on private property next to a house in Charlottesville, Virginia.

The U.S. Supreme Court on May 14 limited the ability of police to search rental cars driven by someone other than the person who signed the rental agreement.