Summary
A Yakima County judge believes a police officer's activation of his emergency lights during nighttime inquiry of a person of interest reflects due diligence by law enforcement. A state appeals court views turning on the lights as a case of police overreach. Frankly, we don't take a shine to the appeals court's ruling.
The case stems from an encounter on the night of May 7, 2009, involving burglary suspect Eric Christopher Gantt and Selah police Officer Tony Valencia. The court record indicates Valencia was patrolling Goodlander Road when he noticed a minivan stopped on the street and two people standing on the passenger side of the van. The officer kept driving; upon returning coming from the other way, he saw the same van had moved and was parked in front of a driveway. A man was walking from the van toward a home. This piqued the officer's interest, so he pulled behind the van and turned on his emergency lights. The man returned to his van.See the full content of this document
Extract
Lights Not 'Detention' but Officer Doing Duty
The stop initially proved justified when Valencia found a temporary trip permit in the back of the van had been illegally altered...
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