After Steven Rowe was charged with trafficking in cocaine OCGA § 16-13-31 a 1, he moved to suppress evidence obtained as a result of a police traffic stop of his vehicle. The trial court denied Rowe’s motion, and this Court granted Rowe’s application for interlocutory appeal. On appeal, Rowe contends that the officer lacked a reasonable articulable suspicion to conduct the traffic stop and expanded improperly the scope of the stop beyond its original purpose. After a thorough review, we conclude that the stop did not violate the Fourth Amendment. Accordingly, we affirm. In reviewing the grant or denial of a motion to suppress, we construe the evidence in a light most favorable to upholding the trial court’s findings and judgment. When the trial court’s findings are based upon conflicting evidence, we will not disturb the lower court’s ruling if there is any evidence to support its findings, and we accept that court’s credibility assessments unless clearly erroneous. The trial court’s application of law to undisputed facts, however, is subject to de novo review. Citation and punctuation omitted. Sommese v. State , 299 Ga. App. 664, 665 683 SE2d 642 2009. So construed, the evidence shows that an officer with the Greene County Sheriff’s Office was patrolling a section of Interstate 20 on May 11, 2010. The officer observed Rowe’s vehicle in the left lane traveling slower than every other motorist on the interstate and slower than the posted maximum speed limit of 70 miles per hour. The officer observed that other motorists did not appear to be speeding and were attempting to pass Rowe’s vehicle by moving into the right-hand lane, creating the potential for an accident. Based on his observations, the officer initiated a traffic stop of Rowe’s vehicle.
Upon stopping the vehicle, the officer made contact with Rowe and requested that Rowe exit the vehicle and supply his driver’s license. The officer detected “an odor of burnt marijuana” coming from inside the vehicle. The officer explained to Rowe the dangers of traveling in the left-hand lane at a slow speed and informed Rowe that he would receive only a warning. As he was speaking with Rowe, however, the officer noticed that Rowe was extremely nervous, “his voice kept pitching and cracking,” he would not make eye contact, and his hands and body were trembling. The officer learned that the vehicle was a rental car, and approached the vehicle to obtain the rental agreement. The officer noticed that the passenger was also exhibiting extremely nervous behavior.
