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Nix v. State

The defendant was legally detained when the officer requested consent to search the car immediately after giving the defendant a verbal warning and instructing him to repair an inoperative headlight.

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Derek Katriel Nix was convicted of possessing more than one ounce of marijuana. On appeal, he challenges the sufficiency of the evidence to support his conviction and argues that the court should have suppressed the marijuana because it was discovered during an unconstitutional search of his car. Because we find that the evidence was sufficient and that Nix consented to the search of his car during a lawful traffic stop, we affirm. 1. Nix argues that the evidence in this case did not meet the standard set forth in Jackson v. Virginia , 443 U. S. 307 99 SC 2781, 61 LE2d 560 1979. Under Jackson , when an appellant challenges the sufficiency of the evidence to support the conviction, “the relevant question is whether, after viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution, any rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt.” Emphasis in original. Id. at 319 III B.

So viewed, the evidence showed that, in the early morning of August 4, 2008, a police officer stopped Nix for driving with an inoperative headlight. Nix was the only person in the car. The officer asked to search the car, and Nix consented. During the search, the officer found in the car’s unlocked glove compartment three bags containing a total of 1.97 ounces of marijuana.

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