

Stash House Search Warrant Lessons: Making the Firearm Charge Stick
United States v. Jones Citation: United States v. Jones, No. 24-4282, ___ F.4th ___ (4th Cir. Feb. 4, 2026) TL;DR The Fourth Circuit affirmed Lawrence Jones’s firearm convictions, holding that sufficient circumstantial evidence supported a finding of constructive possession of firearms discovered inside a drug stash house. Even without fingerprints, eyewitness testimony, or exclusive control of the premises, the totality of the evidence allowed the jury to reasonably conclud
4 min read


Furtive Movements Aren’t Magic Words: United States v. Erving and Protective Vehicle Searches
United States v. Erving Nos. 23-2828 & 23-2831 (7th Cir. Jan. 20, 2026) TL;DR The Seventh Circuit upheld a vehicle protective search under Michigan v. Long where a lone officer, late at night, observed furtive movements suggesting concealment, smelled burnt cannabis, learned the driver was on supervised release for a weapons offense, and reasonably believed the suspect could soon regain access to the vehicle. The court reaffirmed that reasonable suspicion—not probable cause
3 min read


