Iowa Judicial Building
Iowa Supreme Court says the search of an injured high school football player’s bag that turned up a gun was legal.
Mar’yo Lindsey Junior was injured playing football for Dunkerton in a game at Riceville in 2013. Lindsey was being prepared to get into and ambulance when he asked the superintendent to make sure his equipment bag was given to his friend and no one else.
The request raised suspicion with the superintendent, and he became more concerned after hearing a metallic sound as the bag was placed on the floor when they got back to Dunkerton.
A search of the bag turned up a handgun and some marijuana and drug paraphernalia. Lindsey argued the search was unconstitutional as the superintendent did not have reasonable suspicion to search the bag.
The Iowa Supreme Court upheld lower court rulings that the search was legal. The high court says it was odd for Lindsey to be worried about who would handle his bag a at a time when he had just suffered a potentially serious football injury. The ruling says that concern created a reasonable suspicion for the superintendent about the bag, as did Lindsey’s past suspension from school for drug activity.
Here’s the full ruling: Lindsey ruling PDF