A 42-year-old Wisconsin man and his 46-year-old girlfriend are facing multiple felony drug counts after police allegedly recovered more than 660 grams of methamphetamine during searches of their residence, vehicle and storage units. A representative of the West Central Drug Task Force said that the drug haul was the largest in the unit’s history and resulted from a lengthy investigation. Charges against the couple were filed on Oct. 11, and they are scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on Oct. 31.
The couple had been suspected of dealing drugs for some time according to police reports. Officers say that the breakthrough in the case came when the man was taken into custody on drug charges on Sept. 27. The apprehension is said to have given police the evidence required to obtain a search warrant, and officers from the West Central Drug Task Force were soon dispatched to the couple’s Eau Claire apartment on Eldorado Boulevard.
Police were greeted at the apartment by the man’s girlfriend, and a subsequent search of the home allegedly yielded approximately 527 grams of methamphetamine. A further 134 grams of the drug are said to have been discovered in the man’s vehicle, but searches of nearby storage units are not thought to have produced much in the way of additional evidence.
Obtaining search warrants generally gives police the authority they need to conduct searches without violating rights guaranteed by the Fourth Amendment, but even searches that have been sanctioned by a judge may be ruled illegal in certain situations. The judiciary take constitutional protections very seriously, and search warrants are often limited to particular areas or specific items. When police officers stray beyond these strict boundaries, experienced criminal defense attorneys may seek to have any evidence gathered ruled inadmissible.
