State v. T. W.

Unlawful Possession of a Weapon Trial: NOT GUILTY

A new a father, a college graduate, Mr. Wheeler was determined to fight the accusation that he was riding around town with a gun in his vehicle. In this case, Ms. Barnett advocated fiercely for her client and the common sense defense he had available: His car had been hijacked just days before his own arrest. Without searching the vehicle after it was recovered, the police returned it to him. But when police pulled him over, despite presenting valid credentials, they pulled him out of the car and searched it. Ms. Barnett was able to overcome the inference that Mr. Wheeler, as owner and driver of the car, had knowledge of the gun through exposing the lack of properly searching the vehicle after it was carjacked, for evidence.