Sgt. Klein - Shoreline

In a motion hearing 7/19/07 (pm) in Shoreline courtroom #1, Sgt. Paul Klein testified that he watched a car pull out of Parker's casino, the car turned into the lane furthest from the curb, and Klein followed it until it entered a motel parking lot; he then made a "traffic stop." Klein stated that when he's on patrol, "everyone could be a DUI," and he doesn't "normally pull someone over for a wide turn." He also said he approached the car to "be nosy," and "see if there was anything criminal going on."

After initially denying the 3.6, Judge Smith later granted a motion for reconsideration based on pretext and dismissed. The testimony may be helpful to you in other cases involving this officer.

(In a different case a few months later, Sgt. Klein watched someone drive into a parking lot because he suspected DUI, and waited for the person to park and exit the car before making contact - since there was no basis for a traffic stop, Klein decided to let the person become a pedestrian so he could question him under a lesser standard. Be aware of this "trick.")