Assignment task: Eugene Porter drove up to his friend's house, Sgt. Abraham Ford. He parked at the end of the driveway, got out of his car, and shut the door. A police officer recognized Eugene and knew that his driver's license had been suspended and there was an outstanding warrant for his arrest for driving with a suspended license. The officer approached Eugene who was about 12-to-15 feet from his car and immediately arrested and handcuffed him. After Eugene had been handcuffed and locked in the back of a patrol car, the officer searched his car. The officer discovered a bag of Fentanyl, a known illegal narcotic drug, in the pocket of a jacket on the backseat. Eugene Porter was charged with possession of a narcotic drug. He moved to suppress the evidence seized from his car on the ground that the warrantless search violated the Fourth Amendment. How should the court rule on the motion to suppress?
Group of answer choices
- Deny the motion because the officer had probable cause to search Eugene's car for contraband
- Deny the motion because the search was permissible as a search incident to a lawful arrest
- Grant the motion since there is no reason to believe that Eugene Porter might access the vehicle and no evidence of the offense might be found
- Grant the motion since the police may not search a car after an arrestee has been safely secured