Arkansas' highest court has ruled that state wildlife officers violated a hunter's constitutional rights when they ran a criminal background check on him when they didn't have any reasonable suspicion he had violated any laws.
Justices on Thursday reversed and remanded a Craighead County judge's denial of the motion to suppress evidence against Jimmy Paul Pickle. Pickle was arrested by Game and Fish officers after they found he was a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, then found Pickle had methamphetamine and a glass pipe when they searched him.
The wildlife officers ran a check to see if Pickle had any outstanding warrants after observing him and his hunting party for nearly two hours. They ran the criminal background check after confirming that Pickle's hunting license was valid.
