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Interestingly enough, the city of North Las Vegas may be forced to pay out a settlement to a man who is currently being investigated for murder.
Reports show the incident all began during a traffic stop on July 26th. On that day, 911 operators received a call about gunshots going off in a neighborhood near Martin Luther King and Pecos Road.
Witnesses told the operators they saw three vehicles fleeing away from the scene. They described one of the cars as an orange Chevrolet Avalanche with chrome rims.
Officers responding to the call noticed Raymond Padilla driving a vehicle that matched that exact description in a nearby area, so they initiated a stop. The officer asked the suspect for his driver’s license, but Padilla didn’t have it with him. That’s when the police asked Padilla to step out of the car. At that point, officers searched both the suspect and his vehicle.
The officer discovered a handgun in the center console.
Raymond Padilla was not allowed to possess a firearm, so he was arrested and charged with ownership or possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. He was ultimately convicted on this charge, but later sought to appeal the conviction. The Nevada Supreme Court heard the case and determined that officers had a right to search Padilla, but they should not have searched his vehicle. The 2019 conviction was reversed.
With the reversal of his conviction, Padilla decided to pursue a lawsuit against the city. He’s been going through the case while imprisoned under the suspicion of murder. Currently, the city is considering settling the case and awarding the suspect with $300,000.
In a totally unrelated incident, Padilla was linked to the 2016 slaying of Mark Santee at a construction site. In this incident, Santee was employed as a security guard, and Padilla was allegedly attempting to rob the construction site. Photographs of the scene show an orange Avalanche that looks very similar to the suspect’s vehicle.
In March, Padilla pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, but he later rescinded and attempted to withdraw his plea.
Padilla’s story outlines how important it is for authorities to adhere strictly to the law. It’s never acceptable to violate a person’s right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures, even if the search ultimately reveals that you were doing something illegal.
In these situations, any evidence obtained in an illegal search and seizure will be invalidated and considered unusable in court.
If you believe the police violated your Constitutional rights during a recent arrest, then it’s essential that you hire a lawyer ASAP. An attorney’s help will be crucial since it’s not always easy to overturn a conviction, invalidate evidence, or prove a rights violation even occurred.
If you’re ready to get started, then call our legal team now at (702) 623-6362.
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