News Archive

Professor Novella Nedeff, ’83, talked about the case Lamont Wilford v. State with Indianapolis television news station WXIN Channel 59. The news story aired on March 1.

In the case, Wilford was driving a car with a cracked rear window and taillight, and was pulled over by an officer with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department. The officer searched the car and found dog-fighting gear and a stolen handgun. Wilford also was found to have a suspended license. He was convicted and sentences to one year in jail with all but seven days suspended in connection with the gun charge.

The Indiana Supreme Court ruled February 26 in favor of Wilford, who argued the search was unreasonable and therefore inadmissible. The prosecutor failed to prove that police had an established departmental procedure in these kinds of circumstances.

“They aren’t saying you can’t tow a car,” Professor Nedeff said in the story. “They aren’t saying you can’t inventory a car. But what they’re saying is, number one, IMPD needs clear guidelines, number two, an officer needs to know what those guidelines are and be able to explain it when called on in court.”

Professor Nedeff is a clinical professor of law and teaches in the Criminal Defense Clinic.