LSU Phi Psi Spring Breakers Pulled Over And Found With Nearly 2,000 Beers
10 years ago

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Four members of LSU’s Phi Kappa Psi fraternity were bound for Gulf Shores to drink away the frustration of their obnoxiously late spring break week with a trailer full of mostly Natty Light. A lot of Natty Light. Like enough Natty Light to make national headlines.

Their Ford truck was pulled over on Interstate 10 in Alabama for expired tags. The officer — I guess on a hunch, or because he’s not a moron and four college guys driving toward a popular beach/spring break destination pulling a trailer loaded with a lot of something concealed looks pretty suspicious — asked for permission to search the vehicle and trailer. The driver consented, leading to the discovery of the most alcohol confiscated in Alabama state history in a single bust. Beer, liquor, and because they’re standup guys, boxed wine were recovered during the traffic stop.

From The Advocate:

During the stop, the pickup’s driver gave deputies consent to search the trailer, where authorities found nearly 2,000 beers, five liters of boxed wine and eight bottles of liquor, Myles said.

The students, who identified themselves to deputies as fraternity members, were en route to the beach to meet “a larger group of people for the week of spring break,” Myles said.

The four men joined the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity at LSU in the fall. […]

Among the confiscated alcoholic beverages were 106 18-packs of Natural Light beer, five 12-packs of Corona beer and five liters of Franzia boxed wine. Several bottles of tequila, vodka, whiskey and rum also were collected by deputies.

The four guys had not been drinking and cooperated fully with authorities. They were issued minor in possession citations, and I assume went on their way to their Gulf Shores rental home to a loud chorus of boos from their thirsty friends.

When being questioned by the officer about why they were traveling with enough alcohol to fully submerge a German U-boat, it would have been the perfect opportunity to dust off the classic “Because I’m in a frat” defense.

[via The Advocate]

Image via Mobile County Sherriff’s Office

  3. CamBrady

    They’re idiots for not having a brother that’s 21 ride with all that alcohol.

    10 years ago at 7:01 pm
    2. CostaDelMarsBar

      Yah but they’ll still try to get you with the whole “transporting liquor over state borders” bullshit. I was 21 when I got pulled over on the way to spring break and they still took it.

      10 years ago at 10:12 pm
    3. FRATTYtaffy

      You’re actually allowed to transport alcohol if you’re over 18 so it wouldn’t have mattered they got straight boned

      10 years ago at 10:52 pm
  5. Pinhead

    I think I missed the part in the article where it says why the alcohol was confiscated…

    10 years ago at 7:02 pm
  6. Kid Frock

    Just a quick question, in how many states is this illegal? Because as far as I’m aware, driving with sealed alcohol is perfectly legal if you’re underage (everywhere in Canada, at least).

    10 years ago at 7:05 pm
    1. TheOldMan

      You are severely misinformed about the purpose of a consent to search. There is nothing to prevent an officer from searching a car without the motorist’s consent. But any evidence of illegal activity obtained via the non-consensual search may be subject to suppression during trial. And the officer may be subject to civil or criminal action for illegal search and seizure but good luck with that. And while these legalities are being sorted out, the Natty Light sits in a hot evidence locker and the boys sit in a police station waiting for dad’s lawyer to come down and straighten things out. They took the option that got them to spring break with the least hassle. Good choice.

      10 years ago at 4:04 am
  9. hottytoddy1

    Cops can only search your car without a warrant for these 5 reasons.

    1) If you consent, police naturally have a right to search your car.

    2) “Plain view” also gives an officer the okay to search your car. “If an officer approaches your car and on the passenger seat he notices a baggie of marijuana … based on regular activities — meaning he doesn’t have to search too hard” then the pot is considered to be in plain view, Daniel Kron said.

    3) The third reason is “search incident to arrest,” according to Daniel Kron. Basically, if an officer arrests you with probable cause, he or she can then search your vehicle.

    4) Your car can be searched if an “officer has probable cause to suspect a crime,” Daniel Kron said. For example, it’s not illegal to have blood on your front seats, to have a black eye, or to have a ripped-up purse in the car. But all those things in conjunction could be suspicious to an officer.

    5) Lastly, “exigent circumstances,” allow a warrantless search. Before an officer receives a warrant, he can “break every rule if he suspects the evidence is about to be destroyed,” Daniel Kron said.

    This happens more often in specific locations, like residences, instead of vehicles. For example, if the police want to conduct a drug search and they hear a toilet flush, they can reasonably enter your home, Daniel noted.

    TL:DR
    Those fuckers didn’t have to give consent, but they did anyways. Know you’re rights people.

    10 years ago at 7:22 pm
      1. hottytoddy1

        I did pull this out of my intro to criminal defense law book MarineCorps, which I then proceeded to pull out of your mother’s gaping vagina.

        10 years ago at 9:53 pm
    2. MarineCorps

      You get this out of your Into to Criminal Law textbook? What’s next on the syllabus, fruit of the poisoned tree? Thanks for the heads up regardless, chief.

      10 years ago at 7:27 pm
    3. FBR

      Damn straight. All they had to say was “no sir I do not give you consent” and they would have been on their way. And doing spring break right instead of showing up with an empty trailer and empty spirits.

      10 years ago at 8:37 pm
    4. JLindsay32

      I’m no expert, but I read that the tags were expired on the trailer which is why they were pulled over. Could that potentially justify consent?

      10 years ago at 9:32 pm
      1. FBR

        No, it cannot. Hotty toddy did a very good job of explaining it and laws are very literal. And if the officer did perform an illegal search the police department may be subjected to a lawsuit. So because of this officers are very careful about how they search cars.

        10 years ago at 9:45 pm
    5. tmal007

      Love that whole spiel on exercising your rights, Hotty Toddy. I genuinely do; no sarcasm at all. But it’d be “know YOUR rights”, not “you’re”. It had to be said. Well explained, though.

      10 years ago at 11:58 pm