The Michigan appeals court has affirmed the drunken-driving conviction of a man who was stopped near Grand Rapids solely because one taillight was weaker than the other. The case against Trevor Vanderhart was a misdemeanor, but it has gone through three courts so far. The appeals court decision this week produced 18 pages of analysis by three judges.
A police officer in East Grand Rapids said he stopped Vanderhart in 2014, based on a weak taillight. Tests revealed a blood-alcohol level above the legal limit. Vanderhart argued that the evidence should be thrown out because a dim taillight is not a reason to stop a car.
But appeals Judge Brock Swartzle says the light created a dangerous condition that was enough to justify the stop under Michigan law.
