A Bad Turn in Randolph County:
When a Simple Mistake Unveils Hidden Perils

Our Greensboro criminal defense attorney took up the cause of this newcomer, whose unfamiliarity with local lanes led to a grave error: an illegal left turn across a concrete median, a barrier plainly meant to forbid such a maneuver. Confused and panicked in the unfamiliar terrain of Randolph County, he executed the turn anyway, drawing the vigilant eye of a Randolph County Sheriff’s deputy. The stop was swift and justified for the “improper turn,” but what unfolded next threatened to upend his life far beyond a mere ticket.

Pulling over promptly, our client—a law-abiding soul by nature—extended his hands from the window, a gesture learned from Florida encounters to signal compliance. Yet, the deputy interpreted it through a lens of suspicion: “According to my training and experience, this indicated a likely gun inside the vehicle.” Denying any weapon, the man braced himself for the worst as the stop grew more confrontational. A “faint” odor of marijuana was cited next, though as we’ve explored in our The Legality of Hemp Odor article, the scent alone, indistinguishable from legal hemp, often can overstep as probable cause without stronger corroboration. Admitting only to proximity with a friend who’d smoked earlier, our client watched helplessly as the deputy searched, uncovering no drugs but seizing a handgun. Charges piled on: improper turn, unsafe movement, and a concealed carry violation without permit, a Class 2 misdemeanor for first timers in NC, risking up to 60 days in jail and $1,000 fines, per N.C. Gen. Stat. §14-269.

As a legal alien without a green card, our client faced consequences well beyond the courtroom, potential revocation of status and deportation, a process that could drag on through ICE referrals and hearings, severing him from the grandmother he’d come to aid. For U.S. citizens, a first-time concealed carry offense might yield lighter blows with skilled counsel, but for him, conviction could spell exile. Why deny the gun’s presence? Fear, forgetfulness, or silence, as is his right. Our client’s reasons remain untold, but the risk was extremely real.

With a trial looming, our Greensboro gun law attorney charted a bold course: plead not guilty across the board, unlocking a motion to suppress the gun as fruit of an unlawful search. The faint hemp odor and minor infraction? Insufficient for probable cause under Fourth Amendment scrutiny, as local precedents affirm. The judge concurred, barring the weapon from evidence and dismissing the concealed carry charge outright. A victory echoing strategies on our Fourth Amendment rights page, where we detail suppression motions that safeguard against overreach in Guilford, Randolph, and Alamance Counties.

Yet, the State pressed on with the traffic counts. Conceding the improper turn, undeniable and client-owned, our attorney dismantled the unsafe movement charge, arguing the prosecution’s vague testimony on typical traffic failed to prove specific disruption or pedestrian/vehicular evasion required by statute. The judge agreed, holding our client accountable only for the turn. The next day, an order restored his firearm, lifting the weight from his shoulders.