Police Officer Markos sees Meredith hitting another woman several times with a baseball bat in the parking lot of Carriage Crossing Mall. As Officer Markos arrested Meredith, the victim quickly took photos of her wounds and texted them to the officer to serve as evidence.

Question

Which of the following statements is true?

a
The arrest is legal, therefore the evidence of the bat and photographs of the victim's wounds are admissible in court against Meredith
b
The arrest is illegal, but because the officer had good faith in doing his job, the evidence of the bat is not admissible but the evidence of the photographs of the victim is admissible
c
The arrest is illegal and both forms of evidence will be excluded from trial
d
The arrest is illegal but due to the inevitable discovery doctrine, the evidence of the bat is admissible but the evidence of the photographs of the victim is inadmissible in court.

Answer 1

The most accurate statement among the options provided is:

a The arrest is legal, therefore the evidence of the bat and photographs of the victim's wounds are admissible in court against Meredith.

The scenario describes a police officer witnessing a violent crime in progress, which typically justifies an immediate arrest. Therefore, the evidence collected (the baseball bat and the photographs of the victim's wounds) would generally be considered admissible in court.