202039P.pdf   03/30/2021  United States  v.  Stephen Cox
   U.S. Court of Appeals Case No:  20-2039
   U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas - Ft. Smith   
   [PUBLISHED] [Wollman, Author, with Smith, Chief Judge, and Stras, Circuit 
   Judge] 
   Criminal case - Criminal law. The state trooper's conclusion that 
   defendant was following too closely was objectively reasonable and 
   provided probable cause to stop the vehicle; the trooper did not 
   improperly prolong the stop after he indicated he did not intend to issue 
   a ticket as his actions were routine traffic violation-related tasks 
   concerning identification, the vehicle's rental agreement, the men's 
   travel plans and their criminal history checks; the defendants' 
   nervousness, demeanors and inconsistent answers justified the trooper's 
   decision to expand the scope of the stop beyond the traffic violation; the 
   driver of the car consented to a search of the rental vehicle, and 
   defendant, a passenger, posed no objection when informed of the impending 
   search and stood by quietly as it took place; under these circumstances, 
   the driver's consent validated the trooper's search also as to defendant.