Court allows search and seizure in Virginia case

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court has ruled that police can conduct searches and seizures of evidence after arrests that sometimes violate state law.

The unanimous decision Wednesday comes in a case from Portsmouth, Va., where city detectives seized crack cocaine from a motorist after arresting him for a traffic ticket offense.

Writing for the court, Justice Antonin Scalia said that when police have probable cause to believe a person has committted a crime, the Constitution allows them to make an arrest.