Introduction to Hypothetical Cases

• Jurisdiction: United States

Introduction to Hypothetical Cases

At various points in this text, we will be referring to five hypothetical cases that are used as illustrations and in Application Exercises. Take a moment now to read the facts given in each of these cases, and then record this information in a notebook or a word processing file in a way that will allow you to organize and add to it as you learn more about these cases in the different chapters.

CASE 1: PEOPLE V. COOK

Bud Cook left a pizzeria at 9:30 P.M. to drive home. He consumed a pitcher of beer with his meal but didn't think it would affect his driving. He drove his pickup truck in the northbound direction in the outermost lane on Sumner Drive.

Several blocks north of the pizza parlor, he came upon a woman wearing a black T-shirt and jeans, riding a black bicycle in the northbound outside lane about two feet from the shoulder of the road. Bud did not notice the bicyclist until the right front fender of his pickup struck the rear of the bike, causing the rider to land on top of the hood and hit the windshield. As she hit the windshield, Bud slammed on his brakes, which in turn threw the rider forward across the pavement.

Bud panicked and raced home without stopping. When he told his wife, Tammy, that he had either struck an animal or a man on a bicycle, she called 911 to report the incident. While driving home, a passerby had called 911 to report that there was a human body on the road. When the police arrived, they found that the victim was dead.

CASE 2: UNITED STATES V. TURNER

At two o'clock in the afternoon, a local police officer, Steve Milner, was on a routine patrol when he saw an automobile run a stop sign. Officer Milner activated his overhead lights on his marked squad car and started to pursue the car.

The driver of the car speeded up and then stopped in front of a sandwich shop. The driver, Brandon Turner, got out of the car and began to walk rapidly toward the restaurant. Officer Milner stepped out of his squad car, blew his horn, and yelled at Turner to halt. Turner did not stop and went into the sandwich shop.

Milner saw Turner go through the restaurant and then into a restroom. He followed Turner into the restaurant and met him at the restroom door when Turner came out after having been in the restroom for less than a minute.

Through a series of searches, police discovered that Turner had hidden a loaded handgun in the restroom, and there was a bag of cocaine in Turner's car.

CASE 3: UNITED STATES V. ED...