Thompson v. State

In Thompson v. State, 289 Ga. App 661 (658 SE2d 122) (2007), on facts almost identical to Humphreys, we found the stop valid where a police officer randomly checked the tag on Thompson's vehicle and found that it was registered to another vehicle. The Court held that the stop was valid "because officers are authorized to stop vehicles for traffic violations." Id. at 662-663. See also Cunningham v. State, 231 Ga. App. 420 (498 SE2d 590) (1998) (police were authorized to stop a vehicle based upon a tag violation although after arresting the defendant, the officer discovered that the dispatcher had given him misinformation).