STATE OF TENNESSEE v. AMBREIA WASHINGTON - Articles

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STATE OF TENNESSEE v. AMBREIA WASHINGTON

Posted by: Azya Thornton on Oct 8, 2025

Head Comment: TARWATER concurrs

Court: TN Supreme Court

Attorneys 1: Jeremy Epperson, District Public Defender; Brennan M. Wingerter and Brian D. Wilson, Assistant Public Defenders – Appellate Division (on appeal); Parker O. Dixon, Assistant District Public Defender (at trial), for the appellant, Ambreia Tavaris Washington.

Attorneys 2: Jonathan Skrmetti, Attorney General and Reporter; J. Matthew Rice, Solicitor General; Matthew D. Cloutier, Assistant Solicitor General; Jody S. Pickens, District Attorney General; and Bradley F. Champine, Assistant District Attorney General, for the appellee, State of Tennessee.

Judge(s): BIVINS

Ambreia Washington (“the Defendant”) was convicted by a jury of, among other offenses, unlawful possession of a firearm. Before trial, the Defendant moved to suppress the firearm a law enforcement officer seized from the vehicle the Defendant was driving. The trial court denied the Defendant’s motion. On direct appeal, the Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed the trial court’s judgments, including the trial court’s ruling on the suppression issue. We granted permission to appeal to determine the legality of the officer’s warrantless seizure of the firearm. We hold that the seizure was constitutionally permissible under the plain view doctrine. Accordingly, we affirm the judgment of the Court of Criminal Appeals.

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