STATE OF TENNESSEE v. SEDRICK DARNELL CUMMINGS - Articles

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STATE OF TENNESSEE v. SEDRICK DARNELL CUMMINGS

Posted by: Azya Thornton on Oct 22, 2025

Court: TN Court of Criminal Appeals

Attorneys 1: Paul Andrew Justice, III, Murfreesboro, for the appellant, Sedrick Darnell Cummings.

Attorneys 2: Jonathan Skrmetti, Attorney General and Reporter; Abigail H. Hornsby and Ronald L. Coleman, Assistant Attorneys General; Craig Northcott, District Attorney General; and Marcus D. Simmons, Assistant District Attorney General, for the appellee, State of Tennessee.

Judge(s): HIXSON

The Defendant, Sedrick Darnell Cummings, pled guilty to weapons-related offenses after the trial court denied his motion to suppress evidence seized following the execution of a search warrant at his residence. As a part of the Defendant’s plea agreement, he sought to reserve a certified question of law challenging the trial court’s decision that the affidavit underlying the search warrant established probable cause to search based upon an anonymous tip and the smell of marijuana. Following our review, we conclude that the certified question clearly identifies the scope and limits of the legal issue reserved as required by Tennessee Rule of Criminal Procedure 37(b)(2)(A) and that, based upon the totality of the circumstances, the search warrant failed to establish probable cause. Accordingly, the judgments of the trial court are reversed, and the case is dismissed.

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