State v. Spears

Syllabus

The Court granted certiorari to review the court of appeals' decision in State v. Spears, 420 S.C. 363, 802 S.E.2d 803 (Ct. App. 2017). The Court reverses the court of appeals and upholds Eric T. Spears' conviction. The Court holds there is evidence in the record to support the trial court's finding that Spears engaged in a consensual encounter with law enforcement and that Spears' subsequent actions created a reasonable suspicion that he may have been armed and dangerous, justifying law enforcement's frisk.