Man Arrested Near Twin Falls Loses Appeal

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A Kansas man serving more than a decade in Idaho prison on a drug conviction will stay there, for now. The Idaho Court of Appeals Tuesday rejected Jonathan Ross Mathews' appeal contending police didn't have cause to call for a drug-sniffing dog that located two-pounds of marijuana in his trunk.

The officer who arrested Mathews on U.S. Highway 93 near Twin Falls in June 2012 said numerous factors — his circuitous route, energy drinks in his car and food wrappers indicating somebody driving long distances without stopping — aroused his suspicion.

However, Mathews, from Lawrence, Kan., contends there was nothing suspicious about the things in his car. The Appeals Court backed the officer, deciding context was important for law enforcement in judging whether somebody should be scrutinized for illegal behavior.