Mississippi Supreme Court Upholds Seizure of $225,000 from California Driver

High Court Reverses Appeals Decision

JACKSON, Miss. — The Mississippi Supreme Court has ruled that a California man will not get back more than $225,000 in cash seized during a 2018 traffic stop in Rankin County.

The decision reverses a Mississippi Court of Appeals ruling that had ordered the city of Brandon to return the money to Rae Young Chung, finding that police had insufficient evidence to justify taking it.

In its opinion released Thursday, the state’s high court disagreed, saying the evidence supported the trial court’s decision to forfeit the cash.

“We find that sufficient circumstantial evidence exists to support the trial court’s order of forfeiture based on the applicable law,” the court wrote. “As such, we find no error and affirm the judgment of the trial court in this case.”

Traffic Stop Led to Large Cash Discovery

The case began more than five years ago when Brandon Police Lt. Joseph French stopped Chung’s truck on Interstate 20 for speeding and tailgating.

According to court records, French initially planned to issue a ticket but became suspicious after noticing that Chung was using paper logbooks instead of electronic ones.

“French testified that based on his training and experience, the use of paper logs was one possible indicator of ongoing criminal activity, due to the ease of manipulation of travel routes,” the opinion said.

When the officer examined the logs, he found several discrepancies and noted that Chung had logged time as “off duty” or “traveling without freight.” French said those details heightened his suspicion.

During a vehicle search, French found a bag containing 45 to 48 envelopes, each holding $5,000 in cash.

Investigation and Legal Battle

Police later allowed Chung to drive to the Brandon Amphitheater while the investigation continued. Along the way, French said he saw Chung make at least one phone call. A forensic review later showed several recent calls and text messages had been deleted.

Chung told officers the money represented his life savings. A police dog, Rankin County K-9 Voodoo, later detected what officers described as a “slight odor of a controlled substance” on the cash.

The Rankin County Circuit Court upheld the seizure in 2022. Chung appealed, and the Court of Appeals reversed the decision in a narrow 5-4 vote.

Justices Split Over Evidence

In his appeal, Chung argued that U.S. Supreme Court precedent prohibits officers from extending a traffic stop beyond the time needed to issue a ticket unless there is clear evidence of additional criminal activity.

The Mississippi Supreme Court acknowledged that rule but said it did not apply here because the officer developed “reasonable suspicion” during the stop. The justices also rejected Chung’s claim that he did not consent to the vehicle search, saying he failed to raise that issue at trial.

The majority opinion was written by Justice Jenifer Branning and joined by Chief Justice Mike Randolph and Justices James Maxwell, Robert Chamberlin, and Kenneth Griffis.

Justice David Sullivan wrote a dissent joined by Justices Leslie King, Josiah Coleman, and David Ishee. Sullivan argued the Appeals Court correctly found that Chung, a 79-year-old truck driver with no criminal record, should have been allowed to keep his money.

“The record still fails to establish that the money was used or intended to be used for the trafficking of drugs,” Sullivan wrote.