Willie Frank Gordon v. United States

Sheriff’s deputies suspected a driver had drugs, stopped him, and wanted to search his car to find them. Only when their attempt to establish probable cause for the search failed did they decide to impound the car. Does the Fourth Amendment forbid an impound (and resulting inventory search) primarily motivated by an investigative purpose?

Although a sheriff’s policy did not authorize deputies to impound a car from private property, the deputies did so purportedly to protect it from vandalism and theft. Does the Fourth Amendment forbid the impound and the resulting inventory search? (I)