Collins v. Virginia

An officer recognized a motorcycle under a tarp involved in a prior high-speed chase and matched it to Facebook photos of Collins (defendant). Without a warrant, he entered Collins's property, walked to an area partly enclosed by the house and a brick wall, lifted the tarp, and recorded the VIN, determining the motorcycle was stolen. Collins later admitted nothing but was arrested. He argued the walled area was the home's curtilage, making the warrantless search unconstitutional; the state relied on the automobile exception.

Whether the Fourth Amendment's automobile exception applies to a vehicle parked within the curtilage of a home, a few feet from its boundaries.