Little Rock - A federal appeals panel has overturned a lower court ruling that evidence should be disallowed because Arkansas State Police held a driver too long during a traffic stop before checking his vehicle for drugs.

The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Monday that 11 pounds of cocaine found in Omar Rivera's vehicle should not have been suppressed. The ruling overturns a U.S. district judge's finding that state troopers detained Rivera too long before the check.

Rivera was pulled over on Sept. 2, 2007, on Interstate 40 in central Arkansas. It took 17 minutes before a drug dog sniffed the outside of Rivera's truck. The appeals court ruled the time was reasonable, because Rivera gave confusing answers and took several minutes to read a consent form.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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