My question involves criminal law for the state of: Iowa
In June of 2018, a search of my home was conducted by local law enforcement, with a warrant. The warrant was for all buildings at the correct address but with the wrong name. The warrant had the wrong last name but had been my name previously. The warrant stayed that on three separate dates the police had collected my trash and found evidence indicating the the sell of narcotics. The things collected were what was used as probable cause to obtain the warrant. The cops found 2 THC edibles in the search. I was charged with possession of a controlled substance- 2nd offense.
I have since come to find out that the police are using a private business to collect the trash. In my town you have to pay for trash removal thru a private business. One of the employees of T's Trash Service told me that the police are using T's trash service to get people trash. He said he's done this. He will come in to work and be handed an address, told that when he gets to that address to pick up the trash, throw it in the compactor, then immediately go meet the officers at another location, not the police station. Is this legal?
I pay privately for T's trash to come remove my trash. And isn't there some kind of guidelines for how evidence is connected? These trash guys aren't part of the police force and haven't been trained on collecting evidence. How can this be used as probable cause?