Title: State v. Warner

State: vermont

Issuer: Vermont Supreme Court

Document:

State v. Warner  (2000-300); 172 Vt. 552; 773 A.2d 273

[Filed 26-Mar-2001]

                                 ENTRY ORDER

                      SUPREME COURT DOCKET NO. 2000-300

                              MARCH TERM, 2001

State of Vermont	               }	APPEALED FROM:
                                       }
                                       }
     v.	                               }	Vermont District Court
                                       }	Unit 2, Addison Circuit
                                       }
James Earl Warner	               }	DOCKET NO. 374-5-00 Ancr

                                                Trail Judge:  Dean B. Pineles

       In the above-entitled cause, the Clerk will enter:

       Defendant James Warner appeals a conviction for driving under the
  influence of intoxicating  liquor (DUI), 23 V.S.A. § 1201(a)(2).  Shortly
  after his arraignment, defendant filed a motion to  suppress the evidence
  gathered as a result of the traffic stop leading to his DUI arrest,
  claiming that  the arresting officer lacked reasonable suspicion to effect
  a stop of defendant's vehicle, and,  therefore, the evidence was obtained
  in violation of Chapter I, Article 11 of the Vermont  Constitution and the
  Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution.  The Addison District 
  Court disagreed, and defendant entered a conditional plea of guilty,
  reserving the right to appeal the  trial court's denial of his motion to
  suppress.  The court accepted the plea and entered judgment  against
  defendant.  We agree with defendant that the officer lacked reasonable
  suspicion to justify  the stop, and therefore reverse. 

       The uncontested facts in the case are as follows.  On May 2, 2000,
  sometime after 8:00 p.m.,  Middlebury Police Officer Sweet responded to a
  report of an attempted automobile break-in at an  apartment complex located
  on Boardman Street.  The complainant informed the police that the  suspect
  had run off into the nearby woods.  Shortly after arriving at the scene of
  the alleged  attempted break-in, Officer Sweet left the apartment complex
  and proceeded to drive around the  area.  Another officer radioed Officer
  Sweet to inform him that a car had just driven by on Boardman  Street,
  heading toward Foote Street.  Soon thereafter, Officer Sweet observed a car
  which had just  turned off Boardman Street onto Foote Street.  At this
  point, twenty minutes had elapsed since the  break-in had been reported. 
  The officer began to follow the car south on Foote Street, and while  doing
  so called in the car registration and discovered that it belonged to the
  defendant, James  Warner.  The officer testified at the suppression hearing
  that he had known the defendant, who was  48 years old on the night in
  question, for many years-ever since defendant had been in high school.  He
  also testified that he was aware of defendant's health condition,
  consisting of a heart condition  and having had several of his toes
  amputated, and that the defendant's home was located in the  direction they
  were traveling.  After traveling for approximately two miles, the car
  turned off the 

 

  road into a driveway, and the driver turned its headlights off.  The
  officer continued down Foote  Street, turned onto Route 7, and then stopped
  to observe the parked car.  After a few minutes, the  officer observed the
  car's headlights turn on, and then the car resumed travel south on Foote
  Street.   The officer again followed the car for a short distance, and then
  effected a traffic stop of the vehicle.  At that time, the officer had not
  observed defendant engaged in any unlawful conduct.  He testified  that he
  stopped defendant's car because "it was suspicious activity to me that-you
  know, maybe the  operator had a reason to avoid me."

       At the suppression hearing, the trial court judge distinguished this
  case from State v. Welch,  162 Vt. 635, 636,