Opinion ID: 2747892
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Police Investigate Storage Unit

Text: That evening, OCPD Officer Jeff Springer visited the Rite Place Storage facility listed on the receipt found at Nathaniel’s house. He located the storage unit listed on the receipt and informed the facility’s manager he was investigating the renter of the unit. Officer Springer was unable, however, to procure a canine unit to smell the storage unit, so he left. The next morning, at approximately 8:30 a.m., Officer Springer and OCPD Officer Roy Williams returned to Rite Place Storage and called for a canine unit. At about 9:15 a.m., OCPD Detective Richie Willis arrived with his certified drug dog. The dog swept the unit but did not alert to the presence of drugs.1 The officers returned to the front office, where they reviewed the rental agreement and the activity log associated with the unit. The rental agreement, which was signed on July 6, 2010, confirmed Mr. Burtons was the renter of the unit. The activity log revealed Mr. Burtons had accessed the unit 23 times in the preceding three months, with increasing access in the five weeks before the search of Nathaniel’s house. 1 At the suppression hearing, Officer Springer testified that Detective Willis informed him an alert was unlikely because the door to the unit was closed and the unit had no airflow. -3-