Opinion ID: 1253359
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Lawful Purpose.

Text: Courts rarely, if ever, quash a subpoena on the grounds that it was issued for an unlawful purpose. See 2 LaFave § 4.13(a), at 728 (the Fourth Amendment requirement of an authorized investigative purpose is a virtual nullity). This is because the lawful purpose criterion is satisfied when the county attorney is engaged in a bona fide criminal investigation. Kelley, 353 N.W.2d at 848. The county attorney in this case was involved in a lawful criminal investigation. The three named truck drivers had been previously charged with flagrant overweight violations, and they were suspected of committing this same offense on other occasions. To substantiate his suspicions, the county attorney chose to subpoena the records from the business where the three drivers regularly delivered grain. In issuing the subpoena to Pattison, the county attorney was merely exercising his general investigatory powers. See Kelley, 353 N.W.2d at 848; Chidester v. Needles, 353 N.W.2d 849, 852 (Iowa 1984). Pattison attempts to refute the lawfulness of the investigation by arguing the DOT is not authorized under Iowa Code section 321.465 and section 321.476 (1997) to obtain Pattison's scale tickets because Pattison did not consent to the use of its private scales and records. We need not address Pattison's argument concerning the authority of the DOT. The county attorney may investigate any crime, whether or not an agency such as the DOT would be so empowered.