Opinion ID: 611039
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Officer Robinson's Jurisdiction

Text: 22 Officer Robinson was an Undersheriff for Allen County, Kansas. The events underlying this appeal took place in Anderson County, Kansas. The defendants argue that any evidence seized as a result of Robinson's involvement was inadmissable because Robinson had no official authority in Anderson County. See Kan.Stat.Ann. § 22-2401a(1) (1988) (limiting official authority of county officers to own county absent request for assistance or fresh pursuit). Toward that end, they cite State v. Hennessee, 232 Kan. 807, 658 P.2d 1034 (1983), in which the Kansas Supreme Court affirmed the dismissal of a complaint where a county sheriff served an arrest warrant outside of his jurisdiction. Id. 658 P.2d at 1037. 23 We reject the defendants' argument. Officer Robinson was accompanied by two KBI agents. Pursuant to Kan.Stat.Ann. 75-712 (1989), KBI agents are vested with the powers and privileges of sheriffs of the state of Kansas. Accordingly, the KBI agents were at least the functional equivalent of Anderson County sheriffs. See Hennessee, 658 P.2d at 1037 (McFarland, J., dissenting). It is undisputed that, although Officer Robinson was present at all times, KBI Agent Rodney Page, who clearly had official authority, applied for and executed the search warrant. The defense maintains that, even if Agent Page physically executed the warrant, it was Officer Robinson who initiated the search. However, they do not contend that Agent Page lacked sufficient personal information to obtain the warrant. Thus, to the extent that Officer Robinson may have exercised official authority in Anderson County, none of the evidence seized as a result of the search of the residence was predicated on his official conduct. We therefore conclude that the search of defendants' property was undertaken by law enforcement agents properly working in Anderson County.