Opinion ID: 2591946
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Denial of Motion to SuppressConsent

Text: [¶ 8] Baker's first issue on appeal is that the warrantless entry into his home was in violation of the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution, and art. 1, § 4 of the Wyoming Constitution, because he did not consent to the search. The State disagrees and argues that this instance qualifies as an exception to the warrant requirement. [¶ 9] In reviewing a trial court's ruling on a motion to suppress evidence, we do not interfere with the trial court's findings of fact unless the findings are clearly erroneous. We view the evidence in the light most favorable to the trial court's determination because the trial court has an opportunity at the evidentiary hearing to assess the credibility of the witnesses, weigh the evidence, and make the necessary inferences, deductions, and conclusions. The constitutionality of a particular search is a question of law that we review de novo. Shaw v. State, 2009 WY 18, ¶ 19, 201 P.3d 1108, 1112 (Wyo.2009). [¶ 10] Indeed, under both the United States and Wyoming constitutions, searches and seizures conducted without a warrant are per se unreasonable unless they are justified by probable cause or recognized exceptions. Pena v. State, 2004 WY 115, ¶ 29, 98 P.3d 857, 870 (Wyo.2004). Exceptions to the warrant requirement include: 1) search of an arrested suspect and the area within his control; 2) a search conducted while in hot pursuit of a fleeing suspect; 3) a search and/or seizure to prevent the imminent destruction of evidence; 4) a search and/or seizure of an automobile upon probable cause; 5) a search which results when an object is inadvertently in the plain view of police officers while they are where they have a right to be; 6) a search and/or seizure conducted pursuant to consent; and 7) a search which results from an entry into a dwelling in order to prevent loss of life or property. Andrews v. State, 2002 WY 28, ¶ 18, 40 P.3d 708, 712 (Wyo.2002) (internal citations omitted). In this case, the exception to the warrant requirement that ostensibly applies is consent. The officers had the consent of a resident of the home, Baker's live-in girlfriend Crystal Merck. [¶ 11] Baker advances a lengthy and citation-filled argument as to why Merck did not have the authority to consent in this instance. Relying upon cases from a variety of jurisdictions, Baker argues, generally, that because Merck was locked out of her house from the inside, she lost all authority to enter the house. Moreover, Baker insists that neither actual nor apparent authority existed. Instead, he states that Merck had no access at all to the premises in question, and even though she possessed a key to open the door from the outside, Baker argues that because someone else had chained the door shut from the inside, further inquiry was needed as to whether or not Merck had the authority to consent to a search. [¶ 12] However, as the State points out, it is well settled that consent to a warrantless search is not confined to consent by a defendant. It may also be given by a third party who possessed common authority over or other sufficient relationship to the premises or effects sought to be inspected. United States v. Matlock, 415 U.S. 164, 171, 94 S.Ct. 988, 39 L.Ed.2d 242 (1974). The authority which justifies the third-party consent rests on mutual use of the property by persons generally having joint access or control for most purposes, so that it is reasonable to recognize that any of the co-inhabitants has the right to permit the inspection in his own right and that the others have assumed the risk that one of their number might permit the common area to be searched. Matlock, 415 U.S. 164, 171 at n. 7, 94 S.Ct. 988. In fact, consent is valid so long as the officer obtaining the consent reasonably believed that the third party had the authority to consent (even if the belief is in error). Illinois v. Rodriguez, 497 U.S. 177, 186, 110 S.Ct. 2793, 2800, 111 L.Ed.2d 148 (1990). As with other factual determinations bearing upon search and seizure, determination of consent to enter must be judged against an objective standard: would the facts available to the officer at the moment... `warrant a man of reasonable caution in the belief' that the consenting party had authority over the premises? If not, then warrantless entry without further inquiry is unlawful unless authority actually exists. But if so, the search is valid. Andrews, ¶ 25, 40 P.3d at 714 (internal citations omitted). [¶ 13] Here, the facts known to the officers at the time of the search support the conclusion that Merck had the authority to consent to a search of the residence. Merck reported a domestic disturbance from her home at the hands of her live-in boyfriend. She expected her boyfriend (Baker) to not answer the door, and told the officers that they could go inside the home, and she unlocked the back door with her own key from her personal keychain. And although a no trespassing sign was posted on the property, Merck's consent stands. [1]