Opinion ID: 2599114
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Wallet

Text: [¶ 29] Andrews also argues that the trial court erred by refusing to suppress the evidence seized from his wallet. He claims that the search violated the United States and Wyoming constitutional provisions, prohibiting unreasonable searches and seizures. The State argues that the search was justified because it was conducted incident to his lawful arrest. [¶ 30] One of the exceptions to the warrant requirement is a search conducted incident to a lawful arrest. [1] Vasquez v. State, 990 P.2d 476, 480 (Wyo.1999). The test under the United States Constitution for a valid search incident to an arrest was articulated by the United States Supreme Court in Chimel v. California, 395 U.S. 752, 89 S.Ct. 2034, 23 L.Ed.2d 685, reh. denied 396 U.S. 869, 90 S.Ct. 36, 24 L.Ed.2d 124 (1969). Under the Chimel ruling, law enforcement officials are allowed to search the area which is within the immediate control of the arrested person. Vasquez, 990 P.2d at 480. This court quoted Chimel in Roose v. State, 759 P.2d 478, 482 (Wyo.1988) as follows: When an arrest is made, it is reasonable for the arresting officer to search the person arrested in order to remove any weapons that the latter might seek to use in order to resist arrest or effect his escape. Otherwise, the officer's safety might well be endangered, and the arrest itself frustrated. In addition, it is entirely reasonable for the arresting officer to search for and seize any evidence on the arrestee's person in order to prevent its concealment or destruction. And the area into which an arrestee might reach in order to grab a weapon or evidentiary items must, of course, be governed by a like rule. A gun on a table or in a drawer in front of one who is arrested can be as dangerous to the arresting officer as one concealed in the clothing of the person arrested. There is ample justification, therefore, for a search of the arrestee's person and the area within his immediate controlconstruing that phrase to mean the area from within which he might gain possession of a weapon or destructible evidence. Roose, 759 P.2d at 482 (quoting Chimel, 395 U.S. at 762-63, 89 S.Ct. at 2040) (emphasis added). [¶ 31] Andrews also advances an argument based specifically upon the Wyoming Constitution. He claims that this court's decision in Vasquez, established a more rigorous test for searches incident to arrest. In Vasquez, we examined and compared the protections secured by the United States and Wyoming constitutions concerning searches of automobiles and the containers found within automobiles when suspects are arrested. 990 P.2d at 482-89. This court held that the Wyoming Constitution offers broader protection than the United States Constitution. Vasquez, 990 P.2d at 488-89. After reviewing earlier Wyoming Supreme Court decisions, we stated: These past decisions establish that [Wyoming Constitution] Article 1, § 4 allows searches incident to arrest and can be said to allow automobile searches because arrestees had possession of it, and the arrest authorizes law enforcement to search it for evidence related to the crime. The provision requires, however, that searches be reasonable under all of the circumstances. Vasquez, 990 P.2d at 488 (citation omitted). We continued by stating that searches incident to arrest which are performed for the permissible reasons of locating weapons or evidence related to the crime are reasonable. Vasquez, 990 P.2d at 488-89. [¶ 32] In this case, Deputy Jenkins told Andrews he was under arrest, and Andrews removed the wallet from his pocket and laid it on the kitchen counter directly in front of him. Consequently, at the time when Andrews was informed he was under arrest, the wallet was still on his person. Ms. Woody had reported that cash and coins were stolen from her home. Such items could, of course, be concealed in a wallet and easily lost or destroyed. It was, therefore, reasonable and appropriate for the officer to seize the wallet and search it for weapons and/or evidence. [¶ 33] The fact that, after being placed under arrest, Andrews placed the wallet on the kitchen counter is irrelevant to the validity of the search and seizure. The wallet was obviously still within Andrews' immediate area. We agree with the trial court's observations on this matter: THE COURT: ... In this case the wallet clearly was on the person of the Defendant. His attempt to distance himself from the wallet does not preclude the officer from searching it incident to the arrest. The trial court correctly denied Andrews' motion to suppress the evidence seized from his wallet.