Opinion ID: 1644285
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Text: In April 1979, Terry and Susan Clark, as tenants in common, signed a month-to-month lease for a 7-acre rural tract on a quarter section near Elkhorn in Douglas County, Nebraska. The leasehold consisted of a house and some outbuildings. Susan left Terry in 1984, after which she never lived on or claimed the leased premises as her residence. However, since 1984 Terry Clark and Abdouch lived together on the leasehold but were not married to each other. Terry and Susan Clark were divorced in June 1985. What effect Clarks' dissolution proceeding may have had on the lease is undisclosed. Two days after Terry Clark's intestate death on June 15, 1987, Susan Clark, the mother of Terry's 8-year-old son, Lee, unsuccessfully attempted to contact Abdouch by telephone to obtain any of Terry's personal property for the benefit of Lee. There were no probate proceedings relative to Terry Clark's death. In view of her inability to reach Abdouch, Susan Clark contacted the Douglas County Sheriff's Department for assistance in securing Terry Clark's belongings [t]o make sure there would not be any problems when we went to the farm.... Sgt. Ronald A. Larson of the Douglas County Sheriff's Department was assigned to accompany Susan Clark to the farmstead which was previously Terry Clark's residence and which was presently occupied by Abdouch as her home. Larson and Deputy Sam Christensen met with Susan Clark and other members of Terry Clark's family at a bowling alley in Elkhorn, where Larson was shown a copy of the 1979 lease to Terry and Susan Clark. Christensen had an arrest warrant for Abdouch on the charge of drunk driving. Although the officers realized that Susan and Terry Clark were divorced, and none of the Clark family had a court order authorizing entry on the leasehold or possession of Terry Clark's personal property, the officers accompanied the Clark family to the farmstead to search for and retrieve Terry Clark's personal property. Neither officer had a search warrant for the premises.