Opinion ID: 2073303
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 9

Heading: Admissibility of plastic strips

Text: In State v. Hawkins, Me., 261 A.2d 255, 261 (1970), we stated that, if an officer makes a valid arrest, either pursuant to an arrest warrant, or without an arrest warrant on probable cause, he is authorized to conduct a reasonable search incident to such arrest. Agnello v. United States, 269 U.S. 20, 46 S.Ct. 4, 70 L.Ed. 145 (1925). This reference search incident to a lawful arrest is a traditional exception to the warrant requirement of the Fourth Amendment. United States v. Robinson, 414 U.S. 218, 94 S.Ct. 467, 38 L.Ed.2d 427 (1973); State v. Babcock, Me., 361 A.2d 911 (1976). In Babcock, we pointed out the difference between searches of the person of the arrestee and searches of the area where the arrestee happens to be, made under the rubric of searches incident to a valid arrest. Insofar as the incidental right to search areas within the arrestee's control, we said that to be legal such searches must not be remote in time or place from the arrest. Id. at page 915. Chimel v. California, 395 U.S. 752, 89 S.Ct. 2034, 23 L.Ed.2d 685 (1969). State v. LeBlanc, Me., 347 A.2d 590, 594 (1975). On the other hand, in Babcock, we adopted the Robinson rule to the effect that a full search of the arrestee's person is reasonable in the case of a lawful custodial arrest. Id. at page 915. Furthermore, we followed the great weight of authority when, in State v. Dubay, Me., 338 A.2d 797 (1975), we extended the doctrine of searches incident to a valid arrest to cover the full search of the arrestee's person at the jail or place of detention as distinguished from the search of his person made contemporaneously with the arrest at another location. Commonwealth v. Bundy, 458 Pa. 240, 328 A.2d 517 (1974); State v. Troy, 215 Kan. 369, 524 P.2d 1121 (1974); Bell v. State, 281 A.2d 151 (Del. 1971); State v. Murray, 445 S.W.2d 296 (Mo.1969). That the search of the defendant's person which produced the plastic strips took place at the scene of the crime instead of at the time of arrest, but prior to reaching the jailhouse, does not invalidate the search. There is no question that, if Officer Bowring had made a full search of the defendant's person at the point of arrest and had come up with the plastic strips at that time, the search would have been reasonable as a search incident to a valid arrest. We rule it to be within the holding of State v. Dubay, supra, that, upon the taking into custody of a person following a legal arrest, such a search of the arrestee as would be reasonable if made by the officer at the time and place of arrest may be made by him as a continuing incident of the arrest at any time in the course of transporting the arrested person to jail. State v. Florance, 270 Or. 169, 527 P.2d 1202 (1974); Lara v. State, 469 S.W.2d 177 (Tex.Cr.App. 1971), cert. denied, 404 U.S. 1040, 92 S.Ct. 724, 30 L.Ed.2d 732. [9] There was no error in the admission in evidence of the plastic strips found on the defendant's person by Officer Bowring.