Opinion ID: 1277664
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Investigation at Scene

Text: On July 27, 2004, Lincoln police officers Carla Cue and Andrew Nichols responded to a call at a Lincoln, Nebraska, address. At 11:26 a.m., the dispatcher informed them that a neighbor reported a burglary at the residence. The neighbor had described the suspects as a white male wearing a white T-shirt and khaki shorts and a black male wearing a jumpsuit. The dispatcher told Cue and Nichols that the pair carried a white bag and fled, driving a small, two-door white car east on Antelope Creek Road. The dispatcher also provided the name and address of the reporting neighbor. Before arriving at the house, Cue and Nichols briefly checked the area for anyone fitting the description. Finding no one, they stopped in front of a neighboring house. Cue and Nichols went to the front door first; they noticed nothing unusual, knocked on the door, and received no answer. Officer David Hensel then arrived. The three officers agreed Hensel would stay at the front door while Cue and Nichols went through the open gate on the side of the house to check the back door. On the way to the back door, a neighbor approached Cue and Nichols. He informed them that earlier, a neighbor had seen a man standing by the back door of the burglarized residence. The man told the neighbor he was waiting for the owner of the house to arrive. Shortly after, the neighbor heard a loud bang, looked through an opening in the fence, and saw two men running from the house. The neighbor also told them that he knew the house's residents, that three boys lived there, and that he did not think anyone was home because all of their vehicles were gone. After speaking with the neighbor, Cue and Nichols went to the back door. They could see the back door had been forced open. Cue noted wood splinters on both the outside and inside of the doorframe and a large piece of doorframe that had completely broken off. Cue and Nichols then loudly announced themselves as police officers several times, received no answer, and entered. With weapons drawn, Cue and Nichols checked both the ground and basement levels of the house. Cue explained that she did not know whether any suspects or victims remained in the home. They found no suspects or victims, but found a marijuana-growing operation. Cue and Nichols then left the house, called their supervisor, and applied for a search warrant to seize the marijuana. The search warrant incorporated information derived from Cue and Nichols' initial entry. Officers executed the search warrant and seized the evidence. The State then charged Eberly with possessing a controlled substance with intent to deliver. Eberly moved to suppress all evidence ultimately obtained through Cue and Nichols' warrantless entry as violating the Fourth Amendment and its Nebraska counterpart.