Opinion ID: 2995004
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Officers’ Warrantless Entry into

Text: Room 421. At Mitchum’s suppression hearing,/7 Detective Welsh and Springfield Police Detective George Bonnett testified that at approximately 9:15 a.m., on June 30, 1999, they knocked on the door to Room 421, that Mitchum opened the door, gave the officers permission to enter, and consented to a search of the room. When questioned by Mitchum’s defense counsel, these officers specifically denied ever using a key card to open the door to Room 421./8 Mitchum’s testimony at his suppression hearing contradicted that of officers Welsh and Bonnett. Mitchum stated that he was asleep when there was a knock at the door, someone announced room service, and before he could get out of bed the officers opened the door and walked into his room. Contrary to Detective Welsh’s testimony, Mitchum specifically denied ever giving the officers permission to enter the room or to perform a search. He categorically denied that officers even requested permission to conduct a search of the room. After Detectives Welsh and Bonnett had testified that no key card had been used to gain entry into room 421, but before the conclusion of Mitchum’s suppression hearing, prosecutors went to the Stevenson Inn to question motel employees. Defense counsel’s questioning of Detectives Welsh and Bonnett concerning the possible use of a magnetic key card to open the door to Room 421 had alerted the prosecution to the fact that this would probably be a continuing issue at Mitchum’s suppression hearing. At the motel, prosecutors learned that an employee specifically recalled making duplicate key cards for the officers for both Rooms 421 and 422 on the day in question. They were also informed that each electronic door lock at the motel has a memory device, and that the memory can be accessed to display the date and time that a key card was inserted into the door lock. The memory for Room 421 demonstrated that a key card had been inserted and removed from the lock at 9:16 a.m. on June 30, 1999--the very time that officers testified they were obtaining entry into Room 421./9 Despite the direct conflict between this evidence and the testimony of the officers, the prosecution presented this evidence to the district court at the continuation of Mitchum’s suppression hearing the next day.