Opinion ID: 2508191
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Officer's Warrantless Entry into Residence

Text: The trial court denied Drennan's motion to suppress, ruling that Officer Piner's entry into the residence was justified by the emergency doctrine exception to the warrant requirement. Drennan takes issue with the trial court's findings. On a motion to suppress evidence, this court reviews the facts underlying the trial court's suppression decision by a substantial competent evidence standard and the ultimate legal conclusion drawn from those facts by a de novo standard. Although the court does not reweigh the evidence, the ultimate determination of suppression is a legal question requiring independent determination. State v. Mendez, 275 Kan. 412, 416, 66 P.3d 811 (2003). A search conducted without a warrant is per se unreasonable unless it meets one of several recognized exceptions to the warrant requirement: `consent; search incident to a lawful arrest; stop and frisk; probable cause to search accompanied by exigent circumstances, of which hot pursuit is one example; the emergency doctrine; inventory searches; plain view; and administrative searches of closely regulated businesses.' [Citations omitted.] Mendez, 275 Kan. at 420-21 (quoting State v. Baughman, 29 Kan. App. 2d 812, 814, 32 P.3d 199 [2001]). The rationale of the emergency doctrine exception was explained by the United States Supreme Court in Mincey v. Arizona, 437 U.S. 385, 392, 57 L. Ed. 2d 290, 98 S. Ct. 2408 (1978): We do not question the right of the police to respond to emergency situations. Numerous state and federal cases have recognized that the Fourth Amendment does not bar police officers from making warrantless entries and searches when they reasonably believe that a person within is in need of immediate aid. . . . `The need to protect or preserve life or avoid serious injury is justification for what would be otherwise illegal absent an exigency or emergency.' [Citation omitted]. In Mendez, this court reiterated the three-part test for determining if the emergency doctrine applies: `(1) The police must have reasonable grounds to believe that there is an emergency at hand and an immediate need for their assistance for the protection of life or property. `(2) The search must not be primarily motivated by intent to arrest and seize evidence. `(3) There must be some reasonable basis, approximating probable cause, to associate the emergency with the area or place to be searched. [Citation omitted.]'. Mendez, 275 Kan. at 425 (quoting State v. Jones, 24 Kan. App. 2d 405, 413, 947 P.2d 1030 [1997]). The State has the burden of satisfying each element. State v. Horn, 278 Kan. 24, 32, 91 P.3d 517 (2004). The reasonableness of the officer's belief is determined by an objective standard, i.e., whether there is evidence which would lead a prudent and reasonable officer to see a need to act. Horn, 278 Kan. at 32-33. In Horn, we applied the three-part test to facts where police responded to a 911 call from a woman who was concerned about the welfare of her 89-year-old neighbor who had not followed her routine for a couple of days. The defendant, who lived with the 89-year-old woman, had also deviated from typical practice by not allowing the neighbors to visit. When police knocked, the defendant responded verbally but refused to open the door. After the defendant stalled for several minutes, the police officers turned the door knob and pushed the door open, which exposed a body to plain view. The court concluded that under these circumstances the three-part test set forth in Mendez was satisfied. Similarly, the trial court correctly concluded that under the facts of this case the emergency doctrine applied and the evidence obtained upon entry into the home need not be suppressed. The first factor is whether the officers had reasonable grounds to believe there was an emergency and that Shelbree was in need of their assistance for protection of her welfare. Drennan contends that it was unreasonable for Officer Piner to believe Shelbree was in need of assistance for health and safety reasons when Drennan was already in custody. He also points out that the neighbor did not tell the officers that he had actually seen Shelbree outside the house. According to Drennan, a reasonable person would have called into the house for Shelbree before entering or would have sought a warrant. These arguments are not persuasive. The officers knew that there was a prior history of domestic violence between Drennan and Shelbree; that Drennan had been involved in a verbal altercation with a neighbor prior to the officers' arrival; that the same neighbor had heard an argument, a woman's scream, and then silence; that no one had responded when Officer Piner knocked at the door and rang the doorbell; that Drennan appeared sweaty and agitated and was unresponsive to the officers' questions; and that Drennan had refused to tell them where Shelbree was. These facts were sufficient to establish a reasonable belief that there was an emergency and that Shelbree was in need of assistance. The second factor is whether Officer Piner's entry into the house was motivated by any intent to arrest or seize evidence. Clearly, it was not. Officer Piner testified that she entered the house because she was concerned for Shelbree's welfare and that she did not seize anything from the home. Drennan does not contest this point. The third factor is whether the officers had reasonable grounds to believe Shelbree was located inside the residence. Again, Drennan does not contest this point. The officers knew Shelbree lived at the residence, and the neighbor told them he had heard an argument and a woman's scream inside the home. These facts provided a reasonable basis for the officers to believe Shelbree was located inside the home. Because Officer Piner's warrantless entry into the home was permissible under the emergency doctrine, there is no need to address Drennan's argument that his statements to police during the interview at the police station should have been suppressed as fruit of the poisonous tree.