Opinion ID: 164194
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Continued Seizure of the Handgun

Text: 14 Allowing Officer Cyr to control the weapon for the duration of the encounter with Thomson does not mean that Cyr was entitled to retain the weapon indefinitely. It is, however, well established that under certain circumstances the police may seize evidence in plain view without a warrant. Coolidge v. New Hampshire, 403 U.S. 443, 465, 91 S.Ct. 2022, 29 L.Ed.2d 564 (1971). Police are entitled to seize items that they have probable cause to believe are evidence of a crime. See United States v. Falcon, 766 F.2d 1469, 1475 (10th Cir.1985). 15 In this case, Officer Cyr had probable cause to believe that the handgun found in the bag was evidence of a crime. Officer Cyr was summoned to Alcatel because Thomson's co-workers were frightened by his activities. Two witnesses described three separate threats made by Thomson. Hutchinson described an incident on the day of Cyr's investigation in which Thomson had said this place is going to burn, and mentioned a firestorm. An earlier statement made by Thomson suggested a specific threat to shoot his co-workers. Thomson's handgun would have allowed him to carry out such a threat. In addition, Thomson had a basis to be antagonistic to his co-workers because he had recently been terminated. Finally, Cyr observed that the other employees were sufficiently frightened of Thomson to lock themselves in an office. Thus, the weapon was relevant to Thomson's intent to intimidate others or to actually carry out his threats. These circumstances were sufficient to give Cyr probable cause to seize the weapon as potential evidence of a violation of Utah Code Ann. § 76-5-107, Terroristic Threats. 3 16 Officer Cyr's failure to immediately realize he had probable cause to arrest Thomson does not undermine our conclusion. First, the determination of whether or not there is probable cause to arrest is separate from the determination of whether there is probable cause to believe an item is evidence of a crime. Second, an officer's subjective belief as to the existence of probable cause is not determinative because we measure probable cause against an objective standard. United States v. Davis, 197 F.3d 1048, 1051 (10th Cir.1999). As explained above there was an objectively sufficient basis to believe that the handgun was evidence of a crime. Accordingly, the continued seizure was proper.