Opinion ID: 1595336
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Whether the Beer Cans Seized by Police From Ross' Car Were Taken in Violation of the Fourth Amendment.

Text: ¶ 52. The police began searching for Ross after officers took statements from Hale and Jones on June 30. On July 1, they went to the residence of Ross' brother, Don Ross, Sr., and noted a vehicle in the yard matching the description of Ross' car. The police radioed in the tag number and were told that tag on the car had been switched. Officer Wilbanks testified that, when the police asked to search the premises, Don Ross, Sr. replied that he did not care if the police searched. The police noted that the vehicle had a broken tail light and that there were several beer cans, similar to those found at the crime scene, on the floorboard, and had the car towed to the sheriff's office. A warrant for Ross' arrest had not yet been issued, and the police did not obtain a search warrant for either the car or Don Ross, Sr.'s residence. The trial court conducted a hearing on the admissibility of the beer cans and found that, because the car's tag had been switched, the car was in plain view, and the officers had consent to search the premises, there was no constitutional violation. ¶ 53. On appeal, Ross argues that the trial court committed reversible error in admitting the beer cans into evidence since the car was searched without a warrant in violation of the Fourth Amendment. Ross contends that the search does not fall under the automobile exception to the Fourth Amendment because the car was not searched incident to a lawful arrest. He further contends that the car could not be searched under the plain view exception to the Fourth Amendment because the car was on private property and was not visible from a public road. The State responds that Don Ross, Sr. gave his consent for officers to search the premises and, implicitly, that Don Ross, Sr. had authority over the premises to permit the search. ¶ 54. Though we normally will defer to a trial court's determination on the admissibility of evidence absent an abuse of discretion, we review de novo a trial court's interpretation of law. Harris v. State, 757 So.2d 195, 197 (Miss.2000). Consent to search is recognized as an exception to the requirements of a warrant and probable cause. United States v. Matlock, 415 U.S. 164, 94 S.Ct. 988, 39 L.Ed.2d 242 (1974); Hudson v. State, 475 So.2d 156, 158-59 (Miss.1985). Consent to search may be provided by a third party who possesses common authority over or other sufficient relationship to the premises or effects sought to be inspected. Id. at 158. A renter such as Don Ross, Sr. has been recognized as possessing sufficient authority to consent to a search of the premises. Id. Ross had no ownership interest in the premises and therefore cannot argue that any expectation of privacy was violated. Compare Scott v. State, 266 So.2d 567, 569 (Miss.1972) ([W]here the proof shows that a person is renting a room or is in possession of a room in a house or an apartment under such circumstances as to make such person the owner thereof for the time being, such person is entitled to the protection afforded by Section 23 of the Constitution.). Because Don Ross, Sr. consented to a search of his premises, evidence collected pursuant to that consent was constitutionally acquired. This assignment of error is without merit.