Opinion ID: 891642
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Whether Defendant's Detention Ripened into a De Facto Arrest

Text: {30} Lastly, Defendant and Amicus Curiae Santa Ana Pueblo claim that Deputy Charley's detention of Defendant exceeded the bounds of a permissible traffic stop and ripened into a de facto arrest. They argue that this de facto arrest infringed on the sovereignty of the Navajo Nation because it violated the tribe's governing extradition procedures. {31} Under the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution, `police officers may stop a person for investigative purposes where, considering the totality of the circumstances, the officers have a reasonable and objective basis for suspecting that particular person is engaged in criminal activity.' State v. Werner, 117 N.M. 315, 317, 871 P.2d 971, 973 (1994) (quoting United States v. Williams, 962 F.2d 1218, 1223 (6th Cir.1992)). An officer who makes a valid investigatory stop may briefly detain those he suspects of criminal activity to verify or quell that suspicion. Id. New Mexico courts follow the two-part test set forth in Terry to analyze the reasonableness of an officer's actions during a traffic stop. State v. Duran, 2005-NMSC-034, ¶ 23, 138 N.M. 414, 120 P.3d 836. Under Terry, the officer's action [must have been] justified at its inception, and... it [must have been] reasonably related in scope to the circumstances which justified the interference in the first place. Terry, 392 U.S. at 19-20, 88 S.Ct. 1868, 20 L.Ed.2d 889; accord Duran, 2005-NMSC-034, ¶ 23, 138 N.M. 414, 120 P.3d 836. State v. Funderburg, 2008-NMSC-026, ¶ 13, 144 N.M. 37, 183 P.3d 922. A court should consider both the length of the detention and the manner in which it is carried out when determining whether a lawfully-initiated investigatory detention has become unlawfully extended. State v. Sewell, 2009-NMSC-033, ¶ 17, 146 N.M. 428, 211 P.3d 885; see also Funderburg, 2008-NMSC-026, ¶ 16, 144 N.M. 37, 183 P.3d 922 (An officer's continued detention of a suspect may be reasonable if the detention represents a graduated response to the evolving circumstances of the situation.). {32} Deputy Charley initiated the traffic stop in this case, because he observed Defendant speeding and throwing a clear bottle of yellow liquid from his vehicle. After stopping Defendant, Deputy Charley noticed that Defendant had blood-shot, watery eyes and smelled moderately of alcohol. In response to questioning, Defendant admitted that the discarded bottle contained alcohol. Deputy Charley suspected that Defendant had been driving while intoxicated and, therefore, administered a series of field sobriety tests. Based upon Defendant's performance on these tests, Deputy Charley determined that Defendant was impaired by alcohol to the slightest degree. Defendant was free to, and indeed did, leave the scene of the investigation by walking to the home of a nearby relative. Deputy Charley subsequently secured a warrant for Defendant's arrest, which was executed in compliance with Navajo Nation Code procedures. {33} It is undisputed that Deputy Charley had a reasonable and objective basis for suspecting Defendant of criminal activity and, therefore, that the initial stop of Defendant's vehicle was lawful. Although Defendant and Amicus Curiae Santa Ana Pueblo allege that the length and manner of Defendant's detention exceeded that which was necessary for Deputy Charley to quell or verify his initial suspicion of criminal activity, there is no evidence in the record to support this allegation. See State v. Williamson, 2000-NMCA-068, ¶¶ 5-16, 129 N.M. 387, 9 P.3d 70 (holding that the defendant was not under de facto arrest during a routine traffic stop, despite a brief detention following the administration of field sobriety tests); Armijo v. State Transp. Dep't, 105 N.M. 771, 773, 737 P.2d 552, 554 (Ct.App.1987) (holding that the defendant was not under de facto arrest during a routine traffic stop, even though he was asked to repeat the field sobriety tests and answer questions posed by [a] second officer). We therefore reject Defendant's claim that his detention ripened into a de facto arrest, which infringed on the sovereignty of the Navajo Nation.