Opinion ID: 1477667
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Exigent Circumstances Existed

Text: [¶ 26] Determining that there was probable cause extends our inquiry into whether exigent circumstances justified the officers' warrantless entry into the chicken barn. Exigent circumstances exist when there is a compelling need to conduct a search and insufficient time in which to secure a warrant. State v. St. Yves, 2000 ME 97, ¶ 19 n. 8, 751 A.2d 1018, 1023 (quotation marks omitted). [¶ 27] In Leonard, we determined that exigent circumstances justified the search of a residence, the scene of a stand-off, after the stand-off ended to determine if: other individuals may been have injured; unsafe conditions posed a threat to individuals; and evidence could potentially be lost or destroyed. 2002 ME 125, ¶ 13, 802 A.2d at 994. We further determined that exigent circumstances exist when it is reasonably believed that a person is in imminent danger of death or serious bodily harm. St. Yves, 2000 ME 97, ¶ 19 n. 8, 751 A.2d at 1023 (citations omitted). Thus, we have determined that exigent circumstances may include a threat to the safety of members of the public or police officers. However, we have not addressed whether the exigent circumstances doctrine applies to the threat an operating clandestine methamphetamine laboratory poses to public and officer safety. [¶ 28] Other courts have decided that narrow issue. In United States v. Williams, 431 F.3d 1115 (8th Cir.2005), the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals determined whether the discovery of a methamphetamine lab constituted an exigent circumstance. In Williams, officers arrested an individual for processing and manufacturing methamphetamine. Id. at 1117. The individual told the officers that he had recently visited Williams's home, which contained a methamphetamine laboratory. Id. The individual gave the officers a description of the home and positively identified Williams. Id. The officers located Williams's home and observed evidence indicative of ongoing methamphetamine production. Id. The officers detained Williams outside his house and upon approaching his home, one officer smelled chemicals utilized in the methamphetamine manufacturing process. Id. The officers entered the house, observed evidence of a methamphetamine laboratory in plain view, ventilated the home, and quickly left. Id. The officers later obtained a search warrant. Id. [¶ 29] The Eighth Circuit determined that the officers reasonably concluded that it was necessary to protect their own and local residents' safety by conducting a protective sweep of the home. Id. at 1118. [¶ 30] Although determining exigent circumstances is inherently fact-specific, Williams is consistent with the way in which other courts have determined whether exigent circumstances existed in methamphetamine cases. In a case prior to Williams, the Eighth Circuit noted that [t]he potential hazards of methamphetamine manufacture are well documented, and numerous cases have upheld limited warrantless searches by police officers who had probable cause to believe they had uncovered an on-going methamphetamine manufacturing operation. United States v. Walsh, 299 F.3d 729, 734 (8th Cir.2002). The court cited five cases from the Ninth and Tenth Circuits to support that proposition. Id. Courts outside the Eighth, Ninth, and Tenth Circuits have reached the same result. See, e.g., United States v. Denson, No. 1:05-CR-088, 2006 WL 270287, at , 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 7898, at -12 (E.D.Tenn. Feb.2, 2006); People v. Duncan, 42 Cal.3d 91, 227 Cal.Rptr. 654, 720 P.2d 2, 10-11 (1986); Holder v. State, 847 N.E.2d 930, 939-40 (Ind.2006); State v. Castile, No. M2004-02572-CCA-R3-CD, 2006 WL 1816371, at -9, 2006 Tenn. Crim.App. LEXIS 492 at -24 (Tenn. Crim.App. June 28, 2006). [¶ 31] Courts, however, have also limited use of the exigent circumstances doctrine in methamphetamine cases. In United States v. Chambers, the Sixth Circuit determined that officers had create[d] an exigency when they approached a house that had been under surveillance for months for suspected methamphetamine production to talk to its residents, and then used a resident's refusal of consent to enter as justification for entry. 395 F.3d 563, 568-69 (6th Cir.2005). Courts have also declined to find probable cause based solely on the odor of a legal substance which is associated with methamphetamine production. See, e.g., United States v. Berry, 468 F.Supp.2d 870, 882 (N.D.Tex. 2006); Bennett v. State, 345 Ark. 48, 44 S.W.3d 310, 314-15 (2001). [¶ 32] On the facts of the present case, exigent circumstances justified the officers' warrantless entry into Bilynsky's residence. The officers had detailed information concerning Bilynsky's involvement in the manufacturing of methamphetamine, much of which was verified upon their arrival at Bilynsky's residence. Soon after their arrival, the officers observed evidence that Bilynsky was manufacturing methamphetamine: an air conditioner was on high, providing the requisite cool temperature for production; and Kelly smelled fumes that he associated with the manufacturing process. Evidence that amounted to probable cause that manufacturing was in progress, coupled with Kelly's knowledge of the safety risks associated with the process, provided an adequate basis for a limited warrantless entry to conduct a protective sweep of the residence. [¶ 33] Premised on safely securing the area, the search did not exceed the bounds of exigency that justified the warrantless entry. See Horton v. California, 496 U.S. 128, 139-40, 110 S.Ct. 2301, 110 L.Ed.2d 112 (1990). The search was brief, and it ended once it was determined that the area was safe. The officers did not conduct a thorough search of the residence. For that, the officers later secured a warrant. [¶ 34] The facts under which our sister courts did not find exigent circumstances in methamphetamine cases are not present in this case. Probable cause was generated not solely on the smell of methamphetamine production, but also upon information provided from two individuals and the personal observations of the officers. The officers also did not generate the exigency through any of their actions. We accordingly determine that exigent circumstances justified the officers' warrantless search of the chicken barn. [¶ 35] Because the warrantless search of Bilynsky's residence was supported by both probable cause and exigent circumstances, we do not address Bilynsky's alternative argument that if the fruits of the search were excluded, there would have been insufficient evidence to support a finding of probable cause.