Opinion ID: 1176846
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Search of wallet.

Text: Upon application of this rule to the facts of this case we hold that the search made as an incident to the custodial arrest of defendant was a reasonable search. Defendant was not arrested for a minor traffic offense. For the purpose of this appeal we must assume that he was legally arrested for menacing an officer with a pitchfork, if not also for burglary. Regardless of whether the officer may have had some previous information relating to the identity of this defendant, including his name, address and date of birth, when a person is arrested for crimes of such a nature and seriousness, we believe that it is reasonable upon the making of such an arrest for the arresting officer to verify any information that he may already have relating to the identity of the arrested person. In addition, it does not appear that the officer had that report with him or that he then remembered its contents. Thus, we hold that for the purpose of determining or verifying the true identity of a person taken into custody following an arrest for such a serious offense it is not unreasonable for an officer to take the billfold or wallet of a person arrested for such a crime and to search it for a driver license, credit cards or other evidence of the true identity of the person arrested. Accordingly, and contrary to the decision by the Court of Appeals, we hold that under the facts of this case it was not unreasonable for the officer to take defendant's billfold and to open it for the purpose of looking for defendant's driver license, as testified by the officer. [8] We do not decide in this case whether an officer who makes an arrest of a person for a minor offense, such as a minor traffic violation, and asks for and is given the driver license of such a person, may then make a similar search of his billfold or wallet. Also, that question was not presented for decision in Robinson. And regardless of the broad language used by the court in Robinson, it is not necessary for this court in this case to decide the extent to which the officer could have searched through defendant's billfold in this case because, according to the testimony, as soon as the officer opened the billfold the small plastic bags containing the drugs were then in plain view. State v. Elk, 249 Or. 614, 622-623, 439 P.2d 1011 (1968). Cf. State v. Krogness, supra, 238 Or. at 145, 388 P.2d 120; State v. Johnson, supra, 249 Or. at 56, 437 P.2d 110; and State v. Keller, 265 Or. 622, 625, 510 P.2d 568 (1973).