Opinion ID: 1772145
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: did the trial court err in admitting into evidence the substance found on the property near the trailer?

Text: After carefully reviewing the record in this case, it is this Court's opinion that the powdery substance found approximately 20 feet from the trailer clearly falls under the plain view doctrine as addressed by the U.S. Supreme Court in Coolidge v. New Hampshire, 403 U.S. 443, 91 S.Ct. 2022, 29 L.Ed.2d 564 (1971). The U.S. Supreme Court held in that case that where the initial intrusion brings the police within the plain view of an article and is not supported by a warrant, the seizure is nonetheless legitimate if one of the recognized exceptions to the warrant requirement is present. This Court has held on several occasions that a valid consent to a search is a recognized exception to the warrant requirement. See Whittington v. State, 523 So.2d 966, 973 (Miss. 1988); Hudson v. State, 475 So.2d 156, 157-158 (Miss. 1985); Jackson v. State, 418 So.2d 827, 830 (Miss. 1982). Once consent to search the trailer was given by Mary Lube, the police were justified in seizing any evidence found pursuant to that search within their plain view. As noted earlier, the powder in question was located approximately 20 feet from the east side of the trailer. Although it could not be seen from the road, it was clearly visible from the trailer itself. No evidence was presented to contradict this testimony. In light of the fact that Mary Lube gave a valid consent to search the trailer, that the police were validly on the property on which the trailer was located and since the powdery substance was easily visible from the trailer itself, thus falling under the plain view doctrine, there is no merit to this claim as presented by the appellant. For the foregoing reasons, it is the opinion of this Court that the decision of the trial court should be affirmed in all respects. ROY NOBLE LEE, C.J., HAWKINS and DAN M. LEE, P.JJ., and ROBERTSON, SULLIVAN, ANDERSON, PITTMAN and BLASS, JJ., concur.