Opinion ID: 1839890
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: suppression of search warrant evidence

Text: Winkler makes alternative arguments to invalidate the search warrant, and thereby require suppression of the evidence seized from the search of his garage. First, Winkler claims the warrant was not supported by probable cause because the information obtained by the officers was gathered through two unlawful searches: first, when the officers entered his property on his driveway and observed his pickup in his garage, and second, when they entered his garage to further inspect his pickup. Alternatively, Winkler argues the warrant is invalid because, in his affidavit, Officer Cluchie did not inform the judge issuing the warrant of the officers' prior unlawful entry into Winkler's garage. The State responds that the officers' action of entering Winkler's property and making observations while on his property were not unlawful because the actions did not constitute a search, and further, if the entry into Winkler's garage was unlawful, the evidence inevitably would have been discovered. The Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution, made applicable to the states by the Fourteenth Amendment, and Article 1, section 8 of the North Dakota Constitution, protect an individual from unreasonable searches and seizures. A search occurs when the government intrudes upon an individual's reasonable expectation of privacy. State v. Blumler, 458 N.W.2d 300, 301 (N.D.1990) (citing Katz v. United States, 389 U.S. 347, 88 S.Ct. 507, 19 L.Ed.2d 576 (1967)). When an individual possesses a reasonable expectation of privacy in a given area, the government must obtain a warrant before searching that area subject only to a few specifically established and well-delineated exceptions. Horton v. California, 496 U.S. 128, 133 n. 4, 110 S.Ct. 2301, 2306 n. 4, 110 L.Ed.2d 112, 120-21 n. 4 (1990) (quoting Katz, 389 U.S. at 357, 88 S.Ct. at 514). A warrant cannot issue except upon probable cause. E.g., State v. Runck, 534 N.W.2d 829, 831-32 (N.D.1995). Absent an exception to the warrant requirement, the exclusionary rule mandates suppression of evidence obtained in violation of the protection against searches conducted without a warrant because they are per se unreasonable. Horton, 496 U.S. at 133 n. 4, 110 S.Ct. at 2306 n.4 (emphasis added); Blumler, 458 N.W.2d at 302. We do not agree with Winkler that the officers violated his reasonable expectation of privacy, and therefore conducted a warrantless search, when they entered his property on his driveway and observed his pickup in his garage. Like our neighboring courts, this court believes police with legitimate business may enter certain areas surrounding a home where persons may have a reasonable expectation of privacy, such as curtilage, but which are impliedly open to use by the public. State v. Crea, 305 Minn. 342, 233 N.W.2d 736, 739 (1975); State v. Krech, 403 N.W.2d 634, 637 (Minn.1987) (stating police may approach a dwelling in order to conduct an investigation if they restrict their movements to places visitors could be expected to go); State v. Lodermeier, 481 N.W.2d 614, 624 (S.D.1992) (stating [e]ven though [a driveway] is part of the curtilage, a police officer with legitimate business may enter a driveway and, while there, may inspect objects in plain view); see also Lubenow v. N.D. State Highway Comm'r., 438 N.W.2d 528, 532 (N.D.1989) (stating appellant did not have a reasonable expectation of privacy with regard to the officer observing from a place he had a right to be the contents and activities within the garage while the garage door was fully open). Here, the officers were investigating a fatal hit-and-run accident with information possibly pointing to Winkler's involvement. Any member of the public would have entered upon Winkler's property in the manner the officers did. We, therefore, have no difficulty sustaining the officers' initial entry onto Winkler's driveway and observation of Winkler's pickup in the open garage. We have more difficulty, however, with the officers' warrantless entry into Winkler's garage. Under these circumstances, Winkler had a reasonable expectation of privacy as to what could not be seen from outside his unattached garage, and the officers' entry into the garage constituted a search, thus requiring a warrant. See Blumler, 458 N.W.2d at 302 (involving attached garage). But even though the search was not lawful, we do not invalidate the warrant if it was supported by probable cause of an independent source. We will explain this conclusion in our analysis of Winkler's second argument. Winkler next argues the search warrant is invalid because, in his affidavit, Officer Cluchie did not inform the judge issuing the warrant of the officers' prior unlawful entry into Winkler's garage. The United States Supreme Court in Murray v. United States, 487 U.S. 533, 108 S.Ct. 2529, 101 L.Ed.2d 472 (1988), addressed a similar argument under nearly identical facts. [1] In Murray, federal agents, after conducting surveillance, lawfully seized and searched a truck and camper both of which were found to contain marijuana. 487 U.S. at 535, 108 S.Ct. at 2532. After receiving this information, several agents unlawfully entered a warehouse from which those vehicles had exited earlier. Id. In the warehouse, the agents saw numerous burlap-wrapped bales. The agents left without disturbing the bales, kept the warehouse under surveillance, and did not reenter it until they had a search warrant. Id. In the search warrant affidavit, the agents made no mention of the earlier warrantless entry or their observations of the bales. Id. Executing the search warrant several hours later, the agents seized the bales, which were found to contain marijuana. Id. In assessing whether the evidence discovered during the second search could be admitted, the Court turned to the independent source doctrine. This doctrine allows admission of evidence that has been discovered by means wholly independent of any constitutional violation. Nix v. Williams, 467 U.S. 431, 443, 104 S.Ct. 2501, 2508, 81 L.Ed.2d 377, 387 (1984); State v. Ritter, 472 N.W.2d 444, 450 (N.D.1991) (involving application of the independent source doctrine). It is based upon the rationale that `[t]he interest of society in deterring unlawful police conduct and the public interest in having juries receive all probative evidence of a crime are properly balanced by putting the police in the same, not a worse, position that they would have been in if no police error or misconduct had occurred.' Murray, 487 U.S. at 537, 108 S.Ct. at 2533 (citing Nix, 467 U.S. at 443, 104 S.Ct. at 2509). Excluding evidence that the police ultimately obtained by independent legal means would not put the police in the same position they would have been in if they had not committed any unlawful conduct; instead, it would put them in a worse position. Id. The ultimate question ... is whether the search pursuant to warrant was in fact a genuinely independent source of the information and tangible evidence. Id. at 542, 108 S.Ct. at 2536. Answering that question requires a two-part inquiry: (1) whether the warrant was supported by probable cause derived from sources independent of the unlawful entry, and (2) whether the decision to seek the warrant was prompted by what was seen during the unlawful entry. [2] Id.; United States v. Hassan, 83 F.3d 693, 697 (5th Cir.1996); United States v. Johnson, 994 F.2d 980, 987 (2nd Cir.1993); United States v. Restrepo, 966 F.2d 964, 971 (5th Cir.1992). Turning to the first part of the inquiry, this court reviews a probable cause determination under the totality-of-the-circumstances approach. State v. Rydberg, 519 N.W.2d 306, 308 (N.D.1994). The question of probable cause is one of law. Id. Probable cause to search does not require the same standard of proof necessary to establish guilt at trial; rather, probable cause to search exists if it is established that certain identifiable objects are probably connected with criminal activity and are probably to be found at the present time at an identifiable place. Id. The task of the issuing judge is to make a practical, commonsense decision whether, given all the information considered together, there is a fair probability contraband or evidence of a crime will be found in a particular place. Id. The trial court concluded [t]here was sufficient testimony in this case for a magistrate to issue a search warrant of the defendant's vehicle. We agree. The judge issued the warrant authorizing the search of Winkler's property based solely upon information known to the officers before their unlawful entry into Winkler's garage. E.g., United States v. Curtis, 931 F.2d 1011, 1014 (4th Cir.1991); see also United States v. Register, 931 F.2d 308, 311 (5th Cir.1991) (involving omission of information from search warrant affidavit). Officer Cluchie's affidavit indicated the officers knew Carlson probably had died from being hit by a vehicle. The vehicle probably was a newer model pickup. Winkler drove a newer model pickup. The officers also knew Winkler had left a local bar, after drinking, around the time of the accident, and had traveled home on the highway Carlson had been walking along when he was killed. After arriving at Winkler's home, the officers observed damage to the passenger front fender of Winkler's pickup parked at a slight angle in the opened, right-hand stall of Winkler's garage. [3] We conclude this information is sufficient to establish that Winkler's pickup probably was connected with the accident, and to support the issuing judge's practical, commonsense determination that a fair probability existed of finding this evidence in Winkler's garage. Though we conclude the search warrant was supported by probable cause derived from sources independent of the officers' unlawful entry into Winkler's garage, this conclusion does not resolve [t]he ultimate question [of] whether the search pursuant to warrant was in fact a genuinely independent source of the information and tangible evidence. Murray, 487 U.S. at 542, 108 S.Ct. at 2536.  Murray instructs that ... the warrant is nonetheless tainted if the illegally obtained facts prompted `the [officers'] decision to seek the warrant.' Wayne R. LaFave, Search & Seizure § 11.4(f), at 299 (3rd ed.1996); Restrepo, 966 F.2d at 971.  Murray assumes that the question is the actual motivation or intention of the officers in the particular case, that is, that a subjective rather than an objective test is applicable in this context. LaFave, § 11.4(f), at 300; Restrepo, 966 F.2d at 972. As in Murray, the trial court did not explicitly find that the officers would have sought a warrant if they had not earlier entered Winkler's garage. [4] Therefore, we remand to the trial court for a determination of whether the officers' decision to seek the warrant was caused by what they saw during the unlawful entry. Murray, 487 U.S. at 542 n. 3, 108 S.Ct. at 2536 n. 3. We also note the consequences of this remand on Winkler's conditional plea of guilty. If the trial court finds the officers would have sought a warrant even if they had not entered Winkler's garage, Winkler's guilty plea stands. United States v. Markling, 7 F.3d 1309, 1317 (7th Cir.1993). If, however, the trial court finds the entry into Winkler's garage prompted the officers' decision to seek a warrant, the court must suppress the evidence seized from the search of Winkler's garage and allow Winkler to withdraw his guilty plea. Id. at 1317-18.