Opinion ID: 444031
Heading Depth: 5
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Approach to the Residence

Text: 30 Here again, the question is whether Roberts's expectation of privacy in the area of government intrusion is one that society recognizes as reasonable. Unlike the intrusion onto the road, however, the agents' approach to Roberts's residence was within the curtilage of the house. Nevertheless, precedent on this issue indicates that their intrusion was not an impermissible one. 31 In United States v. Hersh, 464 F.2d 228 (9th Cir.) (per curiam), cert. denied, 409 U.S. 1008, 93 S.Ct. 442, 34 L.Ed.2d 301 (1972), two deputy sheriffs, acting without a warrant, walked up to and knocked on the front door of the defendant's home. While standing on the front porch, they peered through a window and saw drugs and drug paraphernalia. On the basis of these observations, they arrested the defendant the next day and seized the drugs and paraphernalia as part of a search incident to the arrest. We held that the observations through the window did not violate the Fourth Amendment and quoted Davis v. United States, 327 F.2d 301 (9th Cir.1964), for the proposition that anyone may openly and peaceably, at high noon ... walk up the steps and knock on the front door of any man's 'castle' with the honest intent of asking questions of the occupant thereof--whether the questioner be a pollster, a salesman, or an officer of the law. Id. at 303, quoted in Hersh, 464 F.2d at 230. In the instant case, the agents approached Roberts's door at 12:15 in the afternoon to ask the occupant questions. Under Hersh, their observations properly contributed to establishing probable cause. 5 32 Our holding here does not conflict with Pendleton v. Nelson, 404 F.2d 1074 (9th Cir.1968) and United States v. Pacheco-Ruiz, 549 F.2d 1204 (9th Cir.1976). In both cases the officers not only made observations but at the same time seized evidence on the basis of those observations. 33 In each case we declined to address the issue whether a search took place and focused instead on the unreasonableness of the seizure when the officers could have obtained a warrant but did not do so. Pendleton, 404 F.2d at 1077; Pacheco-Ruiz, 549 F.2d at 1207. Here, however, the agents did obtain a warrant before entering the house and seizing evidence. 34 We therefore hold that the magistrate properly considered the agents' observations of the occupant's behavior in determining that probable cause existed, and the district court correctly denied Roberts's motion to suppress.