Court Opinion

ID: 9744328
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 22:00:59.807873+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:24:48.373901
License: Public Domain

Mr. JUSTICE STOUDER, dissenting. I disagree with the result reached by the majority in that I agree with defendant’s contention his confession was obtained by the police subsequent to an illegal arrest. Neither the majority nor the State seem to dispute defendant’s position that if he was under arrest at the commencement of the interrogation, then the subsequent confession is inadmissible. Accordingly, I will deal here only with whether defendant was under arrest at the beginning of his interrogation. If an individual is in custody, that individual is as a matter of law under arrest. No authorities are cited by the majority in support of then-proposition regarding an interim stage of custodial non-arrest. The Criminal Code defines “arrest” as meaning “the taking of a person into custody.” (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1973, ch. 38, par. 102 — 5.) The Code also provides “an arrest is made by an actual restraint of the person or by his submission into custody.” (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1973, ch. 38, par. 107 — 5.) The majority, although they cited the Code’s definition of arrest early in their opinion, apparently overlook it later when they state * * it is possible that the custodial nature of the situation might be sufficient to require the giving of warnings without being enough to constitute an arrest.” The majority is no doubt referring to the requirement that the Miranda warnings be given to an individual subjected to police interrogation while in custody. (Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, 16 L. Ed. 2d 694, 86 S. Ct. 1602.) What I feel compelled to dispute is their conclusion an individual can be in custody to a sufficient degree to fall within the requirements of Miranda and yet not enough in custody to constitute being under arrest. This to me appears to be an attempt to rationalize the violation by the police of defendant’s constitutional rights. After defendant spoke with the police chief for about 10 or 15 minutes, he was escorted into the sergeant’s room where he was given the Miranda warnings and interrogated behind closed doors by Detectives Mahoney and Kuntz for about 45 minutes to an hour. Defendant at the end of this period stated he would tell the truth about everything. The Miranda warnings were given to him a second time, this time in writing. Defendant signed the waiver form. It is inconceivable to me anyone might seriously contend that where an individual is given the Miranda warnings orally he is not under arrest but when he is given these warnings in writing and this is coupled with his signing the waiver form, he suddenly becomes under arrest. What is of paramount significance to me is the absence in the record of any material facts to distinguish the police officers’ conduct toward defendant at the beginning of the interrogation, at which time the officers testified defendant was not under arrest, and later in the interrogation, when defendant was given the Miranda warnings a second time. At neither time was defendant told he was either under arrest or not under arrest or that he was free to leave or not free to leave. It is hard for me to comprehend how this custodial non-arrest suddenly developed into an arrest without any material change in circumstances. The testimony of the two interrogating police officers is enlightening. Officer Mahoney testified on cross-examination he usually interrogates individuals he has arrested in a room with the door closed. He stated he did not consider defendant a suspect and yet he also stated he knew prior to the interrogation the offenses had been committed by young men with motorcycles and he knew defendant owned a motorcycle. He had been told defendant and another youth were near the burglarized home riding their motorcycles at the time the burglary was supposed to have been committed. Defendant and this other youth had also been in the field riding their motorcycles at the time of an arson of a construction trailer. This other youth was never called to the station for interrogation. On cross-examination Officer Kuntz testified defendant was not under arrest when he was interrogated and he based his opinion on the fact no one had told him defendant was under arrest. He stated he would not think a young man being questioned in a room by two police officers behind a closed door after being informed of his rights was under arrest, but he could not name one other person who had been questioned in such a manner who was not under arrest. He then admitted he never really stopped to consider whether defendant was under arrest. On redirect he stated it was the booking process he viewed as constituting an arrest. I believe the record clearly supports the conclusion defendant was under arrest at the commencement of the interrogation. Both the police officers’ testimony, and in particular their conduct toward defendant, support this conclusion. Accordingly, the judgment of the circuit court of Will County should have been reversed.