Court Opinion

ID: 9732799
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 16:36:10.150192+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T15:23:34.097920
License: Public Domain

COLER, Justice
(dissenting).
The majority opinion chooses not to rule on the question of' the voluntariness of the act of the defendant in turning over the incriminating evidence to the' officers. I am convinced that the sole issue is whether the defendant voluntarily gave evidence that incriminated him and that his constitutional rights cannot be so by-passed.
■ At the close of the suppression hearing the trial court denied the motion to suppress without stating its reasons. However, at the close of the trial the following statement appears:
“It is the court’s opinion in this case that the police had reasonable basis upon which to make a search in this case. This is not a search that was made incident to arrest. Here is a vehicle that could be moved out of the country immediately. The rules are different for searching an automobile than for searching a residence.” (emphasis supplied)
Obviously the trial court had in mind State v. McCreary, 1966, 82 S.D. 111, 142 N.W.2d 240; State v. Klingler, 1969, 84 S.D. 466, 173 N.W.2d 275 and State v. Thunder Horse, 1970, 85 S.D. 76, 177 N.W.2d 19, as justifying the admission of the evidence on the basis that it was a search of a vehicle and the rules are different than for searching a residence. While this statement is basically true the right to search depends on the facts and circumstances of each case and the circumstances of this case fall well within the plain language of Chambers v. Maroney, 1970, 399 U.S. 42, 90 S.Ct. 1975, 26 L.Ed.2d 419, cited by the majority opinion as supporting its position. However, the court further stated in that case:
“* * * if an effective search is to be made at any time, either the search must be made immediately without a warrant or the car itself must be seized and held without a warrant for whatever period is necessary to obtain a warrant for the search.” 399 U.S. at 51, 90 S.Ct. at 1981, 26 L.Ed.2d at 428.
*375Both the vehicle and the defendant were clearly within police custody and there was no threat of the destruction of evidence. Coolidge v. New Hampshire, 1971, 403 U.S. 443, 91 S.Ct. 2022, 29 L.Ed.2d 564; Chimel v. California, 1969, 395 U.S. 752, 89 S.Ct. 2034, 23 L.Ed.2d 685; United States v. Rothman, 1973, 9 Cir., 492 F.2d 1260. Officer Durham was twice advised by his superior to secure the search warrant and should have done so and certainly there was more than sufficient time to do so since there was a time lapse of nearly two hours between the delivery of the first and second batches of evidence by the defendant.
If the evidence is to be admitted as incident to an arrest, I believe that under the facts in this case, the language from State v. Jackson, 1933, 61 S.D. 499, 250 N.W. 55, applies:
“By his act of seizing and searching appellant’s automobile, without appellant’s permission or without lawfully issued warrant permitting said search and seizure, said sheriff directly violated appellant’s constitutional rights as guaranteed him by sections 9 and 11 of article 6 of the Constitution of South Dakota.”
As indicated in the foregoing statement from State v. Jackson, supra, and as noted in State v. Vey, 1908, 21 S.D. 612, 114 N.W. 719, our court has, in keeping with the statement of law found in 22A C.J.S. Criminal Law § 650 and 8 Wigmore, Evidence § 2264 (McNaughton rev. 1961), considered that, in circumstances such as presented here, absent consent freely given, the privilege against self-incrimination guaranteed by the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and Article VI, Section 9 of the South Dakota Constitution has been violated and therefore the evidence is not admissible. While, generally, courts have considered such factual situations on the question of consent to search and seizure, Hardy v. Cunningham, 1969, N.D., 167 N.W.2d 508; People v. Clark, 1967, 5 Mich.App. 672, 147 N.W.2d 704; United States v. Rothman, supra; United States v. Culp, 1973, 8 Cir., 472 F.2d 459, it should be noted that this court’s recognition of the interrelationship of the rights guaranteed by §§ 9 and 11 of Article VI of this state’s Constitution and the necessity for full compliance with both provisions has been *376given like recognition as have the comparable provisions of the federal constitution. Brown v. Illinois, 1975, 422 U.S. 590, 95 S.Ct. 2254, 45 L.Ed.2d 416, citing Wong Sun v. United States, 1963, 371 U.S. 471, 83 S.Ct. 407, 9 L.Ed.2d 441.
To sustain the conviction on this record would have the effect of reinstating, by decision, the language of SDCL 23-15-2 as it stood prior to the 1972 legislative amendment. This court in State v. Lane, 1957, 76 S.D. 544, 82 N.W.2d 286, and again in State v. McCreary, supra, made it clear to the legislature that as to a search and seizure the end does not justify the means. The statement of law in State v. Jackson, supra, that the legislature, by the 1935 amendment to R.C.1919, § 4606, attempted to negate reads:
“An improper and illegal seizure cannot be justified or sustained by information acquired after the seizure.” 61 S.D. at p. 503, 250 N.W. at p. 57.
This should remain our statement of law on the subject.
It is well settled that the burden is on the one making the motion to suppress evidence to establish that such evidence was illegally seized. State v. Merrill, 1967, 82 S.D. 609, 152 N.W.2d 349. However, when the government relies upon consent to an otherwise illegal search and seizure, it has the burden of proving, by clear and convincing evidence, that consent was voluntary and free from duress and coercion. State v. Shephard, 1963, 255 Iowa 1218, 124 N.W.2d 712.
The trial court having found it unnecessary and, therefore, having failed to make a finding on the consent issue, I would reverse.