Court Opinion

ID: 9680068
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 07:18:39.884317+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:17:25.174310
License: Public Domain

SEILER, Chief Justice
(concurring in part and dissenting in part).
I concur in the affirmance of the conviction on Count I but dissent as to Count II. The state failed to carry its burden of proof *333as to valid grounds for making a warrant-less search of the attache case, in which were found the drugs on which the conviction under Count II rests.
Who has the burden of proof to show, in the words of the leading case on the subject, Chimel v. California, 395 U.S. 752, 89 S.Ct. 2034, 23 L.Ed.2d 685 (1969) that the search beyond the person of the arrestee is in an area “within his immediate control”? It is the prosecution, because as that case and many others hold, the burden is on those seeking an exemption from the requirement of a search warrant to show the need for it. “The exceptions are ‘jealously and carefully drawn,’ . . . ‘[T]he burden is on those seeking the exemption to show the need for it.’ ” Coolidge v. New Hampshire, 403 U.S. 443, 455, 91 S.Ct. 2022, 2032, 29 L.Ed.2d 564 (1971).
It follows that when the search is sought to be justified because it is of an area within the immediate control of the person arrested, the burden is on the prosecution to show that such is the fact if it is to prevail on the motion to suppress. See, for example, United States v. Marotta, 326 F.Supp. 377, 384 (S.D.N.Y.1971), affirmed without opinion, 456 F.2d 1336 (2d Cir. 1972), where the court sustained a motion to suppress over the government’s contention that the seizure was lawful under Chimel, supra, as being in the area within the immediate control of the person arrested, “. the Government not having shown . . . that the search and seizure was within the permissible scope of searches and seizures incident to lawful arrests . . . ” (emphasis supplied). In Scott v. State, 7 Md.App. 505, 256 A.2d 384, 389 (1969), the court says: “We think that Chimel requires that the State show that the search was conducted and items were seized in an area ‘within the reach’ of the arrestee in this concept (emphasis supplied). See, also, United States v. Jones, 475 F.2d 723, 727 (5th Cir. 1973), stating: “Because the search here must now be characterized as warrantless, the government must establish that it is within one of the exceptions to the warrant requirement” (emphasis supplied). The case dealt with the search of a suitcase about a foot and a half away from the head of the bed on which defendant was asleep when arrested.
See, also, State v. Sutton, 454 S.W.2d 481, 490 (Mo. banc 1970) (Finch, J., dissenting), “. . . the burden of proof to establish that some exception is applicable rests on the government . . . ” (emphasis supplied).
In the case before us, the attache case was closed and at least four feet distant from the defendant. The manpower arrayed against defendant was overpowering. One officer, Zinselmeier, had placed defendant under arrest and had searched his person, while defendant was leaning against the wall, facing it, hands up. Another officer, Reifschneider, was in the room, having entered with Zinselmeier. Three other officers were present in the room, but “no evidence was introduced that they were so placed that it was impossible for defendant to reach and enter the attache case”, although Zinselmeier was close enough to the attache case so that he opened it “promptly”, which included undoing the clasp. The defendant was handcuffed, but the evidence does not show when with relation to the opening of the attache case. The principal opinion asserts that “On the record before us, we cannot conclude that defendant could not, by a quick movement, reach the attache case and obtain a weapon concealed therein or destroy evidence contained in the case.” It seems to me this places the burden on the defendant to show that he could not have acted to accomplish the above, whereas the burden to show facts justifying the exemption is on the state, which failed to carry it', although the state had five police officers who should have been able to establish the facts if they in truth existed in their favor.
In my opinion, it is clear that under the circumstances the attache case was not within the immediate control of the defendant. But if I am mistaken, then the most that can be said on the other side of the coin on the evidence before us is that it is unclear and speculative whether the at*334tache case was in the immediate control of the defendant in the sense that he could have gotten to and opened it in time to seize a weapon or destroy incriminating evidence therein. This is not sufficient to carry the prosecution’s heavy burden of proof. In fact, if the situation were such that there was a good chance defendant could have gotten to the attache case and made use of its contents, the action of Zin-selmeier in opening it “promptly” would have enhanced the opportunity. It would have helped defendant do what the police did not want him to do. I do not believe the police officer would have made any such foolish move, had there been any possibility defendant could have taken advantage of it, which further leads me to believe the prosecution had no evidence available which would support the exemption by which they would be entitled to search the attache case.
The holding of the principal opinion is opposed to the basic proposition established years ago that constitutional provisions for the security of person and property should be liberally construed. Boyd v. United States, 116 U.S. 616, 635, 6 S.Ct. 524, 29 L.Ed. 746 (1886). Officer Zinselmeier no doubt was using his best judgment that he should search the attache case,1 but that does not mean that his judgment is not properly subject to constitutional scrutiny or that he has the right to abrogate the Fourth Amendment.
In my opinion, the search of the attache case was illegal on the record before us and the conviction on Count II should be reversed and I therefore respectfully dissent as to Count II.

. Zinselmeier and the others had seen defendant enter the motel room carrying the attache case and Zinselmeier testified it was his policy as incident to any arrest for him to search “whatever possessions a person has with him.” With this as his guideline, it is not a strained conclusion that once Zinselmeier had defendant under arrest, he would promptly have searched the attache case no matter where it was in the room.