Court Opinion

ID: 9678312
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 06:16:32.992487+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:17:03.435653
License: Public Domain

CLINTON, Judge,
dissenting.
The majority concludes that a warrant-less arrest authorized by Article 14.01(b), V.A.C.C.P., may be justified by “probable cause.” However, by its terms, Article 14.01(b), allows an officer to arrest “an offender” and requires that the offense be “committed in his presence or within his view.” (emphasis supplied.)
“That language clearly implies that all the elements necessary to be proved to sustain a conviction of the accused must exist to give a police officer the authority to arrest him without a warrant.” Heath v. Boyd, 141 Tex. 569, 175 S.W.2d 214, 216 (1943). “[A] peace officer has no authority to make an arrest without a warrant except when the offense is committed in his presence or within his view....,” King v. State, 132 Tex.Cr.R. 200, 103 S.W.2d 754 (1937). Compare Steverson v. State, 109 Tex.Cr.R. 11, 2 S.W.2d 453, 454-455 (1928), with January v. State, 117 Tex.Cr.R. 223, 34 S.W.2d 1097 (1930).*
Therefore, to make a valid warrantless arrest under Article 14.01(b), a peace officer needs more than probable cause. The offender must actually commit an offense in his presence or view.
On another matter, the majority treats an argument by the State that the search in question was a proper inventory search. However, the State lost that argument in the court of appeals. The State did not petition this Court to review that part of the decision of the court of appeals. According to the rules of this Court, propriety of the alleged inventory search is not before us, and the majority errs in addressing it.
On both bases I respectfully dissent.

 There are a host of "liquor cases” like Steverson and January reported during Twenties and early Thirties, in which validity of arrest and inevitable search turned on whether an offense was being committed in their presence or within their view.