Court Opinion

ID: 9636440
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 14:29:01.521765+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:09:46.000378
License: Public Domain

Dooley, J.,
concurring. I would hold that the denial of the motion to suppress must be reversed, but I would avoid the controversy that has dominated the two opinions. There is nothing more telling than an advocate’s unwillingness to support the trial court’s rationale for its decision. Here, the trial court justified its decision based on the officer’s suspicion that a burglary might be in progress. The dissent has adopted this rationale. The State has, however, specifically stated in its brief that it is not relying on this rationale.
The State nevertheless tries to save its conviction by positing two alternative rationales for denying the motion to suppress. The first is that the officer was investigating a violation of 23 V.S.A. § 1101(a), which requires that an operator not park a vehicle “upon the paved or main-traveled part of the highway.” The only evidence, however, was that defendant’s vehicle was “off the road,” some four feet beyond the fog line. I cannot accept that there was reasonable suspicion of criminal activity based on the placement of the vehicle.
The second rationale is that the officer was acting pursuant to the community caretaking function. Putting aside the total inconsistency between the officer’s conduct and a rationale based on helping a motorist in distress, I would hold that this rationale disappeared once it became clear that defendant had reached a place of safety and used the telephone. Based on the observation of the tracks, the officer knew at that point that it was the owner of the vehicle who used the telephone.
Because the detention of defendant cannot be justified by either reasonable and articulable suspicion or the community caretaking function, I would hold that it was unlawful. Because any detention was unjustified, I cannot agree that the denial of the motion to suppress can be justified on inevitable discovery.