Court Opinion

ID: 9608182
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 03:07:21.405338+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T08:50:02.923818
License: Public Domain

BENCH, Judge
(concurring in result):
I would affirm the convictions on the basis that the officers had probable cause to enter defendant’s house and arrest him for assault. See Utah Code Ann. § 77-7-2(3)(e) (1995) (providing authority for warrantless arrest if officer has probable cause to believe suspect committed public offense and may “injure another person”). This was the approach taken by the prosecution at trial and is the most straightforward basis for affirmance.
Probable cause requires nothing more than a rational conclusion of probability. State v. Dorsey, 731 P.2d 1085, 1088 (Utah 1986). “Determinations of whether probable cause exists require a common sense assessment of the totality of the circumstances confronting the arresting or searching officer.” State v. Spurgeon, 904 P.2d 220, 226 (Utah App.1995).
In this ease, Officer Haussler received a dispatch call regarding “a possible assault or domestic violence situation.” A witness had reported seeing a man pulling a woman into a white and green pickup truck, which was registered to defendant. Officer Bertram, who was called to assist Officer Haus-sler, had spoken with several witnesses who described the pickup truck and said that they had seen a man assault a woman. The witnesses said that the man appeared intoxicated and was verbally abusive. Officer Haussler received a second dispatch call, announcing that Julie Pierce had been taken from her home. The witness had asked the police to make sure that Julie “was not being held against her will.”
When the officers went to the address that Officer Haussler had received through dispatch, they met a young man who identified himself as defendant’s son. The young man said that Julie Pierce was his father’s girlfriend, and that his father and Julie were not at home. At that time, the pickup truck was not in the driveway and Officer Haussler saw no one else in the house.
After leaving defendant’s house, the officers received another dispatch call regarding domestic violence. Officer Bertram testified that the same witnesses had reported seeing the same man and woman fighting in the pickup truck at the address the officers had just visited. When the officers returned to the house, Officer Haussler saw the white and green pickup truck parked in the front yard. As the officers approached the open front door, they saw a man, whom they believed to be defendant, sitting on a couch and holding a can of beer. Officer Haussler testified that defendant appeared intoxicated. Defendant admitted to the officers that he was the driver of the pickup truck. Officer Haussler testified that he wanted to separate defendant and Julie to avoid any further violence. The officers recalled that defendant became verbally abusive in response to Officer Haussler’s repeated requests that defendant step outside.
On these facts, the officers had probable cause to believe that defendant had committed the earlier-reported assault. See Utah Code Ann. § 77-7-2(3) (1995); see also State v. Leonard, 825 P.2d 664, 669 (Utah App.1991) (holding warrantless arrest proper if “from the facts known to the officer, and the inferences which fairly might be drawn therefrom, a reasonable and prudent person in his position would be justified in believing that the suspect had committed the offense” (quoting State v. Hatcher, 27 Utah 2d 318, 320, 495 P.2d 1259, 1260 (1972))), cert. denied, 843 P.2d 1042 (Utah 1992).
The officers also had probable cause to believe that defendant might injure another person. See Utah Code Ann. § 77-7-2(3)(c) (1995). Domestic violence is “one of the most potentially dangerous, volatile arrest situations confronting police.” State v. Rich*1011ards, 779 P.2d 689, 691 (Utah App.1989). In light of the domestic violence and defendant’s apparent intoxicated state and verbally abusive behavior, the officers were justified in arresting defendant to prevent any further acts of violence.
Because defendant interfered with his own lawful arrest, we can affirm his conviction for interference with an arresting officer. See Utah Code Ann. § 76-8-305 (1995); see also State v. Gardiner, 814 P.2d 568, 575 (Utah 1991). Similarly, because defendant assaulted the officers while he was under lawful arrest, he was properly convicted of assault by a prisoner. See Utah Code Ann. §§ 76-5-101, -102.5 (1995).
I therefore concur only in the result.