Court Opinion

ID: 9790995
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-31 02:02:46.084422+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:37:33.022140
License: Public Domain

DISSENTING OPINION OF
KABUTAN, CIRCUIT JUDGE
I respectfully dissent.
It seems to me that in this case there was clearly probable cause to arrest the defendant, that the incident search was reasonable, not wide-ranging or indiscriminate, and that there is substantial evidence in the record on which to base a finding of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. I would affirm.
I. Prohable Cause
In the case of State v. Texeira, 50 Haw. 138, 433 P.2d 593 (1967), this court, citing the case of Carroll v. United States, 267 U.S. 132, 162 (1925), said that officers have *110probable cause to make an arrest when the facts and circumstances within their knowledge, both firsthand and from trustworthy information, are sufficient to warrant a man of reasonable caution in the belief that a crime is being committed. In this case, the officer ordering the arrest knew of the arrestee’s past record of narcotics activities, knew and had reason to believe the trustworthiness of the information received from his informant, and did observe from his vantage point just prior to the arrest the activities of the arrestee which were suspicious and seemed to corroborate the information he had gained from the informant. Furthermore, HRS § 708-5 provides:
§ 708-5 By Policeman Without Warrant.
Policemen, or other officers of justice, in any seaport or town, even in cases where it is not certain that an offense has been committed, may, without warrant, arrest and detain for examination such persons as may be found under such circumstances as justify a reasonable suspicion that they have committed or intend to commit an offense.
Under Texeira, supra, and especially in view of the broad language of HRS § 708-5, I think it is clear that the arrest here was lawfully made. Said HRS § 708-5 remains in effect as the law of the jurisdiction, inasmuch as the majority opinion has failed to determine the constitutionality of said provision. Said section continues to be the standard of conduct exacted of all enforcement officers and dictates, amongst other things, their duty and responsibility as officers.
II. Constitutionality of the Search
The search in question here was made without a warrant. However, a warrantless search is allowable under the Constitution if it is incident to a lawful arrest and if the scope of the search is not unconstitutionally broad. *111It is true that in Chimel v. California, 395 U.S. 752 (1969), the United States Supreme Court considerably narrowed the breadth of searches allowable under its prior holding in Rabinowitz v. United States, 339 U.S. 56 (1950). But the rule that emerges from Chimel, in light of the facts of that case, seems to me to be that a warrantless search incident to a lawful arrest must be reasonably limited in scope, not indiscriminate or wide-ranging, and must be adapted to the goals of protecting the arresting officer and preserving evidence of the crime. In Chimel, the arresting officers conducted an indiscriminate search of the defendant’s entire house and garage, including desk and dresser drawers. That search was obviously too broad and indiscriminate. The search here, on the other hand, meets the test of Chimel, since it was very closely confined, involving only the washing machine which was clearly viewable from a public roadway without entry, near which the defendant was standing, and around which the defendant had been carrying on extremely suspicious activities. The search was adapted to the purpose of preserving evidence —contraband material. Furthermore, the search here was substantially contemporaneous with the arrest; and unlike the situation in Chimel, the facts here show that the search was made at the scene of the apparent crime and while the crime was being perpetrated, rather than at the defendant’s home, as in Chimel. For these reasons, I think the search here was reasonable and constitutional.
III. Reasonable Doubt
Accepting all of the competent evidence adduced, I believe the verdict of the trier of fact is substantiated by substantial evidence of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
I would affirm.