JTC v. State

990 So. 2d 444, 2008 Ala. Crim. App. LEXIS 12, 2008 WL 274726
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Alabama
DecidedFebruary 1, 2008
DocketCR-06-2083
StatusPublished

This text of 990 So. 2d 444 (JTC v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
JTC v. State, 990 So. 2d 444, 2008 Ala. Crim. App. LEXIS 12, 2008 WL 274726 (Ala. Ct. App. 2008).

Opinion

990 So.2d 444 (2008)

J.T.C.
v.
STATE of Alabama.

CR-06-2083.

Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama.

February 1, 2008.

*445 D. Tara Middleton, Tuscaloosa, for appellant.

Troy King, atty. gen., and Jack W. Willis, asst. atty. gen., for appellee.

WELCH, Judge.

J.T.C., who had been granted youthful-offender status, pleaded guilty to first-degree possession of marijuana, a violation of § 13A-12-213, Ala.Code 1975. J.T.C. entered his plea after reserving the right to challenge the legality of the search of his vehicle and the marijuana seized as a result of that search. The trial court sentenced J.T.C. to 18 months in prison and ordered him to pay a $50 assessment to the crime victims' compensation fund and a $100 assessment to the forensic trust fund. Because J.T.C. was granted youthful-offender status, he was not required to pay a fine pursuant to the Drug Demand Reduction Assessment Act. S.T.E. v. State, 954 So.2d 604, 608 (Ala.Crim.App.2006).[1]

*446 The standard of review of a trial court's ruling on a motion to suppress is as follows:

"Where evidence is presented to the trial court ore tenus in a nonjury case, a presumption of correctness exists as to the court's conclusions on issues of fact; its determination will not be disturbed unless clearly erroneous, without supporting evidence, manifestly unjust, or against the great weight of the evidence. Odom v. Hull, 658 So.2d 442 (Ala.1995). However, when the trial court improperly applies the law to the facts, no presumption of correctness exists as to the court's judgment. Ex parte Board of Zoning Adjustment of the City of Mobile, 636 So.2d 415 (Ala.1994).
"[Ex parte Agee], 669 So.2d [102,] at 104 [ (Ala.1995) ]. `Where the evidence before the trial court was undisputed the ore tenus rule is inapplicable, and [this Court] will sit in judgment on the evidence de novo, indulging no presumption in favor of the trial court's application of the law to those facts."

Ex parte Jackson, 886 So.2d 155, 159 (Ala. 2004).

The record shows the following. The hearing on J.T.C.'s motion to suppress was held on the day trial was scheduled to begin. The State requested a continuance because the police officer who seized the marijuana from J.T.C's car was off duty and could not be reached and, therefore, was not present for trial. J.T.C. opposed the continuance, but agreed that if the continuance was granted, he would be willing to proceed with the hearing on the motion to suppress based on a stipulation of the facts as presented in his motion. The State did not object to the proposal and the trial court accepted it, saying, "I have the motion to suppress with me with a stipulation of — with a statement of facts from the defendant's brief and I'm going to advise the parties that I intend to consider the motion to suppress in light of what the Court considers the facts set forth in the brief which the State is stipulating today." (R. 7.)

The following are the facts as set forth in J.T.C.'s brief in support of his motion to suppress:

"On December 19, 2003, Officers Davis and Melton of the Tuscaloosa Police Department observed the Defendant, [J.T.C.], speeding. [J.T.C.], a resident of ____ Old Hickory Lane in Northport, AL, subsequently pulled into the parking area of his cousin's residence at ____ Culver Road in Tuscaloosa, AL, and exited and locked his vehicle. Officer Davis pulled into the parking area as [J.T.C.] was approaching the entrance of his cousin's trailer. Officer Davis told [J.T.C.] to stop and reenter the vehicle. [J.T.C.] refused to enter the vehicle, stating that his keys were locked in his car. At this time, Officer Davis handcuffed [J.T.C.] for `officer safety.'2 Officer Davis then looked in the car and did not see any keys. Without [J.T.C]'s consent, Officer Melton proceeded to reach into [J.T.C.]'s pocket and retrieve a set of keys. [J.T.C.] claimed the keys were not car keys. Officer Davis tried each key until one finally opened the car door. [J.T.C.] did not give Officer Davis permission to search his car; and *447 [J.T.C.] had not been formally arrested for speeding or any other offense at this time. After Officer Davis opened the car door, she said she smelled the odor of marijuana in the vehicle. She then searched the vehicle and found a plastic bag containing marijuana packaged in two smaller plastic bags under the seat. A field test was performed with positive results for marijuana. Only at this point was [J.T.C.] arrested. He was charged with Possession of Marijuana in the First Degree under Section 13A-12-213 of the Alabama Code."
2 "This is according to Officer Davis' report, which does not elaborate on the circumstances from which one could infer cuffing [J.T.C.] was necessary."

(CR. 33-34.)

As the State points out in its brief on appeal, in addition to the facts as set out in J.T.C's motion, "the interpretation of facts were argued by the defense and the State." (State's brief at p. 7.) The State "admits this case is somewhat problematical because of the way the facts were developed by the parties." (State's brief at p. 6.)

J.T.C. argues that the officers who searched his car exceeded the authority granted to them under Terry v. Ohio, 392 U.S. 1, 88 S.Ct. 1868, 20 L.Ed.2d 889 (1968). At the suppression hearing, the prosecutor argued that the officers were within their rights to search the car "[t]o make sure there's not a weapon that they can shoot him with [sic] when he gets in the car if they do let him go. If they are going to let him go." (R. 16.)

The stipulated facts indicate that the police stopped J.T.C. for speeding. A traffic stop is a seizure within the meaning of the Fourth Amendment. Stone v. City of Huntsville, 656 So.2d 404 (Ala.Crim. App.1994). "Nevertheless, because a routine traffic stop is a limited form of seizure, it is analogous to an investigative detention, and we have therefore held that a traffic stop will be governed by the standard set forth in Terry v. Ohio, 392 U.S. 1." United States v. Francis, 140 Fed. Appx. 184, 185 (11th Cir.2005). Under Terry, law-enforcement officers may stop a vehicle for investigatory purposes based on a traffic violation. State v. Rodgers, 903 So.2d 176, 178 (Ala.Crim.App.2004).

Here, J.T.C. does not dispute that the police were authorized to stop him or that, for their safety, the officers could properly conduct a pat-down search to check for weapons. He does challenge the officers' authority to search the vehicle without his consent and without a warrant.

"`A warrantless search of a vehicle is justified where there is probable cause to believe the vehicle contains contraband.' Lykes v. State, 709 So.2d 1335, 1337 (Ala.Crim.App.1997).
"`"Probable cause exists where all the facts and circumstances within the officer's knowledge are sufficient to warrant a person of reasonable caution to conclude that an offense has been or is being committed and that contraband would be found in the place to be searched." Sheridan v. State, 591 So.2d 129, 130 (Ala.Crim.App.1991).

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698 So. 2d 187 (Supreme Court of Alabama, 1997)
Odom v. Hull
658 So. 2d 442 (Supreme Court of Alabama, 1995)
Chevere v. State
607 So. 2d 361 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 1992)
Sheridan v. State
591 So. 2d 129 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 1991)
Thomas v. State
453 So. 2d 1075 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 1984)
State v. Washington
623 So. 2d 392 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 1993)
Sheffield v. State
522 So. 2d 4 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 1987)
State v. Rodgers
903 So. 2d 176 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 2004)
Lykes v. State
709 So. 2d 1335 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 1997)
State v. Ivey
709 So. 2d 502 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 1997)

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Bluebook (online)
990 So. 2d 444, 2008 Ala. Crim. App. LEXIS 12, 2008 WL 274726, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jtc-v-state-alacrimapp-2008.