People v. Carrera

CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedMarch 30, 2001
Docket1-00-0239 Rel
StatusPublished

This text of People v. Carrera (People v. Carrera) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Court of Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Carrera, (Ill. Ct. App. 2001).

Opinion

THIRD DIVISION

March 30, 2001

No. 1--00--0239

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, ) Appeal from the

) Circuit Court of

Plaintiff-Appellee, ) Cook County.

)

  1. )

RUDOLFO CARRERA, ) Honorable

) Stuart E. Palmer,

Defendant-Appellant. ) Judge Presiding.

JUSTICE BURKE delivered the opinion of the court:

Following a stipulated bench trial, defendant Rudolfo Carrera was convicted of possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver and sentenced by the circuit court to 15 years' imprisonment.  On appeal, defendant contends that the trial court erred in denying his second motion to quash arrest and suppress evidence because the evidence obtained at the time of his arrest was obtained in violation of his fourth amendment rights in that the Chicago police officers did not have official authority to arrest him in Franklin Park, Illinois, and the officers did not make a valid citizen's arrest.  Defendant also contends that the good faith exception to the exclusionary rule, requiring suppression of evidence improperly seized, did not apply to the actions of the Chicago police officers who arrested him in Franklin Park pursuant to a statute that was later declared unconstitutional.  For the reasons set forth below,  we reverse and remand for further proceedings.  

On August 26, 1997, Chicago police officers arrested defendant outside of his house in Franklin Park.  Defendant subsequently was indicted by a grand jury on three counts of possession of a controlled substance (cocaine) with intent to deliver.  Following the indictment, defendant filed a motion to quash arrest and suppress evidence, arguing that he was arrested by Chicago police officers without probable cause and that he had not freely consented to searches following his arrest.  On July 9, 1998, an evidentiary hearing was held during which several witnesses testified.  Thereafter, the trial court denied the motion.    

Defendant filed a second motion to quash arrest and suppress evidence, arguing that the Chicago police officers had exercised police power outside of their jurisdiction. (footnote: -6)  Both sides submitted a supporting memorandum, but did not submit further evidence and relied on the testimony from the first suppression hearing as indicated below.  

Defendant testified that on August 26, 1997, after he had gone to a grocery store in the morning, he drove to a storage facility, entered the facility and took out a bag, and returned to his car carrying the bag.  He then drove home, parked his car in front of his house, exited the car, and moved toward the trunk.  After defendant had opened the trunk, a police officer approached him and told him to place his hands on his car.  The officer then took the bag from the trunk and handcuffed defendant.  In response to an inquiry by one of the officers, defendant stated that his car was parked in front of his house.   

Defendant further testified that the officers took him to the front door of his house, asked him for the key, and entered the house.  The officers gathered defendant's wife and children into the living room with defendant, and then they took him to the basement where he showed them the location of a scale.  The officers told him to sign some papers, which he signed without reading.  The officers then began searching the house.  Following the search, the officers took him to jail.  During cross-examination, defendant admitted that he did not tell the officers that he could not read the papers that he had signed.    

Defendant's wife, Rosa Carrera, testified that at approximately 12:30 p.m., when defendant returned home, she saw four police officers with him.  The officers asked her to gather the children into the living room, which she did.  Thereafter, the officers asked her husband what other things he had in the house, and he replied that he had a scale in the basement.  The officers took her husband to the basement and then returned and began searching the house.  

Joseph DiGiacomo testified that on August 26, 1997, he was a detective employed by the Chicago police department.  An informant gave him information that a Hispanic male named Rudolfo, residing at 3113 North Emerson in Franklin Park, Illinois, dealt drugs from his house and drove a gray Mercury Marquis.  On August 26, at 11 a.m., DiGiacomo, Sergeant DeAntonio and four other Chicago police officers, each in separate vehicles, conducted surveillance around defendant's house in Franklin Park.  DiGiacomo was not wearing a police uniform, but he did have a gun, a badge, and binoculars.  DiGiacomo admitted that the officers did not obtain a warrant prior to conducting the surveillance.  

DiGiacomo further testified that at 12:30 p.m., he saw defendant leave his residence and enter a vehicle parked in front of the house, and drive away.  The officers followed defendant to a storage facility in Schiller Park where defendant entered the facility.  The officers were able to communicate by using walkie-talkies and they had binoculars.  Officer Horton, one of the Chicago police officers participating in the surveillance, signaled that he saw defendant exit the storage facility with a bag which defendant placed in the trunk of his vehicle.    

DiGiacomo further stated that the officers then followed defendant back to his residence in Franklin Park.  The officers had not observed defendant commit any crimes up to this point.  As defendant was removing the bag from the trunk of his car, DiGiacomo drove up next to him, got out of his car, and informed defendant that he was a police officer.  DiGiacomo also stated that he had not received any information regarding the involvement of a storage locker.  Acting on a "hunch," DiGiacomo asked defendant what was in the bag, defendant replied, "Drug," and defendant handed the bag to him.  The other police officers "converged" upon defendant, they discovered that the bag contained cocaine, and DiGiacomo placed defendant under arrest.  DiGiacomo further stated that after defendant signed consent forms authorizing the search of his house and the storage facility, defendant was taken inside his house, and a search was conducted of the house.  The officers proceeded to the storage facility in Schiller Park, while defendant remained in his house, and they found cocaine in the storage locker.  The officers then notified the Schiller Park police, who later arrived at the storage facility.  

DiGiacomo and the other officers returned to defendant's house to transport him to a Chicago police station.  Franklin Park police arrived at the house before the Chicago police officers left with defendant.  On cross-examination, DiGiacomo stated that as defendant signed the documents authorizing the searches, defendant did not tell him that he could not understand the documents or that he could not read them without his glasses.  

The State moved for a directed finding on defendant's motion to quash the arrest and suppress evidence, which the trial court denied.  The State then called Chicago police officer Ricardo Herrera as a witness.  Herrera testified that he was able to converse with defendant in Spanish and that he recited defendant's Miranda rights to him.  Defendant indicated that he wanted to get off the street and go inside his home, defendant provided keys to enter the house, and the officers entered the house with defendant.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Terry v. Ohio
392 U.S. 1 (Supreme Court, 1968)
United States v. Mendenhall
446 U.S. 544 (Supreme Court, 1980)
United States v. Leon
468 U.S. 897 (Supreme Court, 1984)
Illinois v. Krull
480 U.S. 340 (Supreme Court, 1987)
People v. Ross
659 N.E.2d 1319 (Illinois Supreme Court, 1995)
People v. Manuel
446 N.E.2d 240 (Illinois Supreme Court, 1983)
People v. Odom
404 N.E.2d 997 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1980)
People v. Marino
400 N.E.2d 491 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1980)
People v. Reedy
708 N.E.2d 1114 (Illinois Supreme Court, 1999)
People v. Carlson
708 N.E.2d 372 (Illinois Supreme Court, 1999)
People v. Ciesler
710 N.E.2d 1270 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1999)
People v. Brownlee
713 N.E.2d 556 (Illinois Supreme Court, 1999)
People v. Taylor
391 N.E.2d 366 (Illinois Supreme Court, 1979)
People v. McGee
644 N.E.2d 439 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1994)
People v. Niedzwiedz
644 N.E.2d 53 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1994)
People v. Gersch
553 N.E.2d 281 (Illinois Supreme Court, 1990)
People v. Krueger
675 N.E.2d 604 (Illinois Supreme Court, 1996)
People v. Neal
486 N.E.2d 898 (Illinois Supreme Court, 1985)
People v. Lahr
589 N.E.2d 539 (Illinois Supreme Court, 1992)
People v. Delaware
731 N.E.2d 904 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 2000)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
People v. Carrera, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-carrera-illappct-2001.