People v. Hayes

302 N.E.2d 37, 55 Ill. 2d 78, 1973 Ill. LEXIS 233
CourtIllinois Supreme Court
DecidedSeptember 25, 1973
Docket44843
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 302 N.E.2d 37 (People v. Hayes) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Illinois Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Hayes, 302 N.E.2d 37, 55 Ill. 2d 78, 1973 Ill. LEXIS 233 (Ill. 1973).

Opinion

MR. JUSTICE RYAN

delivered the opinion of the court:

The defendant, Nathaniel Hayes, was charged with unlawful use of weapons and unlawful possession of heroin. In a bench trial in the circuit court of Cook County he was convicted of the unlawful possession of heroin, but found not guilty as to the unlawful use of weapons. He was sentenced to the penitentiary for a term of 5 to 15 years. The defendant filed his notice of appeal on May 25, 1971. A constitutional question having been raised, the appeal came directly to this court under the provision of our rules then in effect. 43 Ill.2d R. 603.

On July 7, 1970, the defendant was observed by police officers slumped over the steering wheel of his automobile, which was parked in a “no parking” zone in the city of Chicago. The officers noticed a .38-caliber revolver on the front seat beside the defendant. After removing the revolver from the seat, one of the officers awoke defendant and asked him if the gun was registered. The defendant shrugged his shoulders and offered no reply. At the trial, it was stipulated that the defendant was then arrested for failure to register his weapon in compliance with an ordinance of the city of Chicago (Chicago Municipal Code, ch. 11.1, secs. 1—7 and 1—8), for failure to have in his possession a Firearm Owner’s Identification Card as required by statute (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1969, ch. 38, par. 83—2(a)) and for unlawful use of a weapon (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1969, ch. 38, par. 24—1(a)(4)). Following his arrest, a search was conducted of the defendant and a silver packet containing heroin was found inside his sock. Possession of this heroin is the basis for the charge of which the defendant was convicted.

The trial court denied the defendant’s motion to suppress the heroin. The defendant contends that the trial court erred in this ruling, because the officer did not have a search warrant or a warrant for the arrest of the defendant and did not have reasonable grounds to believe that he had or was committing an offense and thus lacked probable cause to arrest him. The defendant also contests the legality of his sentence.

The Criminal Code provides that no person may acquire or possess a firearm or firearm ammunition in this State without having in his possession a Firearm Owner’s Identification Card. (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1969, ch. 38, par. 83—2(a).) An ordinance of the city of Chicago requires that both the possessor of a firearm and the firearm be registered and that the registration certificate be carried simultaneously with the firearm and that it shall be exhibited to any officer upon his demand for inspection. (Chicago Municipal Code, ch. 11.1, secs. 1—7 and 1—8.) The Criminal Code provides that a person commits the offense of unlawful use of weapons when he knowingly carries concealed in any vehicle or concealed on or about his person any pistol, revolver or other firearm. Ill. Rev. Stat. 1969, ch. 38, par. 24—1(a)(4).

The conduct of the officers in arresting the defendant and conducting a search of his person was justified under the circumstances of this case. Their attention was called to the defendant by the fact that he was illegally parked. After finding a loaded firearm readily accessible to the defendant, sound investigative practices required that the officers make further investigation. The defendant’s failure to produce proper registration certificates required under the statute and the ordinance justified placing the defendant under arrest and conducting the search. The defendant was lawfully arrested for the ordinance violation and for the violation of the statute relating to firearm owner’s identification. The total picture which confronted the officer — the unusual conduct of the defendant, the presence of a loaded gun on the seat beside him and the fact that he did not have the required registration certificates — fully justified a search of the defendant. The search and the subsequent seizure of the heroin will therefore be judged by the standards of a search and seizure incident to a lawful arrest.

Section 108—1 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1969, ch. 38, par. 108—1) provides that when a lawful arrest is made by an officer without a search warrant the officer may reasonably search the person arrested and the area within such person’s immediate presence for the purpose of: (a) protecting the officer from attack; or (b) preventing the person from escaping; or (c) discovering the fruits of the crime; or (d) discovering any instruments, articles or things which may have been used in the commission of, or which may consitute evidence of, an offense.

The gist of the defendant’s argument is that the officers had the right to search him only for the purpose of discovering weapons which could constitute a danger to them. He argues that when the officers felt the packet in his sock, the officer knew that it was not a weapon and therefore had no authority to seize it. The defendant’s argument may have validity in a search without a warrant when probable cause to arrest is lacking. (See Terry v. Ohio, 392 U.S. 1, 20 L. Ed. 2d 889, 88 S. Ct. 1868.) However, where the defendant has been lawfully arrested, the search is not limited to the purpose of searching for weapons which may constitute a danger to the arresting officer. In Terry, the Supreme Court recognized that there is a distinction relative to the extent of the search authorized in the two situations and concluded that in a search incident to an arrest, a rather extensive search of the person for other than weapons is authorized. The provisions of our statute relating to searches incident to an arrest, referred to above, provide that the search of a person after he has been arrested is not limited to the extent the defendant contends.

This court considered a similar situation in People v. Holloman, 46 Ill.2d 311. In that case the defendant was arrested for failure to have in his possession a valid driver’s license. The arresting officer searched the defendant and uncovered an envelope containing heroin. The defendant was convicted and on appeal conceded the validity of the police officer’s actions in searching him for weapons but contended that the search became unlawful when the arresting officer opened the envelope found on defendant’s person and examined its contents. This court affirmed the defendant’s conviction. We view the factual situation in the present case as even stronger support of the seizure than the facts in Holloman. The defendant’s unusual conduct in being parked in a “no parking” zone slumped over the steering wheel, coupled with the fact that he had in his possession a loaded gun and his failure to produce the necessary registration certificates, justified the officer in searching the defendant. Under these circumstances the discovery of the packet in the defendant’s sock, a location indicative of an attempt to conceal, justified the officer in seizing the items as possible fruits of criminal activity. The defendant’s motion to suppress was properly rejected by the trial court.

The defendant also contends that his sentence was illegal. He was convicted under section 3 of the Uniform Narcotic Drug Act (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1969, ch. 38, par. 22—3), and sentenced as a subsequent offender to 5 to 15 years in the penitentiary (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1969, ch. 38, par. 22—40).

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
302 N.E.2d 37, 55 Ill. 2d 78, 1973 Ill. LEXIS 233, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-hayes-ill-1973.