State of Iowa v. Tanor D. Jimmison

919 N.W.2d 767
CourtCourt of Appeals of Iowa
DecidedJune 6, 2018
Docket17-1262
StatusPublished

This text of 919 N.W.2d 767 (State of Iowa v. Tanor D. Jimmison) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State of Iowa v. Tanor D. Jimmison, 919 N.W.2d 767 (iowactapp 2018).

Opinion

DOYLE, Judge.

Tanor Jimmison appeals his convictions for driving while barred and operating while intoxicated. He contends the district court erred in denying his motion to suppress evidence obtained during and after an unlawful investigatory stop. He also contends his trial counsel provided ineffective assistance in several respects.

I. Background Facts and Proceedings.

On May 26, 2016, the following message was broadcast to law enforcement:

All Officers, special attention Highway 71. Right now it's going to be between Clarinda and Atlantic. Attempt to locate a Black GMC Terrain, Iowa Plates 918 zebra, king, nora. ... We have third-party caller advising of a female subject travelling with a male that she believes is on meth. All over the road. An updated location will be 71 and 92, its current location. Again it's 918 zebra, king, nora. Male subject on 10-200 on his way to Cedar Rapids for Court. Atlantic clear at 949.

Atlantic Police Officer Timothy Olsen located the vehicle in the parking lot of a Burger King in Atlantic. The officer observed the vehicle pull into one of the parking places before the driver, later identified as Jimmison, and passenger exited. Officer Olsen approached Jimmison, apprised him that law enforcement had received a complaint about his driving, and requested identification. Jimmison appeared "visibly upset with being in contact with law enforcement" and initially refused to give the officer his name. Officer Olsen informed Jimmison that "he was being detained for an investigation into the complaint" but that he was not under arrest. After Jimmison provided the officer with his name and date of birth, Officer Olsen learned Jimmison's driver's license was "barred."

Based on his observations of Jimmison's appearance and demeanor, Officer Olsen suspected Jimmison was under the influence of a drug and conducted field sobriety tests after transporting Jimmison to the jail. Although a preliminary breath test revealed Jimmison had no alcohol in his system, the field sobriety tests indicated Jimmison was impaired. Deputy Sheriff Bartholomew, a drug recognition expert, believed Jimmison was under the influence of a drug.

The State charged Jimmison with driving while barred and operating while intoxicated. Jimmison filed a motion to suppress, alleging his constitutional rights were violated because Officer Olsen did not have the reasonable suspicion necessary to justify the investigatory stop. The district court overruled the motion. After Jimmison agreed to a bench trial on the minutes of evidence, the district court found him guilty on both counts.

II. Motion to Suppress.

Jimmison challenges the denial of his motion to suppress the evidence. He argues Officer Olsen violated his constitutional right to be free of unlawful search and seizure when he initiated the investigatory stop based on an anonymous tip.

Our review is de novo, "which requires us to independently evaluate 'the totality of the circumstances as shown by the entire record.' " State v. Steffens , 889 N.W.2d 691 , 695 (Iowa 2016) (quoting State v. Pals , 805 N.W.2d 767 , 771 (Iowa 2011) ). The burden is on the State to prove the stop did not violate constitutional protections. See id . at 695-96. "If the State fails to carry its burden, all evidence obtained from the ... stop must be suppressed." Id. at 696 (quoting State v. Vance , 790 N.W.2d 775 , 781 (Iowa 2010) ).

An officer may initiate an investigatory stop where there is reasonable suspicion that a person is involved in criminal activity. See id. at 697. "[T]he State must prove by a preponderance of the evidence the officer had specific and articulable facts that, taken together with rational inferences from those facts, would lead the officer to reasonably believe criminal activity is afoot." Vance , 790 N.W.2d at 781 . "The reasonable-suspicion standard 'is more than a hunch or unparticularized suspicion, but less demanding than showing probable cause.' " Id. (quoting State v. King , 867 N.W.2d 106 , 123 (Iowa 2015) ). It "can arise from information that is less reliable than that required to show probable cause." State v. Kooima , 833 N.W.2d 202 , 206 (Iowa 2013) (quoting Alabama v. White , 496 U.S. 325 , 330 (1990) ).

"[W]hether an anonymous tip provides reasonable suspicion for an investigatory stop depends on the quantity and quality, or degree of reliability, of that information, viewed under the totality of the circumstances." Id. Our supreme court has observed that there are three common elements in cases in which an anonymous tip provided sufficient indicia of reliability to justify an investigatory stop:

First, the tipster gave an accurate description of the vehicle, including its location, so the police could identify the vehicle. Next, the tipster based his or her information on personal, eyewitness observations made contemporaneously with a crime in progress that was carried out in public, identifiable, and observable by anyone. When a tipster relates personal observations consistent with drunk driving to the dispatcher, the caller's basis of knowledge is apparent. Finally, the caller described specific examples of traffic violations, indicating the report was more than a mere hunch. This lends to a greater likelihood the tip will give rise to reasonable suspicion. These three elements allow our courts and the police to determine whether an anonymous tip contains sufficient detail to permit a reasonable inference the tipster had the necessary personal knowledge that a person was driving while intoxicated.

Id. at 208-09.

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Related

Alabama v. White
496 U.S. 325 (Supreme Court, 1990)
State v. Leckington
713 N.W.2d 208 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 2006)
State of Iowa v. Donald Joseph King
867 N.W.2d 106 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 2015)
State of Iowa v. Connor William Clar Steffens
889 N.W.2d 691 (Court of Appeals of Iowa, 2016)
State of Iowa v. Leon Kooima
833 N.W.2d 202 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 2013)
State of Iowa v. Randall Lee Pals
805 N.W.2d 767 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 2011)
State Of Iowa Vs. Robert Joseph Vance
790 N.W.2d 775 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 2010)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
919 N.W.2d 767, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-of-iowa-v-tanor-d-jimmison-iowactapp-2018.