State v. Burns

877 So. 2d 1073, 2004 WL 1454412
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedJune 29, 2004
Docket04-KA-175
StatusPublished
Cited by39 cases

This text of 877 So. 2d 1073 (State v. Burns) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Burns, 877 So. 2d 1073, 2004 WL 1454412 (La. Ct. App. 2004).

Opinion

877 So.2d 1073 (2004)

STATE of Louisiana
v.
Melvin L. BURNS, Jr.

No. 04-KA-175.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Fifth Circuit.

June 29, 2004.

*1074 Paul D. Connick, Jr., District Attorney, Terry M. Boudreaux, Andrea F. Long, R. Christopher Cox, III, Assistant District Attorneys, Gretna, LA, for Plaintiff/Appellee.

Bruce G. Whittaker, Louisiana Appellate Project, New Orleans, LA, for Defendant/Appellant.

Panel composed of Judges SOL GOTHARD, THOMAS F. DALEY, and MARION F. EDWARDS.

THOMAS F. DALEY, Judge.

Defendant, Melvin L. Burns, Jr., appeals his conviction of possession of cocaine in violation of LSA-R.S. 40:967(C). He pleaded no contest under State v. Crosby,[1] reserving the right to appeal the denial of his Motion to Suppress Evidence.

Burns was charged in a Bill of Information on October 15, 2002 with possession of cocaine in violation of LSA-R.S. 40:967(C).[2] He filed several pre-trial motions including a Motion to Suppress the Evidence. After a hearing on April 15, 2003, the trial court denied the Motion to Suppress the Evidence. Thereafter, on the same day, Burns proceeded to trial before a six-person jury. The minute entry reflects that he withdrew his not guilty plea and entered a plea of no contest before the jury could return with a verdict. The transcript shows the jury returned a verdict of guilty.[3]

At some point during the trial proceedings, Burns entered a plea of no contest reserving his right under Crosby to appeal denial of his Motion to Suppress the Evidence. The trial court conducted a plea colloquy with Burns, advising him of his rights and subsequently accepted Burns's plea of no contest. In accordance with a plea agreement, defendant was sentenced to two years at hard labor, which was suspended in favor of two years of active probation. Burns was also ordered to pay a fine of $450.00.

Burns appeals the denial of his Motion to Suppress the Evidence.

FACTS[4]

At the Motion to Suppress the Evidence hearing, Deputy Ronnie Voorhies testified that on October 1, 2002, he and his partner, Deputy Gary Mariano, were on patrol in an unmarked police unit in the 6000 block of Field Street. Deputy Voorhies, who is with the Street Crimes Unit of the *1075 Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office, stated that the area is a high drug trafficking area.[5]

At approximately 9:30 p.m., Deputy Voorhies observed Burns standing in the middle of the street. Deputy Voorhies explained that as he and Deputy Mariano approached, Burns recognized the unmarked vehicle as "police presence" and turned and started walking towards a nearby residence. Deputy Voorhies stated Deputy Mariano stopped the car so they could investigate. He testified that when he and Deputy Mariano exited the vehicle, Burns ran toward the residence at 6010 Field Street. Deputy Voorhies stated he and Deputy Mariano were wearing utilities, or their street crimes uniforms.

Deputy Voorhies ran after Burns and caught him as he was standing in the doorway of the residence. Deputy Voorhies testified that right before he grabbed Burns, he observed defendant reach his right hand into the right front pocket of his pants, retrieve an object and discard it on the ground. Deputy Voorhies handcuffed Burns and then retrieved the object, which was a clear plastic wrap containing eight off-white rock-like objects, from the ground right inside the doorway of the residence.[6]

ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR NUMBER ONE

Burns argues the trial court erred in denying his Motion to Suppress the Evidence. He contends the initial stop of Burns was an unjustified intrusion on his constitutional right to be left alone. Burns asserts the police conducted an investigatory stop based solely on their "hunch" that he was up to no good. He submits that his flight from the police and subsequent abandonment of the cocaine was triggered by unlawful interference. The State responds that Burns's presence in a high crime area coupled with his flight from the officers was sufficient to justify an investigatory stop.

The Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution and Article I, § 5 of the Louisiana Constitution prohibit unreasonable searches and seizures. If evidence is derived from an unreasonable search or seizure, the proper remedy is exclusion of the evidence from trial.[7]

In a hearing on a Motion to Suppress, the State bears the burden of proof in establishing the admissibility of evidence seized without a warrant. LSA-C.Cr.P. art. 703(D). The trial court's decision to deny a Motion to Suppress is afforded great weight and will not be set aside unless the preponderance of the evidence clearly favors suppression.[8]

It is well-established that a police officer may conduct a brief investigatory stop when the officer has a reasonable articulable suspicion of criminal activity.[9] "Reasonable suspicion" is something less than probable cause and is determined under *1076 the facts and circumstances of each case by whether the officer had sufficient facts within his knowledge to justify an infringement on the individual's right to be free from governmental interference.[10]

The facts upon which an officer bases an investigatory stop should be evaluated in light of the circumstances surrounding the incident. A reviewing court must take into consideration the totality of the circumstances and give deference to the inferences and deductions of a trained police officer that might elude an untrained person.[11]

An officer's mere unparticularized suspicion or "hunch" of criminal activity is insufficient to establish reasonable grounds to stop a person.[12] Factors that may support reasonable suspicion for an investigatory stop include an officer's experience, his knowledge of recent criminal patterns, and his knowledge of an area's frequent incidence of crimes.[13] While an individual's mere presence in a high-crime area, standing alone, is insufficient to justify an investigatory stop, his presence in a high-crime area coupled with nervousness, startled behavior, flight or suspicious actions upon the approach of the officers, gives rise to reasonable suspicion for an investigatory stop.[14]

In Illinois v. Wardlow,[15] the United States Supreme Court held that an individual's unprovoked flight through a high-crime area in response to the approach of the police gives rise to reasonable suspicion for an investigatory stop. In Illinois v. Wardlow, police officers were in a four-car caravan converging on an area known for heavy narcotics trafficking in order to investigate drug transactions. The two officers in the last car observed defendant standing next to a building holding an opaque bag. Defendant looked in the direction of the officers and then fled. The officers pursued defendant and eventually stopped him. They conducted a protective patdown search and discovered defendant was carrying a gun.

The United States Supreme Court found that it was defendant's unprovoked flight upon noticing the police that aroused the officers' suspicion and not defendant's mere presence in an area known for heavy narcotics trafficking. Citing its previous opinion in United States v. Sokolow, supra, the Supreme Court again stated, "Headlong flight — wherever it occurs — is the consummate act of evasion: It is not necessarily indicative of wrongdoing, but it is certainly suggestive of such."[16]

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
877 So. 2d 1073, 2004 WL 1454412, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-burns-lactapp-2004.