State v. Cabrito

CourtIdaho Court of Appeals
DecidedSeptember 18, 2024
Docket50557
StatusPublished

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

Bluebook
State v. Cabrito, (Idaho Ct. App. 2024).

Opinion

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF IDAHO

Docket No. 50557

STATE OF IDAHO, ) ) Filed: September 18, 2024 Plaintiff-Respondent, ) ) Melanie Gagnepain, Clerk v. ) ) KEVIN MANUEL CABRITO, ) ) Defendant-Appellant. ) )

Appeal from the District Court of the Fifth Judicial District, State of Idaho, Blaine County. Hon. Ned C. Williamson, District Judge.

Judgment of conviction for felony possession of a controlled substance, misdemeanor possession of a controlled substance, and inattentive driving, affirmed.

Andrew Parnes, Ketchum, for appellant.

Hon. Raúl R. Labrador, Attorney General; Amy J. Lavin, Deputy Attorney General, Boise, for respondent. ________________________________________________

LORELLO, Judge Kevin Manuel Cabrito appeals from his judgment of conviction for felony possession of a controlled substance, misdemeanor possession of a controlled substance, and inattentive driving. We affirm. I. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND In the early morning hours, an officer observed Cabrito driving a vehicle without its headlights on. The officer initiated a traffic stop and Cabrito pulled over to the side of the roadway. However, in doing so, Cabrito drove onto the sidewalk, positioning both of his passenger-side tires onto it. Upon approaching the driver’s window, the officer smelled an odor of alcohol and noticed

1 Cabrito’s glassy, bloodshot eyes. The officer also saw two cups in the vehicle; the passenger told the officer both cups belonged to him. When asked, Cabrito denied having anything to drink that evening. The officer informed Cabrito that he had reason to believe Cabrito had been drinking based upon his driving pattern, the odor of alcohol, the open containers, and his glassy eyes. The officer asked Cabrito to exit his vehicle so the officer could administer field sobriety testing. Cabrito submitted to three field sobriety tests and ultimately failed the horizontal gaze nystagmus (HGN) test. Following the tests, the officer again asked Cabrito if he had consumed any alcohol. This time, Cabrito admitted to drinking one beer earlier that evening. Based on the officer’s observations and Cabrito’s failure of the HGN test, the officer asked Cabrito to submit to a breath test. The prerequisite to testing involved having Cabrito sit in the back of the officer’s patrol car to listen to the pretest advisory and wait for the fifteen-minute observation period prior to administration of the breath test. Before placing Cabrito in his patrol car, the officer handcuffed Cabrito, informed him he was being detained, and patted him down. The pat down of Cabrito revealed a pipe in Cabrito’s pocket, which appeared to contain a marijuana cartridge. Following the fifteen-minute observation period, the officer administered a breath alcohol concentration (BAC) test. The results of the test showed Cabrito’s alcohol concentration was 0.110 and 0.108. The officer read Cabrito his Miranda1 rights and arrested him for driving under the influence (DUI) and possession of marijuana. Thereafter, during an inventory search incident to Cabrito’s arrest, the officer found additional marijuana products in the vehicle, as well as cocaine inside Cabrito’s wallet. The State charged Cabrito with felony possession of cocaine, misdemeanor possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, and DUI. Cabrito filed a motion to suppress the contraband that was found. Following a hearing, the district court denied the motion. Thereafter, Cabrito entered a conditional guilty plea to possession of a controlled substance (I.C. § 37-2732(c)(1)), possession of marijuana (I.C. § 37-2732(c)(3)), and an amended charge of inattentive driving (I.C. § 49-1401(3)), specifically reserving his right to appeal the denial of his motion to suppress. Cabrito appeals.

1 See Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436 (1996).

2 II. STANDARD OF REVIEW The standard of review of a suppression motion is bifurcated. When a decision on a motion to suppress is challenged, we accept the trial court’s findings of fact that are supported by substantial evidence, but we freely review the application of constitutional principles to the facts as found. State v. Atkinson, 128 Idaho 559, 561, 916 P.2d 1284, 1286 (Ct. App. 1996). At a suppression hearing, the power to assess the credibility of witnesses, resolve factual conflicts, weigh evidence, and draw factual inferences is vested in the trial court. State v. Valdez-Molina, 127 Idaho 102, 106, 897 P.2d 993, 997 (1995); State v. Schevers, 132 Idaho 786, 789, 979 P.2d 659, 662 (Ct. App. 1999). III. ANALYSIS Cabrito asserts the district court erred in denying his motion to suppress. Specifically, Cabrito argues the officer did not have reasonable suspicion to extend the traffic stop and investigate Cabrito for DUI. Cabrito also contends his detention evolved into a de facto arrest when the officer handcuffed and searched Cabrito before placing him in the patrol vehicle prior to the BAC test. Relatedly, Cabrito argues the officer did not have probable cause to arrest Cabrito before he was handcuffed and submitted to the BAC test. The State responds that the record and applicable law support the district court’s denial of Cabrito’s motion to suppress. We hold that Cabrito has failed to show the district court erred in denying his motion to suppress. A. Reasonable Suspicion A traffic stop by an officer constitutes a seizure of the vehicle’s occupants and implicates the Fourth Amendment’s prohibition against unreasonable searches and seizures. Delaware v. Prouse, 440 U.S. 648, 653 (1979); State v. Atkinson, 128 Idaho 559, 561, 916 P.2d 1284, 1286 (Ct. App. 1996). Under the Fourth Amendment, an officer may stop a vehicle to investigate possible criminal behavior if there is a reasonable and articulable suspicion that the vehicle is being driven contrary to traffic laws. United States v. Cortez, 449 U.S. 411, 417 (1981); State v. Flowers, 131 Idaho 205, 208, 953 P.2d 645, 648 (Ct. App. 1998). In the traffic stop context, authority for a seizure ends when the tasks related to the stop are, or reasonably should have been, completed. Illinois v. Caballes, 543 U.S. 405, 407 (2005). Tasks related to a traffic stop include addressing

3 the traffic violation that precipitated the stop; determining whether to issue a traffic ticket; and making inquiries incident to the traffic stop, such as checking the driver’s license, inspecting the vehicle’s proof of insurance and registration, and conducting a criminal record check of the driver. Rodriguez v. United States, 575 U.S. 348, 354-55 (2015); State v. Hale, 168 Idaho 863, 867, 489 P.3d 450, 454 (2021). Officers may not deviate from the purpose of a traffic stop by investigating (or taking safety precautions incident to investigating) other crimes without reasonable suspicion. See Rodriguez, 575 U.S. at 356. The reasonableness of the suspicion must be evaluated upon the totality of the circumstances at the time of the stop. State v. Ferreira, 133 Idaho 474, 483, 988 P.2d 700, 709 (Ct. App. 1999).

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Related

Brinegar v. United States
338 U.S. 160 (Supreme Court, 1949)
Miranda v. Arizona
384 U.S. 436 (Supreme Court, 1966)
Delaware v. Prouse
440 U.S. 648 (Supreme Court, 1979)
United States v. Cortez
449 U.S. 411 (Supreme Court, 1981)
United States v. Sharpe
470 U.S. 675 (Supreme Court, 1985)
Illinois v. Caballes
543 U.S. 405 (Supreme Court, 2005)
State v. KOIVU
272 P.3d 483 (Idaho Supreme Court, 2012)
State v. Stewart
181 P.3d 1249 (Idaho Court of Appeals, 2008)
State v. Henderson
756 P.2d 1057 (Idaho Supreme Court, 1988)
State v. Montague
756 P.2d 1083 (Idaho Court of Appeals, 1988)
State v. Schevers
979 P.2d 659 (Idaho Court of Appeals, 1999)
State v. Ferreira
988 P.2d 700 (Idaho Court of Appeals, 1999)
State v. Frank
986 P.2d 1030 (Idaho Court of Appeals, 1999)
State v. Valdez-Molina
897 P.2d 993 (Idaho Supreme Court, 1995)
State v. Zapp
701 P.2d 671 (Idaho Court of Appeals, 1985)
State v. Atkinson
916 P.2d 1284 (Idaho Court of Appeals, 1996)
State v. Myers
798 P.2d 453 (Idaho Court of Appeals, 1990)
State v. Flowers
953 P.2d 645 (Idaho Court of Appeals, 1998)
State v. Zichko
923 P.2d 966 (Idaho Supreme Court, 1996)
State v. Buti
964 P.2d 660 (Idaho Supreme Court, 1998)

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Bluebook (online)
State v. Cabrito, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-cabrito-idahoctapp-2024.