State v. Eisfeldt

185 P.3d 580
CourtWashington Supreme Court
DecidedJune 5, 2008
Docket79947-4
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 185 P.3d 580 (State v. Eisfeldt) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Washington Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Eisfeldt, 185 P.3d 580 (Wash. 2008).

Opinion

185 P.3d 580 (2008)

STATE of Washington, Respondent,
v.
Jason Gregory EISFELDT, Petitioner.

No. 79947-4.

Supreme Court of Washington, En Banc.

Argued January 24, 2008.
Decided June 5, 2008.

*582 Clifford F. Cordes, Cordes Brandt PLLC, Olympia, WA, for Petitioner.

Thurston County Prosecutor's Office, David Harold Bruneau, Olympia, WA, for Respondent.

SANDERS, J.

¶ 1 On August 5, 2003, a repairman saw what he believed to be the remains of a marijuana growing operation in a Lacey house and called the police. When the police arrived the repairman let them into the house to show them what he had seen. The police then sought, and were granted, a telephonic warrant to search the rest of the house. In the course of the search and subsequent investigation, the police found an active marijuana growing operation in a second house. After a stipulated facts trial, Jason Eisfeldt was found guilty of two counts of manufacturing a controlled substance. The Court of Appeals affirmed. We granted review and reverse.

*583 FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

¶ 2 In January 2003, James Wege leased a house in Lacey, Washington (the Lacey house), where Eisfeldt lived.[1] On August 5, 2003, Michael Piper, a repairman called by the owner, arrived at the Lacey house to repair a diesel spill in the living room. Eisfeldt left a key to the house under the mat for Piper. To ventilate the diesel fumes, Piper went into the attached garage to open the garage door. Piper noticed foam sealant surrounding the garage door, which he broke to open the garage door. After opening the door, Piper saw a garbage bag on the floor and looked inside. The bag contained a large amount of what he believed to be marijuana, silver reflective material, and wiring. Piper became suspicious and called the police.

¶ 3 Detectives Stahle and Elkins, of the Thurston County Narcotics Task Force (TNT), were sent to the Lacey house to meet Piper. When they arrived Piper brought the detectives inside the house and showed them the spill in the living room. Piper then led the detectives through the living room and into the attached garage. Once they were in the garage, the detectives saw the foam sealant around the garage door and the heavy duty wiring. The police looked inside the garbage bag and saw a bucket containing some dried marijuana "shake" and Mylar. At this point the detectives suspended their search and sought a warrant.

¶ 4 Detective Elkins obtained a telephonic search warrant for the Lacey house based largely on his observations during this search of the Lacey house. The TNT executed the search warrant and gathered evidence against Wege, Eisfeldt, and Ben Charles. Following this second search Elkins believed, based on his experience and training, the house had contained a marijuana grow operation. On August 27, 2003 based on the evidence seized in the Lacey house, Detective Elkins sought, and was granted, a search warrant for a second residence, this one in Olympia (the Olympia house). When the police served this warrant, they discovered an active marijuana growing operation. Eventually, Wege, Charles, and Eisfeldt admitted to growing marijuana in both the Lacey and Olympia houses.

¶ 5 Eisfeldt was charged with two counts of unlawful manufacture of a controlled substance with a school bus enhancement. Arguing the searches were unconstitutional, Eisfeldt sought to suppress the evidence collected during the searches of the Lacey and Olympia houses. The trial court denied Eisfeldt's motion. Following the denial of his suppression motion, Eisfeldt agreed to a stipulated facts trial. The trial court found Eisfeldt guilty of both counts.

¶ 6 Eisfeldt timely appealed the order denying his suppression motion to the Court of Appeals. He claimed the warrantless search of the Lacey house by the police violated the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution and article I, section 7 of the Washington State Constitution. He also claimed, even if the Lacey search was appropriate, the warrant issued for the Olympia house was not based on probable cause because there was an insufficient nexus to demonstrate a likelihood of illegal activity at the Olympia house. The Court of Appeals held no warrant was required for the initial police search because it did not go beyond the scope of the private search. The Court of Appeals further held the affidavit supporting the warrant for the Olympia house established a sufficient nexus to establish probable cause.[2] We granted review. State v. Eisfeldt, 162 Wash.2d 1005, 175 P.3d 1094 (2007).

STANDARD OF REVIEW

¶ 7 "Unchallenged findings of fact entered following a suppression hearing are verities on appeal." State v. Gaines, 154 *584 Wash.2d 711, 716, 116 P.3d 993 (2005). "We review a trial court's conclusions of law in an order pertaining to suppression of evidence de novo." State v. Carneh, 153 Wash.2d 274, 281, 103 P.3d 743 (2004).

ANALYSIS

¶ 8 Although they protect similar interests, "the protections guaranteed by article I, section 7 of the state constitution are qualitatively different from those provided by the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution." State v. McKinney, 148 Wash.2d 20, 26, 60 P.3d 46 (2002). The Fourth Amendment protects only against "unreasonable searches" by the State, leaving individuals subject to any manner of warrantless, but reasonable searches. U.S. Const. amend. IV ("The right of the people to be secure in their . . . houses . . . against unreasonable searches . . . shall not be violated. . . ."); Illinois v. Rodriguez, 497 U.S. 177, 187, 110 S.Ct. 2793, 111 L.Ed.2d 148 (1990) ("[W]hat is at issue . . . is not whether the right to be free of searches has been waived, but whether the right to be free of unreasonable searches has been violated.").

¶ 9 By contrast article I, section 7 is unconcerned with the reasonableness of the search, but instead requires a warrant before any search, reasonable or not. Const. art. I, § 7 ("No person shall be disturbed in his private affairs, or his home invaded, without authority of law."). This is because "[u]nlike in the Fourth Amendment, the word `reasonable' does not appear in any form in the text of article I, section 7 of the Washington Constitution." State v. Morse, 156 Wash.2d 1, 9, 123 P.3d 832 (2005). Understanding this significant difference between the Fourth Amendment and article I, section 7 is vital to properly analyze the legality of any search in Washington.

(1) The warrantless search of the Lacey house by the police was contrary to article I, section 7 of the Washington Constitution

¶ 10 Article I, section 7's blanket prohibition against warrantless searches is subject to a few well guarded exceptions. "Absent an exception to the warrant requirement, a warrantless search is impermissible under . . . article I, section 7 of the Washington Constitution." Gaines, 154 Wash.2d at 716, 116 P.3d 993 (citing State v. Johnson, 128 Wash.2d 431, 446-47, 909 P.2d 293 (1996)). This constitutional protection is at its apex "where invasion of a person's home is involved." City of Pasco v. Shaw, 161 Wash.2d 450, 459, 166 P.3d 1157 (2007), cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 128 S.Ct.

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Bluebook (online)
185 P.3d 580, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-eisfeldt-wash-2008.