State v. Fewell

152 P.3d 1249, 37 Kan. App. 2d 283, 2007 Kan. App. LEXIS 236
CourtCourt of Appeals of Kansas
DecidedMarch 2, 2007
Docket95,041
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 152 P.3d 1249 (State v. Fewell) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Kansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Fewell, 152 P.3d 1249, 37 Kan. App. 2d 283, 2007 Kan. App. LEXIS 236 (kanctapp 2007).

Opinions

Hill, J.:

In this appeal we must answer the question whether it is permissible for a trooper, who smelled the odor of burnt marijuana coming from inside the passenger compartment of a car, to search the driver of a car stopped for speeding. Under the facts of this case — where the odor is of burnt marijuana and the driver admitted the passenger in the car had just smoked some marijuana, the trooper was alone at the scene, and any evidence could have easily been destroyed — we hold that there was probable cause to search the driver and exigent circumstances supported the warrantless search. Therefore, we affirm tire district court’s denial of the motion to suppress.

Background Facts and Prior Proceedings

Trooper Mark Engholm stopped Ramon I. Fewell for speeding in Shawnee County. Upon approaching the passenger side of the vehicle, the trooper smelled a strong odor of burnt marijuana coming from the interior of the vehicle. The trooper then asked Fewell, the driver, to step out of the car and meet him at the rear of the vehicle.

At the rear of the vehicle, the trooper questioned Fewell about the marijuana odor. Initially, Fewell denied there was an odor but then admitted to the trooper that the passenger of his car had smoked a “blunt.” Relying on his 11-year experience with the highway patrol and tire sheriff s department, the trooper knew that a blunt was a hollowed out cigar with marijuana placed into it. Consequently, the trooper left Fewell to speak to the passenger. Upon searching the passenger, the trooper discovered three bags of marijuana and $1,000 in cash.

The trooper then returned to Fewell and conducted a pat-down search, finding a switchblade knife, a bent spoon, and a glass pipe [285]*285on Fewell’s person. The trooper arrested Fewell and waited for backup. Notably, during that time, the trooper did not advise Fewell of his Miranda rights. See Miranda v. Arizona, 385 U.S. 436, 16 L. Ed. 2d 694, 86 S. Ct. 1602, reh. denied 385 U.S. 890 (1966). Once back-up arrived, the trooper further searched Fewell and found a small bag of crack cocaine in Fewells right hand. After arresting both Fewell and his passenger, the trooper searched the vehicle but did not discover any more incriminating evidence.

The State charged Fewell with four crimes: (1) possession or control of opiate, opium, or narcotic drug; (2) criminal use of weapons; (3) possession of drug paraphernalia; and (4) speeding. Fewell filed a motion to suppress, claiming that the trooper’s search of Fewell was unreasonable. After conducting an evidentiary hearing, the district court denied Fewell’s motion. At the motion hearing, the district court held that Fewell’s responses after being handcuffed were inadmissible at trial because of the trooper’s failure to give Fewell Miranda warnings. Later, at trial, the district court ruled that references to the bent spoon would be excluded, under an oral motion in limine, since the State had only charged Fewell with the pipe as drug paraphernalia. The jury found Fewell guilty on all counts.

Search of Fewell

Fewell questions whether the trooper had probable cause to search him since no direct evidence showed he possessed marijuana. In order to answer this question, some fundamental rules of law over search and seizure must be reviewed.

“The Fourth Amendment to the United State Constitution, made applicable to the states through the Fourteenth Amendment, and § 15 of the Kansas Constitution Bill of Rights prohibit unreasonable searches and seizures, and a warrantless search is per se unreasonable unless it falls within a recognized exception. [Citations omitted.]” Kansas has recognized eight exceptions to the Fourth Amendment search warrant requirement: (1) consent, (2) searches incident to a lawful arrest, (3) stop and frisks, (4) probable cause to search accompanied by exigent circumstances, (5) the emergency doctrine, (6) inventory searches, (7) plain view, and (8) [286]*286administrative searches of closely regulated businesses. State v. Ramirez, 278 Kan. 402, 404-05, 100 P.3d 94 (2004).

At the suppression hearing, the district court ruled that the troopers search of Fewell was lawful. After examining the court’s rationale in State v. MacDonald, 253 Kan. 320, 856 P.2d 116 (1993), and State v. Thomas, 28 Kan. App. 2d 70, 12 P.3d 420, rev. denied 270 Kan. 903 (2001), where the odor of marijuana provided probable cause for a warrantless search, the district court held that since the trooper had probable cause to search the vehicle based upon the burnt marijuana odor, this probable cause extended to the search of the vehicle’s occupants. Accordingly, the district court denied Fewell’s motion to suppress.

Our scope of review is clear. “In reviewing a district court’s decision regarding suppression, this court reviews the factual underpinnings of the decision by a substantial competent evidence standard and the ultimate legal conclusion by a de novo standard with independent judgment.” State v. Ackward, 281 Kan. 2, 8, 128 P.3d 382 (2006).

Under the probable cause to search coupled with exigent circumstances exception, the court must consider (1) the totality of circumstances in determining whether probable cause existed for a search and (2) whether there were exigent circumstances that made it impracticable to obtain a warrant. Ramirez, 278 Kan. at 406-07 (citing United States v. Saucedo-Munoz, 307 F.3d 344, 351 [5th Cir. 2002], cert. denied 537 U.S. 1178 [2003]) (probable cause to search); State v. Sanders, 5 Kan. App. 2d 189, 199-200, 614 P.2d 998 (1980) (exigent circumstances).

Probable Cause to Search

Here is the classic definition for probable cause in this context: In the context of a search, probable cause means such information as would lead a reasonably prudent person to believe that a crime has been or is being committed and that evidence of the crime may be found on a particular person, in a specific place, or within a specific means of conveyance. See State v. Mayberry, 248 Kan. 369, 377, 807 P.2d 86 (1991); State v. Moore, 34 Kan. App. 2d 795, 808, 124 P.3d 1054 (2005), rev. granted 281 Kan. 1381 (2006) [287]*287(review pending on search and seizure issues; case involves fabric softener dryer sheets used as masking agent for illegal drugs).

Here, the trooper encountered three circumstances that led to his belief that he had probable cause to search Fewell: (1) burnt marijuana odor from the vehicle; (2) FewelTs statement that the passenger smoked a blunt; and (3) marijuana found in the possession of the passenger.

Two Kansas cases are instructive. MacDonald and Thomas. In MacDonald, 253 Kan. at 324-25, the court held that marijuana odor, standing alone, provides probable cause to search a vehicle for three reasons. First, MacDonald

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State v. Fewell
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State v. Fewell
152 P.3d 1249 (Court of Appeals of Kansas, 2007)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
152 P.3d 1249, 37 Kan. App. 2d 283, 2007 Kan. App. LEXIS 236, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-fewell-kanctapp-2007.