State v. George Alan Kapelle

344 P.3d 901, 158 Idaho 121, 2014 WL 3632654, 2014 Ida. App. LEXIS 72
CourtIdaho Court of Appeals
DecidedJuly 24, 2014
Docket40475
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 344 P.3d 901 (State v. George Alan Kapelle) 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. George Alan Kapelle, 344 P.3d 901, 158 Idaho 121, 2014 WL 3632654, 2014 Ida. App. LEXIS 72 (Idaho Ct. App. 2014).

Opinion

SUBSTITUTE OPINION

THE COURT’S PRIOR OPINION DATED MAY 7, 2014, IS HEREBY WITHDRAWN

MELANSON, Judge.

George Alan Kapelle appeals from his judgment of conviction for manufacturing a controlled substance and unlawful possession of a firearm. Specifically, he argues the district court erred in denying his motion to suppress. For the reasons set forth below, we affirm.

I.

FACTS AND PROCEDURE

In July 2011, officers received a confidential tip that a wanted felon was hiding in an abandoned trailer on Artisan Way in Bonner County. Officers went to the area described in the tip and discovered a single-wide trailer in a remote area. The trailer appeared abandoned. The officers parked near the bottom of the driveway leading to the trailer and proceeded on foot with their guns drawn. The officers were dressed in plain clothes and had their badges hanging visibly on their chests. The officers did not observe any no-trespassing signs, although Kapelle later provided evidence one existed at the bottom of his driveway along with a makeshift gate he occasionally used to block his driveway. As the officers neared the trailer, they could hear loud music and voices coming from within. One of the officers walked around to the rear in order to prevent any escape from a back window.

Kapelle, engaged in a “virtual party” 1 online, observed the officer in his backyard and came out his front door to investigate. The officer in front of the trailer informed Kapelle they were with the sheriffs office and inquired whether the wanted suspect was there. The officer in the rear overheard the conversation and walked to the front of the trailer. Kapelle informed both officers that he knew the suspect and that he did not allow the suspect at his trailer anymore because of an incident where the suspect pointed a gun at Kapelle, One officer then informed Kapelle they could not leave until they knew if the suspect was in the trailer. The officers asserted they asked permission to come inside and Kapelle agreed. 2 Once inside, the officers immediately smelled the odor of raw marijuana. Kapelle asked the officers to leave and they refused. Kapelle eventually signed a consent form to search the trailer. The officers seized thirty-seven marijuana plants, scales, and other accessories. The officers also observed a firearm inside the trailer. The next day, officers discovered Kapelle had been previously convicted of a felony in California.

The state charged Kapelle with trafficking in marijuana, I.C. § 37-2732B(a)(l), and unlawful possession of a firearm, I.C. § 18-3316. Kapelle moved to compel the state to reveal the identity of the confidential informant. Kapelle also moved to suppress the evidence seized from his trailer. The district court denied both motions. Kapelle entered a conditional guilty plea to an amended charge of manufacturing a controlled sub *124 stance, I.C. § 37-2732(a), and unlawful possession of a firearm. Kapelle also reserved his right to challenge the pretrial rulings. The district court imposed a unified sentence of five years, with a minimum period of confinement of two years, and placed Kapelle on probation. Kapelle appeals.

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

A. Entry into the Curtilage

Kapelle argues the officers entered the curtilage of his property without any legitimate societal purpose and, thus, conducted an unlawful warrantless search. The state concedes the officers entered the curtilage but contends that, because the officers were there for a legitimate societal purpose (apprehension of a dangerous felon), such entry was lawful.

The Fourth Amendment protects the “right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures.” U.S. Const. Amend. IV. The physical entry of the home is the chief evil against which the wording of the Fourth Amendment is directed. Payton v. New York, 445 U.S. 573, 585, 100 S.Ct. 1371, 1379-80, 63 L.Ed.2d 639, 650 (1980). Courts have extended Fourth Amendment protection to the curtilage, which is the area or buildings immediately adjacent to a home which a reasonable person may expect to remain private even though it is accessible to the public. State v. Rigoulot, 123 Idaho 267, 272, 846 P.2d 918, 923 (Ct.App.1992). However, the presence of a police officer within the curtilage does not, by itself, result in an unconstitutional intrusion. State v. Clark, 124 Idaho 308, 313, 859 P.2d 344, 349 (Ct.App.1993). Just as there is an implied invitation for citizens to access a house by using driveways or pathways to the entry, police with legitimate business are entitled to enter areas of the curtilage that are impliedly open to public use. Id. A criminal investigation is as legitimate a societal purpose as any other undertaking that would normally take a person to another’s front door. Rigoulot, 123 Idaho at 272, 846 P.2d at 923. Therefore, when the police come onto private property to conduct an investigation or for some other legitimate purpose and restrict their movements to places ordinary visitors could be expected to go, observations made from such vantage points are not covered by the Fourth Amendment. Id.

The effect a no-trespassing sign has on the implied invitation varies with the circumstances of each ease. For example, in State v. Christensen, 131 Idaho 143, 953 P.2d 583 (1998), officers received a tip about a marijuana grow. Officers responded to the area the tip referenced and located a house with an attached hot-hut. Desiring to question the residents of this house, officers bypassed a closed gate with a no-trespassing sign affixed to it. "While walking up to the house, officers observed Christensen move within his home toward the back door. The officers walked around the house to meet Christensen at the back door and, from that vantage point, were able to observe marijuana in the hot-hut. Based on this observation, the officers obtained a search warrant. Christensen was arrested and charged with manufacturing a controlled substance. Christensen filed a motion to suppress and the district court denied the motion.

On appeal, the Idaho Supreme Court reversed, holding the officers violated Christensen’s rights under Article I, Section 17 of the *125

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
344 P.3d 901, 158 Idaho 121, 2014 WL 3632654, 2014 Ida. App. LEXIS 72, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-george-alan-kapelle-idahoctapp-2014.