State v. Grande

187 P.3d 248
CourtWashington Supreme Court
DecidedJuly 17, 2008
Docket81068-1
StatusPublished
Cited by47 cases

This text of 187 P.3d 248 (State v. Grande) 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. Grande, 187 P.3d 248 (Wash. 2008).

Opinion

187 P.3d 248 (2008)

STATE of Washington, Respondent,
v.
Jeremy GRANDE, Petitioner.

No. 81068-1.

Supreme Court of Washington, En Banc.

Argued March 18, 2008.
Decided July 17, 2008.

David Zuckerman, Attorney at Law, Seattle, WA, for Petitioner.

Skagit County Prosecutor's Office, Toni Guzzo Montgomery, Erik Pedersen, Mount Vernon, WA, for Respondent.

C. JOHNSON, J.

¶ 1 This case involves the warrantless search of a car and asks us to determine whether the moderate smell of marijuana emanating from a vehicle, without more, establishes probable cause to arrest all occupants of the vehicle and conduct a search *250 incident to arrest. We accepted review of the superior court decision, which reversed the district court's grant of the motion to suppress. The superior court upheld the arrest, concluding that, under these facts, probable cause was established as to all occupants of the vehicle. We hold article I, section 7 of the Washington Constitution requires individualized probable cause for each occupant of the vehicle, and the facts in this case do not support such a finding. We reverse the superior court.

FACTS

¶ 2 On April 6, 2006, state trooper Brent Hanger passed a vehicle with very dark, tinted windows. Hanger turned around, followed the car about one block, and pulled the vehicle over. Both occupants of the car recognized Hanger, presumably based on prior encounters. The driver, Lacee Hurley, became irate at Hanger, accusing him of harassment. The passenger, Jeremy Grande, was able to calm Hurley down.

¶ 3 Hanger detected the "moderate[]" smell of marijuana coming from the car. Clerk's Papers (CP) at 54. He informed both Hurley and Grande they were under arrest based on the odor of marijuana. Hurley and Grande were both handcuffed and searched. The search of Grande revealed a marijuana pipe containing a small amount of marijuana. While searching the car, another trooper found a burnt marijuana cigarette in the car's ashtray. Hurley claimed the cigarette as hers. Both Grande and Hurley were arrested and charged with possession of marijuana; Grande was also charged with possession of drug paraphernalia.

¶ 4 A pretrial motion hearing pursuant to CrRLJ 3.6 was held June 19, 2006, to determine whether probable cause existed to arrest Grande for possession of marijuana. The district court found that the facts presented, including the odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle, did "not justify a finding of probable cause specific to the defendant." CP at 85. The judge then granted Grande's motion to suppress the evidence. The State appealed the ruling and the superior court reversed the order based on the "controlling precedent" of State v. Hammond, 24 Wash.App. 596, 603 P.2d 377 (1979). CP at 88. Grande filed a motion for discretionary review in the Court of Appeals. The motion was granted. Review was then transferred to this court, pursuant to RAP 4.4.

ANALYSIS

¶ 5 The superior court in this case reversed the district court's order suppressing the evidence, finding that the drug paraphernalia should be admitted based on Grande's valid arrest and search of his person. Generally, an arrest gives "authority of law" to search, except where the arrest itself is unlawful. State v. Parker, 139 Wash.2d 486, 987 P.2d 73 (1999). A lawful arrest is a prerequisite to a lawful search. State v. Johnson, 71 Wash.2d 239, 242, 427 P.2d 705 (1967). The superior court ruled that the arrest was lawful and, as a result, police had authority of law to search Grande based on the odor of marijuana emanating from the vehicle. Grande asserts that his arrest was unlawful and the evidence seized from his person should have been suppressed. To determine if Grande's arrest was lawful, our analysis in this case begins with the question of whether there was probable cause justifying an intrusion into Grande's constitutionally protected privacy as a vehicle passenger. We review this constitutional question of law de novo.

Statutory Authority

¶ 6 As a preliminary matter, the State argues that RCW 10.31.100 gives authority to police to arrest any or all occupants of a vehicle where the officer detects the odor of marijuana. RCW 10.31.100 provides statutory authority for warrantless arrests as follows:

(1) Any police officer having probable cause to believe that a person has committed or is committing a misdemeanor or gross misdemeanor, involving . . . the use or possession of cannabis . . . shall have the authority to arrest the person.

RCW 10.31.100(1) (emphasis added). Grande points out that the language of the statute, "a person," refers to a requirement of individualized *251 probable cause. Certainly, our requirement for individualized probable cause has been upheld and protected by United States Supreme Court case law and our case law applying the Washington Constitution. This requirement is based on our individual right to privacy, which protects an individual where, as in this case, the police lack an objective basis to suspect that person of criminal activity. In order for the police to make a lawful arrest under RCW 10.31.100, there must be a finding of individualized probable cause. We conclude that the statutory requirement is consistent with the constitutional probable cause requirement and reject the State's argument.

Right to Privacy

¶ 7 Each individual possesses the right to privacy, meaning that person has the right to be left alone by police unless there is probable cause based on objective facts that the person is committing a crime. This probable cause requirement is derived from the language of the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which provides, "[t]he right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause. . . ." Our state constitution similarly protects our right to privacy in article I, section 7, stating, "[n]o person shall be disturbed in his private affairs, or his home invaded, without authority of law."

¶ 8 Our cases require us to presume warrantless searches and seizures invalid unless an exception applies. State v. Rankin, 151 Wash.2d 689, 699, 92 P.3d 202 (2004). The burden is on the State to show one of those exceptions applies, such as probable cause that a crime is being committed. In Rankin, we held that the freedom from disturbance in private affairs afforded to vehicle passengers in Washington under article I, section 7, prohibits law enforcement officers to effect a seizure against that passenger unless the officer has an articulable suspicion that that person is involved in criminal activity. Rankin,

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
187 P.3d 248, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-grande-wash-2008.