State v. Haapala

161 P.3d 436, 139 Wash. App. 424
CourtCourt of Appeals of Washington
DecidedJune 26, 2007
DocketNo. 33988-9-II
StatusPublished

This text of 161 P.3d 436 (State v. Haapala) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Washington primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Haapala, 161 P.3d 436, 139 Wash. App. 424 (Wash. Ct. App. 2007).

Opinion

¶1 — Gregory Bernhart Haapala appeals his convictions for possessing methamphetamine and intimidating a witness, arguing that police officers could not enter and search the common areas of the house and the room where Haapala was sleeping without his permission as a cohabitant of the residence. He contends that without the evidence the officers saw in his room, they lacked probable cause for the search warrant they obtained after their initial entry into the house, and that, in any event, the warrant was overbroad. Haapala also argues that the trial court should have inquired into a conflict of interest between him and his trial counsel and that his counsel should have withdrawn as his attorney. He further contends that the trial court’s “reasonable doubt” instruction misstated the State’s burden of proof. Finally, Haapala argues that the trial court erred in calculating his offender score when it included a 1992 conviction that should have washed out. We agree with Haapala that the trial court miscalculated his offender score. Otherwise, we find no reversible error. We affirm Haapala’s convictions but remand for the trial court to resentence him.

Armstrong, J.

FACTS

¶2 Elizabeth “BJ” Cornett lived across the street from the house that Don Craig rented. After noticing increased traffic on the street, Cornett listed 29 vehicles that stopped at Craig’s residence over two days. Cornett gave the list to the police.

¶3 In response, Detective Miller and Sergeant Stringer visited the house to talk with Craig to ask permission to search the residence for drug-related activity. When Detective Miller and Sergeant Stringer arrived, Craig was in the driveway preparing to tow a car. Craig gave the officers permission to search the house, explaining that he did not know everyone inside but that they were all guests and not necessarily living there.

[427]*427¶4 Craig led the officers to a basement bedroom where a man and woman were sleeping. When Detective Miller entered the bedroom, he saw a glass methamphetamine pipe on the dresser. The man and woman said they knew nothing about the pipe and that it was not theirs. But when Detective Miller turned his back to them, the woman jumped out of bed, grabbed the pipe, and tried to break it by throwing it into a garbage can. At that point, the officers decided to apply for a search warrant for the residence and began clearing everybody out of the house.

¶5 Detective Miller and Craig went upstairs to wake up Greg Haapala and to tell him to leave the house. Detective Miller entered the room and saw a marijuana smoking device. The detective woke Haapala and told him to get dressed and leave the house. When Haapala got up to go to the bathroom, Detective Miller followed him. In the bathroom, he saw two methamphetamine pipes and a small plastic scale, which, according to Detective Miller, drug dealers commonly use to weigh drugs.

¶6 After clearing everyone out of the house, Detective Miller called a magistrate to request a warrant to search the residence. Detective Miller outlined his training and experience and explained the factual basis for the warrant, specifically the high traffic volume, the methamphetamine pipe in the downstairs bedroom, the marijuana pipe in Haapala’s bedroom, and the two methamphetamine pipes and the scale in the bathroom. Detective Miller also stated that several people in the house had criminal histories involving drug activity. Finding probable cause, the magistrate issued the search warrant.

¶7 While executing the search warrant, police discovered methamphetamine in Haapala’s room and approximately 200 grams of marijuana in the attic above Haapala’s room. The State charged Haapala with unlawful possession of methamphetamine and felony possession of marijuana.

¶8 Before trial, Haapala threatened to harm Craig if he did not take the blame for the drugs. Haapala told Craig to call Haapala’s attorney and explain that due to the large [428]*428volume of people coming in and out of the house, the drugs could have belonged to anyone. Craig made the phone call, but he did not tell Haapala’s attorney that Haapala had threatened him. After learning that Haapala had threatened Craig, the State filed an amended information, adding one count of intimidating a witness.

¶9 The jury convicted Haapala of unlawful possession of methamphetamine and intimidating a witness but acquitted him of unlawful possession of marijuana.

ANALYSIS

Consent to a Search

¶10 Haapala argues that as a cohabitant he had at least equal authority as Craig over the home’s common areas and, therefore, the police could not enter and search without his consent.

¶11 Article I, section 7 of the Washington Constitution forbids warrantless searches unless the search falls within one of the narrowly drawn exceptions to the warrant requirement. State v. Evans, 159 Wn.2d 402, 407, 150 P.3d 105 (2007) (citing State v. Chrisman, 100 Wn.2d 814, 817, 676 P.2d 419 (1984)). The State bears the burden of establishing a warrantless search’s validity. Evans, 159 Wn.2d at 407 (citing State v. Hendrickson, 129 Wn.2d 61, 71-72, 917 P.2d 563 (1996)). Consent to a search that police lawfully obtain from a person with authority to give such consent is one exception to the warrant requirement. State v. Morse, 156 Wn.2d 1, 8, 123 P.3d 832 (2005).

Craig’s Consent to Search the Residence

¶12 Haapala argues that Craig vacated the residence before the search and that he “ceded the property” to Haapala before the search. Br. of Appellant at 20. Thus, according to Haapala, Craig lacked authority to consent to a search of the residence.

¶13 Consent to search a premises is valid, under the common authority rule, where (1) the consenting party has [429]*429the legal authority to permit the search and (2) it is reasonable for a court to find that the defendant has assumed the risk that a cohabitant might permit a search. Morse, 156 Wn.2d at 10 (citing State v. Mathe, 102 Wn.2d 537, 543-44, 688 P.2d 859 (1984)). A person with a sufficient amount of control may have common authority over the premises. See Morse, 156 Wn.2d at 10 (citing State v. Leach, 113 Wn.2d 735, 739, 782 P.2d 1035 (1989)). But if two cohabitants with equal authority over common areas are present, the police must obtain consent from each cohabitant. Morse, 156 Wn.2d at 13.

¶14 The critical inquiry is whether the person with common authority has free access to the searched area and has the authority to invite others into that area. Morse, 156 Wn.2d at 10-11. “A person may have free access to some areas of the premises but not all areas.” Morse, 156 Wn.2d at 11. For example, a person may share control and access to the kitchen, the dining room, the living room, and the bathroom, but not other, private areas such as the person’s bedroom. Morse, 156 Wn.2d at 11.

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Related

United States v. Leonard Joel Dubrofsky
581 F.2d 208 (Ninth Circuit, 1978)
State v. Mathe
688 P.2d 859 (Washington Supreme Court, 1984)
State v. Hendrickson
917 P.2d 563 (Washington Supreme Court, 1996)
State v. Leach
782 P.2d 1035 (Washington Supreme Court, 1989)
State v. Chrisman
676 P.2d 419 (Washington Supreme Court, 1984)
State v. Thompson
92 P.3d 228 (Washington Supreme Court, 2004)
State v. Hoggatt
30 P.3d 488 (Court of Appeals of Washington, 2001)
State v. Evans
150 P.3d 105 (Washington Supreme Court, 2007)
State v. Morse
123 P.3d 832 (Washington Supreme Court, 2005)
State v. Hendrickson
129 Wash. 2d 61 (Washington Supreme Court, 1996)
State v. Walker
965 P.2d 1079 (Washington Supreme Court, 1998)
State v. Thompson
151 Wash. 2d 793 (Washington Supreme Court, 2004)
State v. Morse
156 Wash. 2d 1 (Washington Supreme Court, 2005)
State v. Evans
159 Wash. 2d 402 (Washington Supreme Court, 2007)
State v. Hoggatt
108 Wash. App. 257 (Court of Appeals of Washington, 2001)

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Bluebook (online)
161 P.3d 436, 139 Wash. App. 424, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-haapala-washctapp-2007.