State v. Mattson

2005 SD 71, 698 N.W.2d 538, 2005 S.D. LEXIS 73
CourtSouth Dakota Supreme Court
DecidedJune 8, 2005
DocketNone
StatusPublished
Cited by58 cases

This text of 2005 SD 71 (State v. Mattson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering South Dakota 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. Mattson, 2005 SD 71, 698 N.W.2d 538, 2005 S.D. LEXIS 73 (S.D. 2005).

Opinion

GILBERTSON, Chief Justice.

[¶ 1.] Defendant, while riding as a passenger, was arrested along with the driver of the vehicle and several passengers after a drug dog sniff conducted at a routine traffic stop revealed the presence of drugs. Defendant was convicted of possession of methamphetamine. On appeal, Defendant contends the trial court erred when it allowed the State to introduce as other acts evidence, statements made by and a urine sample given by Defendant to law enforcement three months prior to his arrest for the events of September 7, 2003. Defendant alleges the drug dog sniff conducted on the vehicle in which he was a passenger was a violation of his Fourth Amendment rights. Defendant also contends the trial court erred when it allowed the State to introduce evidence at trial that Defendant refused to give a urine sample for drug testing purposes after his arrest on the possession charge.

[¶ 2.] We Affirm.

FACTS AND PROCEDURE

[¶ 3.] On September 7, 2003, Trooper Ryan Mechaley of the South Dakota Highway Patrol noted a vehicle traveling on Elk Vale Road, east of Rapid City, South Dakota, well in excess of the posted speed limit of fifty-five miles per hour. After activating his radar unit, Trooper Mecha-ley clocked the black Jeep Cherokee at eighty-six miles per hour. In addition to the driver Michael Neumiller (Neumiller), the vehicle had four occupants. Benjamin Inich was seated in the front passenger seat. Behind Inich in the backseat sat Shawn Mercy, and to his left in the middle of the rear passenger seat was Misty Koch. The Defendant, Henry Mattson, was seated in the rear passenger seat directly behind the driver.

[¶ 4.] Trooper Mechaley stopped the vehicle at 5:56 p.m. He asked the driver, Neumiller, to produce his driver’s license, registration and proof of insurance and to accompany him to the patrol car. While reviewing Neumiller ⅛ driver’s license, Trooper Mechaley thought he recognized Neumiller’s name in connection with methamphetamine activity in Rapid City. Trooper Mechaley asked the driver if any of the passengers in the vehicle used illegal substance, and was told by Neumiller “I think so.” At 6:00 p.m., Trooper Me-chaley initiated a radio request for a driver’s license check, a criminal history check on Neumiller, and a canine unit.

[¶ 5.] Trooper Oxner, a canine handler with the South Dakota Highway Patrol, was within three to four miles of Trooper Mechaley’s location and arrived on the scene at 6:03 p.m. Upon arrival, Trooper Oxner engaged Neumiller in conversation, and told Neumiller how the dog would react if it detected the presence of drugs. Trooper Oxner then asked the occupants of the black Jeep Cherokee to exit the vehicle prior to beginning the drug dog *543 sniff. Trooper Mechaley concluded writing the traffic ticket, but had yet to receive the results of Neumiller’s license check and criminal history check when he exited his patrol car and asked for consent to search the occupants of the vehicle. The driver and several occupants consented to be searched. While both troopers were outside the patrol cars and engaged in their respective search activities, the results of Neumiller’s driver’s license check were radioed back to Trooper Mechaley.

[¶ 6.] Trooper Oxner directed his canine dog, Keya, to begin the sniff on the passenger side of the vehicle, beginning at the right rear quarter panel and running in a counterclockwise direction. Keya alerted by standing on her hind legs, and repeatedly pawing at the front passenger side door. Trooper Oxner concluded the drug dog sniff once Keya alerted, and both troopers engaged in searching the vehicle. A few seconds after Keya indicated the presence of drugs, a radio transmission was received by Trooper Mechaley with the results of Neumiller’s criminal history check.

[¶ 7.] Four empty syringes were found on the floor of the vehicle underneath the back seat. One was located where the Defendant had been seated, another to passenger Koch’s right, and the third immediately below and to the left of where passenger Mercy had been seated. The fourth empty syringe was located inside the vehicle, but the exact location was not reflected in the record. A fifth syringe was located in the side panel of the driver’s door, and was approximately one-fourth full of a clear liquid substance later determined to be methamphetamine. The officers also recovered a small black case that contained a baggie of crystal methamphetamine, and a scale with methamphetamine residue on it. The black case was found partially tucked between the seat and backrest cushions of the back seat, and was located between where Koch and Mercy had been seated.

[¶ 8.] The items discovered in the vehicle had no “indicia of ownership,” and could not be linked to a specific occupant. Trooper Oxner confronted the occupants about the drugs that had been found. All the occupants denied ownership. Trooper Oxner informed the five individuals that all of them would be arrested and taken to jail where they would have to submit to a urinalysis. Trooper Oxner informed the occupants that “if the UA’s come back with the methamphetamine, it is going to show that they are using.” Defendant replied that nothing would show up in his UA except possibly marijuana.

[¶ 9.] In an effort to determine which of the occupants might have recently used a syringe, each occupant was asked to show their arms to the troopers for the purpose of locating track marks or needle marks. Each occupant voluntarily complied with the request. Trooper Mechaley noted what he believed to be fresh track marks on one of the Defendant’s arms, as did Trooper Oxner. Trooper Oxner, who had received special training in detecting and identifying drug usage, testified that he “noticed immediately Mr. Mattson had a large, raised, dark purple or bruised track mark on his left arm,” “right on the main vein in the elbow.” When asked about the marks on his arm, Defendant stated the marks were the result of a spider bite. Trooper Oxner also noticed older track marks on Defendant’s right arm. Defendant repeatedly stated he had not used methamphetamine for some time and that his urine would come back negative for methamphetamine. Based on these observations and the drugs seized in the vehicle, Defendant was arrested along with three of the other four occupants of the vehicle. After his arrest, Defendant *544 refused to provide officers with a urine sample.

[¶ 10.] Defendant was charged with the unauthorized possession of a controlled substance under SDCL 22^42-5, and entered a plea of not guilty. On March 16, 2004, a jury trial was held. At the jury trial, the State was allowed to present evidence of Defendant’s prior drug use over the objections of defense counsel. Rapid City police officer Keith White testified that on May 21, 2003, almost four months prior to the traffic stop, Defendant informed the officer that he had used methamphetamine the day before and that he used methamphetamine once a week or less. Defendant also stated he was trying to stay away from people who used methamphetamine. Lastly, Defendant gave Neumiller’s name as a person from whom he had previously purchased methamphetamine. The results of a urine sample collected from Defendant on May 22, 2003, indicating the presence of methamphetamine in Defendant’s system, were also entered into evidence at trial.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

State v. Roedder
2019 SD 9 (South Dakota Supreme Court, 2019)
State v. Martin
2017 SD 65 (South Dakota Supreme Court, 2017)
State v. Stanley
2017 SD 32 (South Dakota Supreme Court, 2017)
State v. Fischer
2016 SD 1 (South Dakota Supreme Court, 2016)
State v. Birdshead
2015 SD 77 (South Dakota Supreme Court, 2015)
State v. Fierro
2014 SD 62 (South Dakota Supreme Court, 2014)
State v. Edwards
2014 SD 63 (South Dakota Supreme Court, 2014)
State v. Whistler
2014 SD 58 (South Dakota Supreme Court, 2014)
Siers v. Weber
2014 SD 51 (South Dakota Supreme Court, 2014)
Ruschenberg v. Eliason
2014 SD 42 (South Dakota Supreme Court, 2014)
State v. Riley
2013 SD 95 (South Dakota Supreme Court, 2013)
Schuelke v. Belle Fourche Irrigation District
2013 SD 82 (South Dakota Supreme Court, 2013)
State v. Medicine Eagle
2013 SD 60 (South Dakota Supreme Court, 2013)
State v. Roach
2012 S.D. 91 (South Dakota Supreme Court, 2012)
State v. Jucht
2012 S.D. 66 (South Dakota Supreme Court, 2012)
State v. Fisher
2011 S.D. 74 (South Dakota Supreme Court, 2011)
St. John v. Peterson
2011 S.D. 58 (South Dakota Supreme Court, 2011)
State v. Overbey
2010 S.D. 78 (South Dakota Supreme Court, 2010)
State v. Sound Sleeper
2010 SD 71 (South Dakota Supreme Court, 2010)
State v. Ralios
2010 SD 43 (South Dakota Supreme Court, 2010)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
2005 SD 71, 698 N.W.2d 538, 2005 S.D. LEXIS 73, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-mattson-sd-2005.