State v. Porras-Fuerte

889 P.2d 215, 119 N.M. 180
CourtNew Mexico Court of Appeals
DecidedDecember 16, 1994
Docket15214
StatusPublished
Cited by29 cases

This text of 889 P.2d 215 (State v. Porras-Fuerte) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New Mexico 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. Porras-Fuerte, 889 P.2d 215, 119 N.M. 180 (N.M. Ct. App. 1994).

Opinions

OPINION

PICKARD, Judge.

Defendant appeals from the denial of his motion to suppress a cellular phone that was seized from his automobile, a Trans Am, and marijuana and a cellular phone seized from his co-defendants’ automobile, a Ford LTD, by U.S. Border Patrol agents. He pled no contest to conspiracy to possess marijuana with intent to distribute, reserving his right to appeal the denial of his motion to suppress. Defendant also appeals the denial of his motion to dismiss on the basis that his right to a speedy trial was violated.

Defendant raises four issues on appeal: (1) whether there was reasonable suspicion to stop the LTD; (2) whether there was reasonable suspicion to stop the Trans Am; (3) whether probable cause was required to stop the two vehicles; and (4) whether the Supreme Court’s extension of the time within which to commence his trial violated Defendant’s right to a speedy trial. During the calendaring process, this Court suggested that Defendant might not have standing to challenge the seizure of evidence from the LTD, and both parties briefed this issue in the appeal. We hold that standing may not be reviewed for the first time on appeal under the circumstances of this case. For the reasons discussed below, we reverse and remand on Issues 1 and 2.

FACTS

Border Patrol agents stopped a Ford LTD at the Orogrande checkpoint on Highway 54 at around 1:30 a.m. on January 13, 1992. The driver said that he and his passenger were headed to Ruidoso to ski. A ski rack with skis was on top of the car. After the car pulled away from the checkpoint, another agent, Agent Garza, observed that the skis on top of the LTD did not have bindings. The lack of bindings apparently struck the agents as odd, and they decided to call the southbound agents to have the LTD pulled over. A BOLO (be on the look-out) was issued.

Agent Garza testified that the occupants of the LTD were not dressed for skiing and had an ice chest in the back seat. He noticed the car had New Mexico plates and assumed it was coming from El Paso because it looked as if it had not been traveling long.

After the LTD left the checkpoint, Agent Sanchez stopped it pursuant to the BOLO. He questioned the occupants about citizenship and then asked for consent to search the car. As a result of the search, bundles of marijuana and a cellular phone were discovered in the car.

There had been a lot of traffic heading for the mountains on the night of the search, coming in clusters about ten to fifteen minutes apart. A black Trans Am driven by Defendant preceded the LTD through the checkpoint by about fifteen minutes. Defendant told Agent Garza he was on his way to a motel in Alamogordo to pick up a Mend. Agent Garza did not notice any clothes in the car, so he asked Defendant to open the trunk because he thought there might be an alien in there. Nothing was in the trunk. A cellular phone was not found.

About the time that the Ford LTD was stopped, an agent observed the Trans Am stopped northbound on the side of the highway approximately fifteen miles north of the checkpoint. An agent testified at the hearing that he was concerned that the vehicle might be waiting to pick up aliens who had been hiding in the brush. He indicated that this was a common practice in alien smuggling. The car was then seen driving in the opposite direction and was stopped by a border patrol agent near the checkpoint after the seizure of the marijuana from the LTD. When the agent looked inside the car, he saw a cellular phone. At that point, the agents determined the two cars were together and that Defendant was operating as a “scout car” for his co-defendants.

STANDING

In our initial calendar notice, we questioned whether Defendant had standing to challenge the search of the LTD. It is undisputed by the parties that the State failed to raise this issue in the trial court. The State argues on appeal that standing is jurisdictional and therefore may be raised at any time. We do not agree.

Standing is not jurisdictional; rather, it is a substantive doctrine that identifies those who may assert rights against unlawful searches and seizures. State v. Schlosser, 774 P.2d 1132, 1138 (Utah 1989); see Rakas v. Illinois, 439 U.S. 128, 139-40, 99 S.Ct. 421, 428-29, 58 L.Ed.2d 387 (1978). Further, where, as here, the State’s failure to raise the objection results in Defendant not having notice that he was required to put on proof of standing, the argument may be deemed waived. See Steagald v. United States, 451 U.S. 204, 209, 101 S.Ct. 1642, 1646, 68 L.Ed.2d 38 (1981). Federal courts will sometimes find a waiver when the State has not shown good reason for failing to raise the issue below. See United States v. Dewitt, 946 F.2d 1497, 1499-1500 (10th Cir.1991), cert. denied, 502 U.S. 1118, 112 S.Ct. 1233, 117 L.Ed.2d 467 (1992). If standing were jurisdictional or otherwise required to be proved by the defendant regardless of the prosecutor’s inaction on the issue, cases such as Steagald and Dewitt would not exist. See also Combs v. United States, 408 U.S. 224, 227, 92 S.Ct. 2284, 2286, 33 L.Ed.2d 308 (1972) (per curiam) (defendant’s failure to assert standing explained by “the related failure of the Government” to challenge his standing; case vacated and remanded for further factual determination).

In the recent case of State v. Franks, 119 N.M. 174, 889 P.2d 209 (Ct.App.1994), this Court held that “it would be unfair to an appellant to affirm on a fact-dependent ground not raised below ... because the appellant lacked an opportunity to present admissible evidence relating to the fact.” 119 N.M. at 177, 889 P.2d at 212. In accordance with Franks, we hold that standing may not be raised for the first time on appeal since it is a fact-based issue. The defendant must be alerted to the issue and given the opportunity to present evidence thereon at the trial court level.

The foregoing does not, however, preclude the State from raising this issue upon remand. Because we are not deciding whether Defendant had standing, the law-of-the-ease doctrine does not preclude the State from presenting the issue (for example, by a motion in limine) on remand after the judgment based on the guilty plea is set aside. If the State chooses to raise the issue of standing, Defendant may introduce evidence to prove a sufficient Fourth Amendment interest. Additionally, Defendant may ask the court to adopt the rule of “co-conspirator standing” or “automatic standing,” as argued in his brief. We intimate no opinion at this time on how the trial court should rule on any of these issues.

Finally, we decline Defendant’s invitation to rule that the State has waived the issue of standing by not raising it below. See Dewitt, 946 F.2d at 1499-1500. In the same procedural situation that we face in this case, Combs did not apply a waiver. Steagald involved a quite different situation.

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Bluebook (online)
889 P.2d 215, 119 N.M. 180, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-porras-fuerte-nmctapp-1994.