State v. Romsky

817 So. 2d 186, 2002 WL 534592
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedApril 10, 2002
Docket01-KA-1067
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 817 So. 2d 186 (State v. Romsky) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Romsky, 817 So. 2d 186, 2002 WL 534592 (La. Ct. App. 2002).

Opinion

817 So.2d 186 (2002)

STATE of Louisiana
v.
Steven ROMSKY.

No. 01-KA-1067.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Fifth Circuit.

April 10, 2002.

*187 Harry J. Morel, District Attorney, Howat A. Peters, Jr., Assistant District Attorney, Hahnville, LA, for Appellee.

C. Gary Wainwright, New Orleans, LA, for Appellant.

Panel composed of Judges THOMAS F. DALEY, JAMES L. CANNELLA and MARION F. EDWARDS.

EDWARDS, Judge.

Defendant Steven Romsky appeals the denial of his Motion to Suppress Evidence. For the foregoing reasons, we affirm, but remand for the limited purpose discussed infra.

The St. Charles Parish District Attorney filed a bill of information charging the defendant, Steven Romsky, along with a co-defendant, Charles Neuman, with possession of more than 60 pounds of marijuana, a violation of LSA-R.S. 40:966(E)(1).[1] Romsky pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute marijuana, reserving his right to appeal the denial of his Motion to Suppress pursuant to State v. Crosby,[2] and pursuant to LSA-C.Cr.P. art. 893. The trial judge sentenced Romsky to three years of imprisonment at hard labor and a $5,000.00 fine. The trial judge suspended the sentence and placed Romsky on active probation for three years. Romsky *188 filed a written motion for appeal, which the trial judge granted.[3]

The facts of the case are developed from the hearing on the Motion to Suppress. On August 8, 1998, at approximately 4:20 a.m., Officer Chester Kawalski and another officer of the St. Charles Parish Sheriff's Office were patrolling Interstate 10 in St. Charles Parish, near the intersection with Interstate 310. Officer Kawalski testified that he observed a Nissan Maxima pass his vehicle and signal to return to the right lane. Shortly thereafter, Officer Kawalski saw the Maxima approach a vehicle in front of it, and then abruptly swerve into the left lane to avoid hitting the car. The Maxima then signaled to return to the right lane. Officer Kawalski noted that the driver appeared to be watching the police car in his rear view mirror, rather than paying attention to the vehicle in front of him.

Because the Maxima failed to signal when it had moved into the left lane, Officer Kawalski activated his emergency lights, which Officer Kawalski explained simultaneously activates the video recorder in the police unit. The Maxima pulled over, and Officer Kawalski approached the vehicle, that was driven by the defendant, Neuman. Officer Kawalski noticed that the car had a temporary Louisiana license tag. When the car stopped, Steven Romsky sat up in the backseat, as if he had been asleep. Officer Kawalski asked Neuman to exit the vehicle, and advised him of the traffic violation. The officer asked Neuman where he and Romsky had been, and Neuman replied they had been to the casino in Lake Charles. Because Neuman seemed to be extremely nervous, Officer Kawalski decided to speak to the passenger. As Officer Kawalski approached the car, Neuman stated, "Oh yeah, we've been to Padres [sic] Island for the weekend."

When Officer Kawalski asked Romsky where they'd been, Romsky said they were returning from South Padre Island. However, Romsky said they had not made any stops except to eat. Officer Kawalski returned to Neuman and told him that Romsky did not remember stopping at the casino. Neuman explained that Romsky had been sleeping at the time. Officer Kawalski stated that Neuman identified Romsky as "Mike", and that he did not know Romsky's last name. Officer Kawalski requested permission from Neuman to search the vehicle, which permission was refused. Based on the circumstances, specifically the conflicting accounts and the "extreme nervousness" of Romsky and Neuman, Officer Kawalski suspected that the two were trafficking in narcotics. He then requested a canine unit and advised both men that they could leave, but that the vehicle "would be secured" until the unit arrived.

Officer Kawalski asked Neuman whether he had any prior arrests, to which Neuman replied that he had been arrested when he was 18 because he was in a "drug area." A computer check subsequently revealed that Neuman had several prior arrests, including robbery.

Once the canine officer and dog arrived, the canine alerted on the trunk. At that point, Officer Kawalski decided there was probable cause to search the car, and opened the trunk where he found marijuana.

Neuman testified that he did not recall driving erratically before being stopped by *189 Officer Kawalski. He explained that Romsky's middle name is Mike, and that people called Steven Romsky, "Mike." According to Neuman, the reason he did not tell Officer Kawalski Romsky's last name was because Romsky "always gets in trouble" and he was worried that Romsky might have an outstanding attachment for a bar fight. Neuman testified that they waited for approximately one hour and fifteen minutes from the time they were stopped until the canine unit arrived. Additionally, Neuman denied that he was nervous and stated the dog did not make any noise or other signal at the car. He acknowledged that Officer Kawalski stated they could leave, but contended that leaving was unrealistic considering they were on the elevated part of the interstate.

Neuman acknowledged that he had been convicted of three counts of first degree robbery and theft when he was seventeen, approximately nine years before this incident. He also said that after this incident, he was convicted for possessing marijuana after being stopped at a border checkpoint. After holding the matter open for memoranda, the trial court subsequently denied the Motion to Suppress.

ASSIGNMENTS OF ERROR NUMBERS ONE, TWO, AND THREE

Romsky advances essentially the same argument urged by his co-defendant, Charles Neuman, contending that the trial court improperly denied his Motion to Suppress because the discovery of the marijuana was the fruit of an illegal stop and an illegal detention. First, Romsky contends that the stop was illegal because "there is a significant question whether or not Mr. Newman (sic) committed a traffic violation in the first place." Next, Romsky argues that the lengthy detention until the canine unit arrived exceeded the scope of a valid investigatory stop. The State responds that the trial judge properly denied the defendant's motion because both the stop and the subsequent detention did not violate the defendant's constitutional rights.

Romsky contends that the trial court improperly denied his Motion to Suppress because the discovery of the marijuana was the fruit of an illegal stop and an illegal detention. Specifically, he urges that the traffic stop was unlawful because it was pretextual. Next, Romsky contends that the lengthy detention until the canine unit arrived exceeded the scope of a valid investigatory stop. The State responds that the trial judge properly denied the defendant's motion because neither the stop nor the subsequent detention violated Romsky's constitutional rights.

If evidence was derived from an unreasonable search or seizure, the proper remedy is exclusion of the evidence from trial.[4]

Romsky asserts that the traffic stop was pretextual because the events could not have occurred as related by Officer Kawalski. However, the United States Supreme Court has recognized that, as a general rule, the decision to stop an automobile is reasonable where the police have probable cause to believe that a traffic violation has occurred.[5] The standard is purely objective, and does not take into *190

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
817 So. 2d 186, 2002 WL 534592, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-romsky-lactapp-2002.