State v. Smoke Signals Pipe & Tobacco Shop, LLC

922 A.2d 634, 155 N.H. 234, 2007 N.H. LEXIS 53
CourtSupreme Court of New Hampshire
DecidedApril 18, 2007
DocketNo. 2005-299
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 922 A.2d 634 (State v. Smoke Signals Pipe & Tobacco Shop, LLC) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of New Hampshire primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Smoke Signals Pipe & Tobacco Shop, LLC, 922 A.2d 634, 155 N.H. 234, 2007 N.H. LEXIS 53 (N.H. 2007).

Opinion

DüGGAN, J.

The defendant, Smoke Signals Pipe & Tobacco Shop, LLC (Smoke Signals), appeals an order of the Superior Court (Mohl, J.) denying its motion for return of property, following its acquittal of four class B misdemeanor charges of sale of drug paraphernalia. We reject Smoke Signals’ argument that the definition of drug paraphernalia in RSA 318-Btl, X-a (Supp. 2006) is unconstitutionally vague, but conclude that, under the circumstances of this case, even though the items seized here come within the categories of items listed in RSA 318-Btl, X-a, the superior court erred in denying Smoke Signals’ motion. Accordingly, we reverse.

7. Factual Background

In February 2002, the Strafford County Attorney’s Office charged Smoke Signals with multiple misdemeanor-level offenses of selling drug paraphernalia contrary to RSA 318-B:2 (2004). On January 26, 2004, Smoke Signals entered a guilty plea to a single charge of selling drug paraphernalia, and was sentenced to a suspended fine. As part of the guilty plea, the State and Smoke Signals entered into an agreement regarding which items Smoke Signals was prohibited from selling. The agreement listed six items that Smoke Signals could not sell:

1. Tube construction water pipes and insert tubes and bowls designed for tube construction water pipes excluding hookahs and bubblers.
2. Dugouts with a ceramic cigarette or otherwise disguised as cigarettes.
3. Metal pipes or Ceramic Pipes with a bowl less than Vz inch in diameter or non-traditional metal pipes or kits and or component parts which are commonly utilized to construct such pipe.
4. Small wooden pipes without stems.
5. Concealed pipes such as plastic highlighter pens.
6. Klear Detoxifier formula and other detoxification products.

The State returned to Smoke Signals many of the items that had been originally seized. The superior court found that the items returned included “a number of small glass pipes, so-called carburetor pipes, several so-called bubblers, small glass pipes that contain a water chamber filter, [236]*236and a number of smaller items referred to as ‘one hitters’ that are used for smoking material____”

A few months later, police conducted a search of Smoke Signals and seized several items purported to be drug paraphernalia. Thereafter, Smoke Signals was charged by information with four class B misdemeanor counts of sale of drug paraphernalia. The informations alleged that Smoke Signals knowingly offered for retail sale drug paraphernalia, including: (1) “a quantity of water pipes,” (2) “a quantity of carburetor pipes,” (3) “a metal pipe” and (4) “a quantity of chillums.”

Following a bench trial held on January 12 and 13, 2005, Smoke Signals was acquitted on all four charges. In its findings and rulings, the superior court explained that its decision was based, in part, upon the outcome of the earlier prosecution.

The court finds from the evidence that several of the items seized in this case, and as to which Smoke Signals is charged, namely, certain glass water pipes, glass so-called carburetor pipes and a metal pipe, are the identical items returned to Smoke Signals on January 26, 2004, following the first prosecution. Further, many of the items seized in this ease, and for which Smoke Signals is charged, are similar to and virtually indistinguishable from many of the items returned to Smoke Signals after the first prosecution.

After recognizing the “unusually broad” definition of drug paraphernalia in RSA 318-B:1, X-a, the superior court stated:

It is apparent from the prior prosecution, the Agreement referred to above, and the record of the proceedings in that case, that the parties attempted to narrow the broad statutory definition, to allow [Smoke Signals] to sell at least items that were returned to [Smoke Signals] that were not specifically proscribed in the Agreement. No other conclusion can be reached except that [Smoke Signals] would have understood that it was free to offer for sale the items returned and items similar to those items.

Although the court noted that there was “strong evidence” that a number of the items forming the basis of the present charges could be considered drug paraphernalia under the broad statutory definition, it acknowledged that it was necessary for the State to prove “not only that the items are drug paraphernalia as defined by the statute, and that they were offered for sale, but also that Smoke Signals acted knowingly in the sale of drug paraphernalia.” The court stated:

[237]*237Here, where the State returned some of the very items on which it bases its prosecution, and where in many instances, the items seized are similar to the items returned to Smoke Signals in the prior prosecution, the court cannot find the State has proven beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant acted knowingly in the sale of drug paraphernalia with respect to the items in evidence in this case.

Smoke Signals then filed a motion asking the superior court to order the State to return the glass pipes and other items seized by the police. The superior court denied the motion. In its order, the court explained that neither the fact that Smoke Signals was acquitted of all charges of selling drug paraphernalia nor the plea agreement in the earlier prosecution had any “eonclusory effect on [its] determination of whether the items seized ... are, in fact, drug paraphernalia.” The court found that based upon the evidence presented during the bench trial, “the items seized ... are drug paraphernalia and, therefore, contraband.” It is this order that Smoke Signals appeals.

II. Discussion

On appeal, Smoke Signals argues that the superior court erred: (1) by failing to find RSA 318-B:1, X-a unconstitutionally vague; (2) by finding that the items it sought to have returned were drug paraphernalia based upon the evidence presented at the bench trial; (3) by recognizing Detective Kyle True as an expert witness during the trial; and (4) by refusing to return the property.

Recently, in State v. Cohen, 154 N.H. 89 (2006), we upheld a trial court’s denial of the defendant’s motion for return of property. We observed that the property was subject to the procedures governing the protection and return of property seized for possible use at trial set forth in RSA 595-A:6 (2001), and proceeded to determine whether the property was contraband subject to forfeiture. See Cohen, 154 N.H. at 90-93.

In this case, during the proceedings in superior court, neither the parties nor the court addressed whether the property should be returned pursuant to RSA 595-A:6, and the Cohen decision was issued well after the superior court rendered its decision on the motion to return property. On appeal, neither party addressed RSA 595-A:6 or Cohen in its brief. Therefore, we ordered the parties to submit supplemental memoranda addressing the following issues:

(1) Whether, the case should be remanded to the superior court for reconsideration and further findings in light of our decision in Cohen; and
[238]

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Bluebook (online)
922 A.2d 634, 155 N.H. 234, 2007 N.H. LEXIS 53, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-smoke-signals-pipe-tobacco-shop-llc-nh-2007.