State v. Stevens

367 N.W.2d 788, 123 Wis. 2d 303, 1985 Wisc. LEXIS 2209
CourtWisconsin Supreme Court
DecidedApril 30, 1985
Docket83-2098-CR
StatusPublished
Cited by45 cases

This text of 367 N.W.2d 788 (State v. Stevens) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Wisconsin 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. Stevens, 367 N.W.2d 788, 123 Wis. 2d 303, 1985 Wisc. LEXIS 2209 (Wis. 1985).

Opinions

DAY, J.

This is a review of a published decision of the court of appeals, State v. Stevens, 120 Wis. 2d 334, 354 N.W.2d 762 (Ct. App. 1984) affirming in part and reversing in part a judgment of the circuit court for Milwaukee county, Honorable Ralph Adam Fine, circuit judge, convicting the defendant, David G. Stevens, of the following crimes: Possession of cocaine with intent to deliver,1 party to the crime;2 possession of

[307]*307marijuana with intent to deliver;3 party to the crime; possession of cocaine;4 and possession of marijuana.5 The issues on review are:

1. Was the Defendant’s right to be protected from unreasonable searches and seizures under the fourth and fourteenth amendments to the United States [308]*308Constitution6 and under Article I, sec. 11, of the Wisconsin Constitution,7 violated by the warrantless search and seizure of garbage which he allowed to be taken from his garage by the regular collector who was acting pursuant to a deputy sheriff’s request to obtain the Defendant’s garbage ?

2. Did the Defendant’s multiple convictions subject him to double jeopardy in violation of Article I, sec. 8(1)8 of the Wisconsin Constitution or violate the [309]*309provisions of sec. 939.66, Stats. 1981-19829 or sec. 939.71?10

We hold that the search and seizure of the defendant’s garbage, (the terms “garbage” and “trash” are used interchangeably in this opinion) 11 under the facts of this case, did not violate his rights under the United States or Wisconsin Constitutions. We also hold that the defendant’s multiple convictions did not violate Wisconsin’s constiutional or statutory law. Therefore, we affirm in part and reverse in part the decision of the court of appeals.

The defendant, after being charged with the four offenses, entered a guilty plea to the crimes of possession of cocaine and possession of marijuana and was convicted. He was tried on the more serious offenses of possession with intent to deliver cocaine and possession with intent to deliver marijuana. On appeal the court of appeals struck down the convictions of mere possession but affirmed the conviction of possession with intent to deliver cocaine and marijuana. The defendant’s petition to this court for review was granted. This court [310]*310granted review to determine whether the search of bags of garbage in trash belonging to the defendant was proper, because it was such search that brought forth the evidence on which a search warrant was issued authorizing the search of defendant’s home. It was the cocaine and marijuana in the home that led to the charges of possession with intent to deliver. It was this evidence that prompted the arrest of the defendant when he returned to his home and resulted in the additional charges of possession based on evidence found in a shoulder bag, belonging to defendant. The facts giving rise to the charges are as follows.

Deputy Sheriff David Iushewitz of the Drug Enforcement Unit of the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s office was in charge of an investigation concerning alleged drug dealing activities of the defendant at his residence in River Hills, Milwaukee county. Deputy Iushewitz was informed by the Department of Public Works for River Hills that garbage at the defendant’s residence was normally picked up every second Friday morning at about 9:00 a.m. and the next scheduled pickup was December 14, 1979.

On December 14, 1979, Iushewitz met with the garbage collector employed by the Department of Public Works and told him to go about his normal routine of picking up the garbage at the defendant’s house. After he picked up the defendant’s garbage, he was to turn it over to Iushewitz.

The usual procedure was that the defendant put bags of garbage in cans outside of his garage and in the driveway for collection. The garbage collector for the Department of Public Works would come up the driveway and collect the garbage. The garage door was not normally left open and the garbage collector did not have general access to the garage.

On December 14th, the garbage had not been placed outside the garage for collection and the garage door was [311]*311locked. The garbage collector went to the door of the defendant’s house, knocked or rang the doorbell, the defendant opened the door and the collector asked if he could get the garbage. The defendant then opened the garage door, allowing the garbage collector access to the garbage. The defendant testified that he opened the garage door so the collector could do “what he wanted to do.”

The garbage collector picked up four plastic garbage bags and loaded them into the truck. After leaving the defendant’s property, the collector gave the defendant’s garbage to Iushewitz who searched the bags.

The same procedure was repeated on December 28, 1979, the next regularly scheduled pick up. Once again the garbage collector went to the defendant’s door and asked for the garbage and the defendant opened the garage door. After obtaining the garbage and leaving the defendant’s property, the collector again turned the defendant’s garbage over to Iushewitz.

Later that same day, December 28, 1979, a circuit judge issued a search warrant for the search of the defendant’s River Hills residence based in part on the evidence turned up in the garbage bags. On December 29, 1979, when the defendant was not home, his house was searched. This search resulted in the seizure of cocaine, marijuana, drug paraphernalia, money and other miscellaneous objects.

Iushewitz had information that the defendant, who had been on vacation for “a couple of days,” would be returning home on December 30, 1979. When the defendant did return home on that day, the deputies arrested him on the driveway outside his home.

The defendant was advised that he would be taken downtown for booking and that it might take some time before he could make bail. Deputy Iushewitz testified as follows:

[312]*312“I told him [the defendant] this was a felony charge, he should probably figure on spending a while in jail because there was no mild bail and I asked if there was anything that he wanted to bring with him down to the jail. He indicated ‘in my car,’ and pointed to a bag, a brown leather shoulder type bag.”

This bag was found in the automobile in which the defendant had just returned from his vacation. When the defendant arrived at the station, his bag was subjected to an inventory search. Approximately two grams of marijuana and approximately one gram of cocaine were found.

The defendant was charged on four different counts. Count one was possession of cocaine with intent to deliver, party to the crime. Count two was possession of marijuana with intent to deliver, party to the crime. Count three was possession of cocaine. Count four was possession of marijuana. Counts one and two were based upon the discovery of the marijuana and cocaine in the defendant’s home on December 29, 1979. Counts three and four were based upon the discovery of cocaine and marijuana in the defendant’s shoulder bag on December 30, 1979.

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Bluebook (online)
367 N.W.2d 788, 123 Wis. 2d 303, 1985 Wisc. LEXIS 2209, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-stevens-wis-1985.