State v. Taggart

512 P.2d 1359, 14 Or. App. 408, 1973 Ore. App. LEXIS 932
CourtCourt of Appeals of Oregon
DecidedAugust 6, 1973
DocketC 70-11-0387 Cr
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 512 P.2d 1359 (State v. Taggart) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Oregon primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Taggart, 512 P.2d 1359, 14 Or. App. 408, 1973 Ore. App. LEXIS 932 (Or. Ct. App. 1973).

Opinion

THORNTON, J.

Defendant was convicted after jury trial of assault and robbery while armed. Former 163.280. He appeals, contending that the trial court erred:

(1) In denying defendant’s motion to suppress evidence seized as a result of police entry into his motel room on November 3, 1970, and a search of that room on November 4;

(2) In denying defendant’s motion for a new trial based on newly discovered evidence;

(3) In prohibiting testimony from an examining psychiatrist as to statements made by defendant while under a so-called “truth serum”; and

(4) In instructing the jury that the agreement of 10 members was sufficient to convict defendant.

*411 The essential facts are as follows:

Early in the evening of November 2, 1970, two armed men wearing ski masks held up the Portland business office of the Plaid Pantry grocery chain. Several office employes identified defendant, who had previously been an employe of the firm, as one of the two armed robbers.

The following evening, November 3, defendant, while driving along a Portland street, was arrested for failure to have a valid driver’s license. Just prior to being placed in the patrol car, defendant passed a sizeable roll of currency to a woman companion who had been in the car with him. This woman was later identified as Susan Bliss, with whom defendant had been living. Miss Bliss was not detained.

After defendant had been transported to jail, the officers found a key to room 42 of the Jamaica Motel under the rear seat of the patrol car. The officers immediately turned over the key to detectives investigating the robbery. The detectives thereupon went to the motel, contacted the desk clerk and learned that the room was registered to “Erin O’Brien.” However, both the residence address and car registration shown on the motel registration card were those of defendant. The clerk was also able to identify the picture of defendant shown her by the detectives as that of the individual who had previously registered as “Erin O’Brien.” She also told them that a young woman was presently in the room. The detectives then proceeded to the room where they knocked and identified themselves as police officers, in response to inquiry by a female voice from within. At this point, the detectives heard considerable commotion and scurrying about within the room. Without waiting *412 further they let themselves into the room, using the key previously recovered from the rear seat of the patrol car.

Inside the room the detectives found only Miss Bliss, whom they thereupon arrested for violation of the “hotel ordinance.” They seized a bank coin bag, of the type reportedly used in the Plaid Pantry robbery, which was lying on top of an overnight case belonging to Miss Bliss. Miss Bliss was searched at the women’s jail and $1,676 in currency was recovered from her person. Several of these bills were subsequently identified as being among those taken in the robbery.

On the following day, November 4, 1970, police officers obtained the consent of the management of the motel to conduct a search of room 42. This search was conducted just prior to the management’s cleaning of room 42 preparatory to making the room available for rental. Defendant’s belongings were packed and placed in a storage room.

The motel owner testified that defendant rented the room on October 28, paying only for that night. Oh October 31, defendant paid the rent due for the 29th through the 31st, and again on November 2 paid the rent due for the nights of the 1st and 2nd. This was the last payment made prior to the search on November 4. The motel owner testified that she would have removed defendant’s belongings on November 3 or 4, since he had not paid the room rent, if another party had been available to rent the room. She did not give defendant notice to vacate. As already noted she had previously accepted late payments of the rent due.

*413 In support of Ms first assignment, defendant argues that while the police had probable cause on November 3 to search his motel room, a warrant was necessary to authorize such search. From tMs premise he argues that the warrantless entry by the officers on November 3 was unlawful and thus taints all that stemmed therefrom, including the seizure of the money bag, the arrest and search of Miss Bliss, the seizure of the currency from her person, and the subsequent search of the room on November 4. We cannot agree.

The evidence establishes that at the time the room key was discovered, the investigation was only in its preliminary stage. The second robber was still at large. The proceeds of the robbery had not been located. The defendant had not yet been arrested for robbery. Therefore the discovery of the room key in the patrol car, together with the knowledge that the police saw defendant pass a large roll of currency to Ms woman companion just prior to being placed in the car, justified the action of the detectives in going immediately to the Jamaica Motel to pursue their investigation. As the court stated in State v. Allen/Reed, 12 Or App 633, 508 P2d 472 (1973):

“* * * The mere fact that a police officer may have probable cause to get a warrant or make an arrest at a particular point does not mean he must stop his investigation and go for the warrant or make the arrest. TMs is the rule as we understand it from Hoffa v. United States, 385 US 293, 87 S Ct 408, 17 L Ed 2d 374 (1966), rehearing denied 386 US 940 (1967). See also State v. Murphy, 2 Or App 251, 258, 465 P2d 900, Sup Ct review denied, cert denied 400 US 944 (1970) * * 12 Or App at 636.

In Allen/Reed, tMs court held that police officers were justified in using the manager’s key to enter *414 defendant’s motel room, where the circumstances of their ongoing 'investigation led them to believe that delay would risk the loss of evidence and/or the escape of the suspects. Evidence in plain sight was seized. That evidence was held to be admissible; however, other evidence discovered as a result of a later search was not, inasmuch as the officers could have obtained a search warrant at that point, without the risk of loss which justified their initial entry. Allen/Reed at 639.

In the case at bar the information already known to the detectives, together with the response to their knock and announcement, gave the detectives a reasonable basis for concluding that an immediate entry was required. We hold that exigent circumstances existed which justified the' detectives in making such entry. State v. Allen/Reed, supra; State v. Steffes, 2 Or App 163, 465 P2d 905, Sup Ct review denied (1970).

Defendant also challenges the warrantless search of room 42 made on November 4, without his consent, but with the consent of the motel management, citing State v. Dougherty,

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Bluebook (online)
512 P.2d 1359, 14 Or. App. 408, 1973 Ore. App. LEXIS 932, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-taggart-orctapp-1973.