State v. Tarrell

247 N.W.2d 696, 74 Wis. 2d 647, 1976 Wisc. LEXIS 1352
CourtWisconsin Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 14, 1976
Docket75-110-CR
StatusPublished
Cited by103 cases

This text of 247 N.W.2d 696 (State v. Tarrell) 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. Tarrell, 247 N.W.2d 696, 74 Wis. 2d 647, 1976 Wisc. LEXIS 1352 (Wis. 1976).

Opinions

BEILFUSS, C. J.

The defendant challenges his conviction in several respects. Upon review he contends:

1. His compelled presence at the police station and the taking of his photograph by the police violated the fourth amendment of the United States Constitution.

2. The trial court erred in admitting evidence of other crimes and incidents.

3. The trial court abused its discretion in reading the victim’s entire testimony to the jury.

[650]*6504. The evidence was not sufficient to support a finding of guilty.

5. A new trial in the interest of justice should be granted.

On Sunday morning, August 25, 1974, a child, K.B., an eleven-year-old girl, her mother, father and ten-year-old brother, stopped at a grocery store-restaurant on their way home from church. The mother and father entered the grocery store and K.B. and her brother waited outside near the entry way.

K.B. was approached by a middle aged male. After a short conversation, the man took K.B. by the hand and wrist and led her up a half-flight of stairs to a landing. He lifted up her skirt and fondled her crotch area and kissed her. He asked her who her folks were and when she told him he indicated he knew them and left the area, going between cars through the parking lot. K.B. immediately went to her parents and informed her mother of what had transpired. Her father re-entered the store to inquire as to who the man was. The employees of the store had not seen him but reported the incident to the police.

The police interviewed K.B., her parents and her brother. K.B. gave a description of her assailant and the police subsequently notified the parents they knew of some suspects.

The defendant Tarrell was on a ten-year probationary period for a violation of sec. 944.12, Stats., enticing a child for immoral purposes. He had pleaded guilty to this charge on October 9, 1969, and was receiving outpatient psychiatric treatment.

The defendant’s probation agent was contacted by the local police on August 25, 1974, the day of the incident in question. The probation agent requested the defendant to come to his office on August 28, 1974, and on that [651]*651date discussed the K.B. incident with him. The probation agent told the defendant to meet him at the local police station on September 3, 1974. He did so and his photograph was taken at that time.

A photographic display containing the photographs of seven individuals was assembled. One of the seven was the photograph of the defendant. A police officer and the probation agent took the photo display to the home of K.B. She was asked to look at the display to determine whether she could identify any of the photos as a picture of the man “that had bothered her.” She looked at the display and circled the picture of the defendant. A complaint was filed and the defendant Tarrell was arrested the next day.

A jury trial was conducted on January 28-30, 1975. The defendant admitted he had been at Dick’s, the store where the offense took place, about the same time that the crime was committed but produced a number of witnesses who were with him at that time. K.B. testified that the man who committed the crime was wearing a “brown suit with a gold shirt and a gold and brown stripe tie.” Another witness testified that she saw Tarrell in the store wearing a suit but couldn’t remember the color. The defense produced a number of witnesses who testified that Tarrell was wearing “wild” plaid pants and a brown shirt without coat or tie. Tarrell testified that he neither saw nor talked to the victim on August 25,1974.

The state introduced evidence as to Tarrell’s past crime of enticing a child for immoral purposes and as to other occurrences of a similar nature for which Tarrell was not charged. This evidence was admitted over objection of defense counsel.

Tarrell was found guilty on January 30, 1975, and subsequently committed to Central State Hospital under the provisions of sec. 975.06, Stats.

[652]*652The defendant Tarrell, who was on probation, as stated above, was told by his probation agent to go to the police station to have his picture taken. He complied with this order but contends that this required appearance was an unconstitutional seizure of his body and that the subsequent photographic seizure of his person was also unconstitutional in that they violated the fourth amendment of the United States Constitution. He argues that his pretrial motion to suppress this evidence should have been granted and that all subsequent identifications were tainted.

The courts recognize that probationers do retain some fourth amendment rights.1 “It is not the law that a person convicted of a previous offense loses his constitutional guaranties.” State v. Mier, 254 Wis. 180, 184, 35 N.W.2d 196, 198 (1948). Concomitantly, this court has recognized that there are constitutional limitations on conditions of probation.2 The question is what is the extent of this protection.

The fourth amendment requirement is that searches and seizures be reasonable. In State v. Bell, 62 Wis.2d 534, 539-40, 215 N.W.2d 535, 539 (1974), this court noted that the United States Supreme Court

“. . . has stated that the ultimate standard set forth in the fourth amendment is reasonableness. Cady v. Dombrowski (1973), 413 U.S. 433, 93 Sup. Ct. 2523, 37 L. Ed.2d 706. This court has consistently adhered to the view that reasonableness is to be determined by the facts and circumstances presented in each case. State v. Pires (1972), 55 Wis.2d 597, 201 N.W.2d 153; State v. [653]*653Davidson (1969), 44 Wis.2d 177, 170 N.W.2d 755; Edwards v. State (1968), 38 Wis.2d 332, 156 N.W.2d 397. The fundamental rule applicable to searches and seizures is that warrantless searches are per se unreasonable under the fourth amendment except under certain well-defined circumstances. Johnson v. United States (1948), 333 U.S. 10, 13, 14, 68 Sup. Ct. 367, 92 L. Ed. 436; Coolidge v. New Hampshire (1971), 403 U.S. 443, 454, 455, 91 Sup. Ct. 2022, 29 L. Ed.2d 564.”

Discussing this fundamental rule that warrantless searches are unreasonable, in State v. Elam, 68 Wis.2d 614, 621, 229 N.W.2d 664, 668 (1975), this court quoted from Coolidge v. New Hampshire, supra:

‘Thus the most basic constitutional rule in this area is that “searches conducted outside the judicial process, without prior approval by judge or magistrate, are per se unreasonable under the Fourth Amendment — subject only to a few specifically established and well-delineated exceptions.” The exceptions are “jealously and carefully drawn,” and there must be “a showing by those who seek exemption . . . that the exigencies of the situation made that course imperative.” ’ ”

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Belleau v. Wall
132 F. Supp. 3d 1085 (E.D. Wisconsin, 2015)
Collura v. Ford
303 F.R.D. 57 (E.D. Pennsylvania, 2014)
State v. Payano
2009 WI 86 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 2009)
United States v. LeBlanc
490 F.3d 361 (Fifth Circuit, 2007)
State v. Anderson
2006 WI 77 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 2006)
State v. Hunt
2003 WI 81 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 2003)
State v. Hammer
2000 WI 92 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 2000)
State v. Davidson
2000 WI 91 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 2000)
State v. Oakley
2000 WI 37 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 2000)
State v. Olson
588 N.W.2d 256 (Court of Appeals of Wisconsin, 1998)
United States v. Christopher Jones
152 F.3d 680 (Seventh Circuit, 1998)
State v. Sullivan
576 N.W.2d 30 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 1998)
Harrison v. State
929 S.W.2d 80 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1996)
State v. West
517 N.W.2d 482 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 1994)
In Interest of James P.
510 N.W.2d 730 (Court of Appeals of Wisconsin, 1993)
State v. Plymesser
493 N.W.2d 376 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 1992)
State v. Guzman
480 N.W.2d 446 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 1992)
State v. Guzman
467 N.W.2d 564 (Court of Appeals of Wisconsin, 1991)
State v. Pittman
465 N.W.2d 245 (Court of Appeals of Wisconsin, 1990)
State v. Edward Charles L.
398 S.E.2d 123 (West Virginia Supreme Court, 1990)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
247 N.W.2d 696, 74 Wis. 2d 647, 1976 Wisc. LEXIS 1352, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-tarrell-wis-1976.