State v. Udell

115 P.3d 176, 34 Kan. App. 2d 163, 2005 Kan. App. LEXIS 695
CourtCourt of Appeals of Kansas
DecidedJuly 22, 2005
DocketNo. 92,133
StatusPublished

This text of 115 P.3d 176 (State v. Udell) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Kansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Udell, 115 P.3d 176, 34 Kan. App. 2d 163, 2005 Kan. App. LEXIS 695 (kanctapp 2005).

Opinion

Elliott, J.:

Andrew B. Udell appeals his convictions of possession of marijuana with intent to sell and of possession of psilocin. We affirm.

Detectives Tony Woolen and Lisa Connell went to Udell’s home in Leawood to investigate a report of a minor who had suffered alcohol poisoning at a party there the previous weekend. The only person present at the home was Udell’s mother, Esther, who told the officers she and her husband had been in Arizona when the [164]*164party had allegedly occurred and agreed to let the officers search the basement.

Mrs. Udell accompanied the officers as they found empty beer bottles and cans in the basement; she was angry that a party had apparently occurred while she was out of town, as her 18-year-old son Andrew did not have permission to have parties or alcohol at the residence.

Mrs. Udell tried to call her son but could not get a dial tone on the home phone line. She used Detective Woolen’s cell phone to contact her son. She then passed that phone to Woolen, and the two discussed Udell’s involvement with the party. Woolen did not ask for permission to search Udell’s room.

Following the conversation, Woolen and Mrs. Udell walked through various rooms of the house searching for the phone problem. During this “search,” they entered Udell’s bedroom; Mrs. Udell searched for a phone, and Woolen did not observe any illegal evidence in plain view. The two eventually discovered the source of the phone problem in the den.

Mrs. Udell then called her husband who was out of town. Woolen got on the phone and asked Mr. Udell for permission to search his son’s bedroom for additional items from the party (Woolen had received information the minor who suffered alcohol poisoning had a bottle of gin at the party and none had been found in the basement). Mr. Udell responded he and Mrs. Udell would help out in any way they could.

When Udell returned home, Woolen asked him if there were any illegal items in his bedroom. Udell hesitated and Woolen said they were going to search the room anyway as he had received consent from both parents. Udell responded there was marijuana in his room.

A search of the bedroom yielded a green vegetative substance, a small box of seeds and stems, three digital scales, a postal scale, a plastic bag containing $625 in cash, and two boxes of sandwich baggies. Lab tests revealed 22.7 grams of marijuana and 1.3 grams of psilocin.

When Udell’s motion to suppress all evidence found in his bedroom and all statements he made with reference to those items was denied, the case proceeded to a bench trial on stipulated facts.

[165]*165Udell first argues the trial court erred in denying his motion to suppress, arguing his parents lacked actual or apparent authority to consent to the search of his bedroom. Our review is as stated in State v. Vandervort, 276 Kan. 164, 169, 72 P.3d 925 (2003). Although we do not reweigh the evidence, the ultimate determination of suppression is a legal question requiring our independent determination. See State v. Mendez, 275 Kan. 412, 416, 66 P.3d 811 (2003).

This was a warrantless search which is normally per se unreasonable; consent, however, is an exception. State v. Boyd, 275 Kan. 271, 273, 64 P.3d 419 (2003).

A warrantless search may be justified by consent “from a third party who possessed common authority over or other sufficient relationship to the premises or effects sought to be inspected.” United States v. Matlock, 415 U.S. 164, 171, 39 L. Ed. 2d 242, 94 S. Ct. 988 (1974). We adopted the Matlock rule in State v. Ratley, 16 Kan. App. 2d 589, 591, 827 P.2d 78 (1992), holding that “Kansas adopts the ‘apparent authority’ rule, which makes valid a consent to search when the facts available to an officer would warrant a person of reasonable caution to believe the consenting party had authority over the premises to be searched.” 16 Kan. App. 2d at 595.

Since it is undisputed Udell’s parents consented to the search of his bedroom, we must decide whether they had sufficient authority to do so.

Here, the trial court relied heavily on United States v. Rith, 164 F.3d 1323 (10th Cir.), cert. denied 528 U.S. 827 (1999), in denying his motion to suppress. Rith also involved an 18-year-old son. On appeal, Rith argued evidence seized during the search should have been suppressed because he revoked his parents’ consent to search and the evidence failed to show the parents had authority to consent to a search of his bedroom.

The Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Rith’s parents had authority to consent to a search of his bedroom: a “third party has authority to consent to a search of property if that third party has either (I) mutual use of the property by virtue of joint access, or (2) control for most purposes over it.” 164 F.3d at 1329.

[166]*166Ultimately, the Rith court concluded Rith’s parents had control for most purposes over the property, stating:

“Rith lived with his parents and was not paying rent. Although Rith was eighteen years old, these facts raise a presumption of control for most purposes by Rith’s parents over the entire home and thus they could have accessed Rith’s room without his consent. There is no evidence to rebut this presumption: no lock on Rith’s bedroom door; no agreement with Rith’s parents that they not enter his room without his consent; no payment of rent.” 164 F.3d at 1331.

As a result, the Rith court held Rith’s parents had actual authority to consent to the search of their son’s bedroom. 164 F.3d at 1331.

In the present case, the trial court found the parents had mutual use of the property by virtue of joint access based on the fact Mrs. Udell did not hesitate to enter Udell’s bedroom with Detective Woolen during their search for the phone problem. Therefore, the trial court found Udell’s parents had joint access to the room and could enter the room at will, without his consent. Because the trial court found Udell’s parents had actual authority to consent to the search, it declined to address the issue of apparent authority.

And finally, the trial court held Udell’s attempted revocation of his parents’ consent failed because his parents possessed a common authority over Udell’s bedroom and had the right to permit the search in their own right.

Udell’s reliance on State v. Tonroy, 32 Kan. App. 2d 920, 92 P.3d 1116 (2004), is misplaced. The Tonroy court ruled a tenant of a rental unit lacked apparent authority to consent to the search of a guest’s jacket because the officer could not have reasonably believed the tenant had common authority over defendant’s jacket. 32 Kan. App. 2d at 925.

Tonroy is distinguishable due to the relationship of the parties involved. Tonroy

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
115 P.3d 176, 34 Kan. App. 2d 163, 2005 Kan. App. LEXIS 695, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-udell-kanctapp-2005.