State v. White

2017 ND 51, 890 N.W.2d 825, 2017 WL 899970, 2017 N.D. LEXIS 50
CourtNorth Dakota Supreme Court
DecidedMarch 7, 2017
Docket20160227
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 2017 ND 51 (State v. White) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering North Dakota 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. White, 2017 ND 51, 890 N.W.2d 825, 2017 WL 899970, 2017 N.D. LEXIS 50 (N.D. 2017).

Opinion

Crothers, Justice.

[¶ 1] Jesse White appeals from a criminal judgment entered after a jury found he was guilty of possession of certain materials prohibited. We affirm, concluding the probation search of White’s cell phones did not violate his Fourth Amendment rights and sufficient evidence supports his conviction.

I

[¶ 2] White was on supervised probation when his residence was searched. His probation conditions required him to submit to a search of his person, vehicle or residence as requested by his probation officer.

[¶ 3] On April 15, 2014, a probation officer searched White’s residence after police officers received a tip from White’s girlfriend. White’s girlfriend told officers that she discovered images of clothed, young girls in provocative positions and that White was uploading pictures to a cell phone with no service. The probation officer and police officers went to White’s residence where the probation officer informed White of the reason for searching his residence and that they were interested in images on any computers or phones. White pointed out his laptop computer and cell phones, including a phone that did not have cellular service. An officer found a folder of papers containing Facebook login information for “Jesse White” and “Ashley Black.” White claimed he did not know “Ashley Black.” Officers also found pornographic DVDs, including DVDs titled “Barely Legal.” The officers looked at the cell phones and found numerous pictures of clothed young girls and at least one picture of a topless prepubescent girl. A search warrant was granted. The phones and computer were forensically analyzed and images of young, unclothed females were found.

[¶ 4] White was charged with possession of certain materials prohibited in violation of N.D.C.C, § 12.1-27.2-04.1, a class C felony. White moved to suppress any evidence seized from his cell phones, arguing officers were required to obtain a warrant before searching his cell phones and the search warrant was issued upon illegally seized evidence. The State opposed the motion and argued the cell phone search did not violate White’s constitutional rights because it was a probationary search and the officers had reasonable suspicion. Neither party requested a hearing. The district court denied the motion to suppress, concluding the search was constitutional because it was a probationary search and the officers had reasonable suspicion.

[¶ 5] A jury trial was held. The jury found White guilty of possession of certain materials prohibited. White was sentenced to three years in prison with all but 18 months suspended and three years parole following release from prison. '

II

[¶ 6] White argues the district court erred in denying his motion to suppress *828 because the search of his cell phones violated his Fourth Amendment rights. He claims the search was not a reasonable probation search because his probation conditions are limited to searching his “person, vehicle, or residence” and do not include his cell phone and the officer did not have reasonable suspicion to justify the search. White does not challenge the initial entry into his residence or the initial search of his residence; rather, he only argues the search of his cell phones violated his constitutional rights.

[¶ 7] In reviewing a district court’s decision on a motion to suppress we defer to the district court’s findings of fact, and we resolve conflicts in testimony in favor of affirmance because we recognize the district court is in a superior position to assess the witnesses’ credibility and weigh the evidence. State v. Schmidt, 2015 ND 134, ¶ 5, 864 N.W.2d 265. “A district court’s findings of fact on a motion to suppress will not be reversed if there is sufficient competent evidence fairly capable of supporting the court’s findings, and the decision is not contrary to the manifest weight of the evidence.” Id. (quoting State v. DeCoteau, 1999 ND 77, ¶ 6, 592 N.W.2d 579). Questions of law are fully reviewable, and whether a finding of fact meets a legal standard is a question of law. Schmidt, at ¶ 5.

[¶ 8] The Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution and Article I, Section 8 of the North Dakota Constitution protect individuals from unreasonable searches and seizures. “When reviewing the constitutionality of probationary searches, we have interpreted the North Dakota Constitution to provide the same protections for probationers as provided by the United States Constitution.” State v. Ballard, 2016 ND 8, ¶ 8, 874 N.W.2d 61 (quoting State v. Maurstad, 2002 ND 121, ¶ 11, 647 N.W.2d 688). To determine the reasonableness of a search we consider the totality of the circumstances and balance the degree to which the search intrudes upon an individual’s privacy against the degree to which the search is needed for the promotion of legitimate governmental interests. Ballard, at ¶¶ 8, 34.

[¶ 9] In United States v. Knights, 534 U.S. 112, 122, 122 S.Ct. 587, 151 L.Ed.2d 497 (2001), the Supreme Court considered the totality of the circumstances, balanced governmental and private interests and held a warrantless probationary search was reasonable when it was supported by reasonable suspicion and authorized by a condition of probation. The Court explained that probationers have a lesser expectation of privacy:

“Probation, like incarceration, is a form of criminal sanction imposed by a court upon an offender after verdict, finding, or plea of guilty. Probation is one point ... on a continuum of possible punishments ranging from solitary confinement in a maximum-security facility to a few hours of mandatory community service. Inherent in the very nature of probation is that probationers do not enjoy the absolute liberty to which every citizen is entitled. Just as other punishments for criminal convictions curtail an offender’s freedoms, a court granting probation may impose reasonable conditions that deprive the offender of some freedoms enjoyed by law-abiding citizens.”

Id. at 119, 122 S.Ct. 587 (citations and quotations omitted). The Court also said a probationer may be more likely to engage in criminal conduct than an ordinary member of the community, the State has an interest in stopping criminal conduct and protecting potential victims and, therefore, the State may justifiably focus on probationers in a way that it does not focus on ordinary citizens. Id. at 120-21, 122 S.Ct. 587. The Court said, “When an officer has *829 reasonable suspicion that a probationer subject to a search condition is engaged in criminal activity, there is enough likelihood that criminal conduct is occurring that an intrusion on the probationer’s significantly diminished privacy interests is reasonable.” Id. at 121, 122 S.Ct. 587. The Court did not address whether a suspicionless probationary search authorized by a condition of probation was reasonable. Id. at 120 n. 6, 122 S.Ct. 587.

[¶ 10] In Samson v. California, 547 U.S. 843, 846, 126 S.Ct. 2193, 165 L.Ed.2d 250 (2006), the United States Supreme Court considered whether suspicionless searches of parolees violated the Fourth Amendment.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
2017 ND 51, 890 N.W.2d 825, 2017 WL 899970, 2017 N.D. LEXIS 50, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-white-nd-2017.