United States v. Thomas

1 M.J. 397, 1976 CMA LEXIS 8071
CourtUnited States Court of Military Appeals
DecidedApril 23, 1976
DocketNo. 29,934
StatusPublished
Cited by35 cases

This text of 1 M.J. 397 (United States v. Thomas) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Court of Military Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Thomas, 1 M.J. 397, 1976 CMA LEXIS 8071 (cma 1976).

Opinions

OPINION

COOK, Judge:

Among other things, the accused was convicted of the wrongful possession of marihuana. In a wide-ranging challenge, he contends, as he did at trial, that the search of his wall locker that resulted in discovery of the marihuana was illegal.

Patrice was a Labrador bitch. She had been trained by the Navy at San Diego, California, to detect the odor of marihuana, but she was not trained in obedience. On an unstated number of occasions, she apparently “happen[ed] to tear something up” under circumstances that made the Government subject to claims for damage. In November 1973, Patrice was turned over by her trainer to Detective Munden of the Special Police Force, Naval Air Station, Norfolk, Virginia. Munden worked a “lot of vacant barracks” with Patrice, and he believed her to be a “good” dog. In every instance that she “alerted,” thereby indicating the presence of marihuana, he had found some evidence of the substance.

As a result of reports that the aroma of marihuana had been detected in the barracks, Lieutenant Colonel Palmateer, Executive Officer of the Marine Barracks at the air station, requested a dog team to go through the barracks. Sergeant Brown and his dog “usually” responded to such requests but Brown’s dog was ill. Accordingly, on December 6, 1973, Detective Munden and Patrice responded to the colonel’s request; Sergeant Brown accompanied them to do the “paperwork.”

Lieutenant Colonel Palmateer was familiar with the work of marihuana detection dogs. He had witnessed a classroom demonstration by Virginia Beach Police Department dogs, and he had talked to dog handlers “as to how they train the dogs and the results.” Before Patrice started her tour of the barracks, the colonel spoke to Brown and Munden about her capabilities. Brown advised him that she was “a good dog”, “had a good track record”, and he believed she was “as good as” his dog, which Palmateer had seen at work several months earlier with “excellent results.” Munden also expressed his belief that Patrice was “a good dog.” There is no indication the colonel was informed that Patrice had been trained by the Navy. When Patrice started on the walk-through, Palmateer watched her for about 10 minutes. He saw her “become very alert, paw at . [a] locker, and carry on in that manner.” In his opinion, this behavior was “consistent” with that of the dogs he had seen in the classroom demonstration. Each of the lockers at which Patrice pawed was marked for later opening and examination, but the colonel was not present at that time, and, as far as appears from the record, he was not informed of the results of the examinations.

[399]*399Although not fully described, it may be fairly inferred from the evidence that the inspection procedure was as follows: The inspection party proceeded down the middle of each squad bay, which was sectioned into separate cubicles by articles of furniture. Patrice was free. If she picked up the scent of marihuana, she circled a few times, straightened out, and then entered a cubicle to alert at the apparent source of the scent. The stronger the aroma, which Munden attributed to a larger quantity of the substance, the “more excited” Patrice became, and the more “eager [she was] to get to it [the substance].” Patrice could not “turn a handle”; consequently, if the scent emanated from a wall locker, she merely “pawed” at the locker door. The inspection party did not open any locker at which Patrice pawed. Instead, a piece of tape was affixed to the door to note that Patrice had alerted at it, and the occupant of the locker was called to the cubicle. On his arrival, he was informed of Patrice’s alert, and asked to consent to a search of the locker. If consent was forthcoming, a search was made; if consent was refused, a member of the inspection party applied for authorization to conduct a search.

Just before the inspection, the occupants of the cubicles were escorted to an auditorium. At various times, individuals were called from the auditorium and escorted to their respective cubicles. There, they were informed that “the dog thought that there was something in there [in the locker]”; they were read their “rights” and were asked whether they would consent to a search of their “own free will.” A defense witness testified that he and another occupant of the barracks were called. Both consented to a search, and when the search was made nothing was found.

The regular procedure was not followed with the accused. Without impeachment or rebuttal, he testified that, at the direction of Sergeant Yennis, he opened his wall locker before the inspection began and then went to the auditorium. What occurred at his cubicle during the inspection was related by Detective Munden and Gunnery Sergeant McLaughlin; their testimony differed.

Munden indicated that, as the inspection party came down the middle of the squad bay, Patrice apparently picked up a scent. She circled a couple of times, straightened, went to the accused’s open locker, and “ran into it,” pulling out a bread wrapper. The bag fell on the floor, and he picked it up, looked into it, and saw a substance which “appeared” to be marihuana. He returned the bag to the locker, gave Patrice a suitable reward, and left the cubicle with her to continue the inspection. McLaughlin testified that Patrice was “turned loose” as the inspection party came into the squad bay. She “worked a few cubicles . . . then went into the cubicle” occupied by the accused. As he and Munden came up, he saw Patrice inside the accused’s locker. She backed out with a bag. He did not see Patrice jump about, and all he heard “was scratching as we got up into that area.” No tape was put on the locker door. The accused was brought to the cubicle, and when he refused their request to give consent to a search, Sergeant Brown went to see the colonel to obtain an authorization to search.

Only Colonel Palmateer testified as to the application for the authorization to search. He stated that Sergeant Brown had told him the accused’s locker “was one of those lockers the dog had gone to and it was one of the lockers they had marked.” Brown had further informed him that all the occupants of the marked lockers except the accused consented to a search. Palmateer admitted that Brown had not described how Patrice “behaved” at the time she went to the accused’s locker. He also conceded he had granted authority to search “[o]n . [the] basis alone” that Brown told him “this was a locker the dog had indicated that there was marihuana in.”

My brothers and I agree, for different reasons, that the decision of the United States Navy Court of Military Review must be reversed as to the findings of guilty of specification 2, Charge I, and the sentence. Their reasons are set out in their respective, separate opinions; mine follow.

[400]*400I believe the first matter for consideration is the nature of what appellate defense counsel describe as “the initial walk-through of the barracks.” Counsel perceive it as a “general search conducted upon mere suspicion.” Oppositely, Government counsel contend that a walk-through by Government agents in open spaces of a barracks is not an illegal search because it involves no entry into any area as to which the accused has a reasonable expectation of privacy. I agree with the Government.

As I pointed out in my dissent in United States v. Miller, 1 M.J. 367 (1976), the United States Supreme Court has held that the Government has “unfettered control” over property as to which it had a proprietary right.

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