FOR PUBLICATION
ATTORNEY FOR APPELLANT: ATTORNEYS FOR APPELLEE:
ANNA DEVOY CLUTTER STEVE CARTER
Princeton, Indiana Attorney General of Indiana
RYAN D. JOHANNINGSMEIER
Deputy Attorney General
Indianapolis, Indiana
TRAVIS J. CARROLL, )
)
Appellant-Defendant, )
)
vs. ) No. 26A04-0408-CR-446
)
STATE OF INDIANA, )
)
Appellee-Plaintiff. )
OPINION - FOR PUBLICATION
Carroll had lived with Jody Miller in an apartment in Princeton, Indiana since
April 2004. The apartment was located approximately 450 feet from the Princeton
Community Middle School. At the time, Carroll was under investigation by the
Princeton Police Department (PPD) for suspicion of illegal drug activity. By June
9, 2004, investigators learned that Carroll had supplied methamphetamine to another person.
On that day, Officer Mike Hurt of the PPD obtained a search warrant
to search Miller and Carrolls apartment. When police arrived at the residence,
Carrolls vehicle was not there, so they waited nearby for Carroll and Miller
to return. When Carroll arrived at approximately 10:25 p.m. in what police
recognized as his car, police confronted him and his passengers, Miller and Jacob
McKendry, who was identified as Carrolls brother, while they were still in the
apartment parking lot. The officers identified themselves and informed Carroll and Miller
that they had a warrant to search the apartment. Carroll, who is
a pretty big guy, Transcript at 5, became very belligerent, argumentative, very jerky
in his motions. Id. Carroll was sweaty, licking his lips, and
his eyes were dilated. After observing Carrolls behavior for a few minutes,
Officer Hurt formed the opinion that Carroll was under the influence of methamphetamine.
This, in turn, caused Officer Hurt to fear for his safety, so
he placed Carroll in handcuffs and patted him down for weapons. After
reading Carroll, Miller, and McKendry their advisement of Miranda rights, the officer told
Carroll they would remove the handcuffs when he calmed down. Officer moved
Carroll, Miller, and McKendry inside the apartment and commenced the search.
Miller accompanied several police officers into the kitchen and soon admitted there was
marijuana located under one of the armrests of the couch in the living
room. Police checked that location and found a bag containing what tests
later revealed was marijuana. By that time, Carroll had calmed down and
police had removed his handcuffs. After the marijuana was found, Sergeant Hurt
spoke with Carroll. PPD Officer David A. Knowles witnessed the conversation and
described it as follows:
At the time we had searched and Sergeant Hurt looked at the defendant
and told him, he says, I know that you youve got the
dope and you probably have it down your pants. And at that
time he kind of lowered his head and give [sic] the indication like
he was correct in what he was saying. And he was asked
to stand up. He said, Ill get it. and [sic] he walked
over to the by the bathroom and raised up his shirt and
at that time Officer Hurt could see the plastic bag and he pulled
it out from his beltline.
Id. at 19. The plastic bag that was pulled from Carrolls pants
held several smaller baggies containing an off white rock like substance, powder and
rock like. Id. The substance in the plastic bag later tested
positive for methamphetamine. Carroll informed Officer Knowles that he had just obtained
the substance that evening from another individual in town, and that he was
selling it for $50 for a half-gram and $25 for half that quantity.
He also informed the officer he had already sold some of it
earlier that evening.
On June 10, 2004, a criminal information was filed charging Carroll with dealing
methamphetamine within 1000 feet of a school. On July 19, 2004, Carroll
filed a motion to suppress, challenging the legality of the search of his
person. The trial court denied the motion following a hearing. At
Carrolls request, the trial court certified the order for interlocutory appeal. We
accepted jurisdiction of the appeal on October 12, 2004, pursuant to Ind. Appellate
Rule 14(B).
Our standard for reviewing the denial of a motion to suppress is well
settled. We review such rulings in a manner similar to other sufficiency
matters. Marlowe v. State, 786 N.E.2d 751 (Ind. Ct. App. 2003).
We do not reweigh the evidence, and we consider conflicting evidence most favorable
to the ruling. Id. Unlike typical sufficiency reviews, however, we will
consider not only the evidence favorable to the judgment, but also the uncontested
evidence favorable to the defendant. Id.
Carroll contends the State failed to demonstrate that one of the exceptions to
the warrant requirement applies to the warrantless search of his person. In
essence, Carroll argues that police officers illegally detained him during the search of
the apartment, and then bootstrapped the detention and search of his person to
the legal warrant used to search his apartment. It is undisputed that
the legality of the search hinges on the legality of the detention
Both parties agree this case involves a question of first impression in
Indiana, viz., whether the officers executing a search warrant [have] the authority to
require [a person] to re-enter the house and to remain there while they
conducted their search[.] Brief of Appellee at 4. The State adds
that although no Indiana court has yet decided the question, the United States
Supreme Court has determined in Michigan v. Summers, 452 U.S. 692 (1981), that
such detentions are permissible under the Fourth Amendment.
The facts in Summers were that the defendant was descending the front steps
of his home and preparing to leave when police arrived with a warrant
to search his house. The defendant attempted to leave, but police prevented
him from doing so. When officers executed the warrant, they discovered a
bag containing what appeared to be illegal narcotics. The defendant was placed
under arrest and a custodial search of his person revealed a quantity of
what appeared to be heroin in his pocket. That heroin formed the
basis of a charge of possession of narcotics. The defendant sought to
suppress that evidence on the ground that it was the fruit of an
illegal search. That contention, in turn, was based upon the argument that
his detention while the house was being searched was illegal under the Fourth
Amendment. The Michigan Supreme Court agreed with that contention and reversed the
conviction. The Michigan Attorney General appealed that decision to the United States
Supreme Court, which reversed the Michigan high courts ruling.
The Court concluded in Summers that the legality of the search itself depended
entirely upon the legality of the detention. It noted that at the
time of the arrest, the officers had developed probable cause to search his
person by virtue of the discovery of narcotics in his house. But,
were authorities empowered to detain the defendant during the search in the first
place? The Court concluded they were. Noting that the detention of
an individual under those circumstances constitutes a seizure within the meaning of Fourth
Amendment jurisprudence, the court observed the general rule is that a seizure must
be supported by probable cause. The court then discussed exceptions to the
general rule, specifically a line of cases involving
seizures that, although admittedly covered
by the Fourth Amendment constitute such limited intrusions on the personal security of
those detained and are justified by such substantial law enforcement interests that they
may be made on less than probable cause, so long as police have
an articulable basis for suspecting criminal activity. Id. at 699. The
court proceeded to an examination of whether the general rule applies in this
type of case, or whether an exception should be created. In so
doing, the court examined two criteria: (1) the character of the official intrusion,
as well as (2) its justification. That discussion, reproduced here, is relevant
in the instant case. The court first discussed the nature of the
intrusion:
Of prime importance in assessing the intrusion is the fact that the police
had obtained a warrant to search respondents house for contraband. A neutral and
detached magistrate had found probable cause to believe that the law was being
violated in that house and had authorized a substantial invasion of the privacy
of the persons who resided there. The detention of one of the residents
while the premises were searched, although admittedly a significant restraint on his liberty,
was surely less intrusive than the search itself. Indeed, we may safely
assume that most citizens--unless they intend flight to avoid arrest--would elect to remain
in order to observe the search of their possessions. Furthermore, the type of
detention imposed here is not likely to be exploited by the officer or
unduly prolonged in order to gain more information, because the information the officers
seek normally will be obtained through the search and not through the detention.
Moreover, because the detention in this case was in respondents own residence, it
could add only minimally to the public stigma associated with the search itself
and would involve neither the inconvenience nor the indignity associated with a compelled
visit to the police station.
Id. at 701-02 (footnotes omitted). Next, the court examined the justification:
In assessing the justification for the detention of an occupant of premises being
searched for contraband pursuant to a valid warrant, both the law enforcement interest
and the nature of the articulable facts supporting the detention are relevant. Most
obvious is the legitimate law enforcement interest in preventing flight in the event
that incriminating evidence is found. Less obvious, but sometimes of greater importance, is
the interest in minimizing the risk of harm to the officers. Although no
special danger to the police is suggested by the evidence in this record,
the execution of a warrant to search for narcotics is the kind of
transaction that may give rise to sudden violence or frantic efforts to conceal
or destroy evidence. The risk of harm to both the police and
the occupants is minimized if the officers routinely exercise unquestioned command of the
situation. Cf. 2 W. LaFave, Search and Seizure § 4.9, pp. 150-151 (1978).
Finally, the orderly completion of the search may be facilitated if the occupants
of the premises are present. Their self-interest may induce them to open locked
doors or locked containers to avoid the use of force that is not
only damaging to property but may also delay the completion of the task
at hand.
Id. at 702-03 (footnote omitted).
Finally, the court considered a third criterion: the nature of the articulable suspicion
on which the police based the detention of an occupant of a home
subject to a search warrant. The Court concluded that the search warrants
very existence provides an objective justification for the detention. By virtue of the
warrant, we know that a judicial officer has determined that authorities have probable
cause to believe someone in the subject home is committing a crime.
Id. Therefore, the decision to allow police to thrust themselves into the
privacy of a home, id. at 703, is made by a neutral magistrate
rather than an officer in the field. The connection of an occupant
to that home gives the police officer an easily identifiable and certain basis
for determining that suspicion of criminal activity justifies a detention of that occupant.
Id. at 704. Thus, the Court held, if the evidence that
a citizens residence is harboring contraband is sufficient to persuade a judicial officer
that an invasion of the citizens privacy is justified, it is constitutionally reasonable
to require that citizen to remain while officers of the law execute a
valid warrant to search his home. Id. at 704-05.
It appears to this court that all of the relevant facts in the
instant case are substantially similar to those in
Summers. The defendant in
each case was an occupant of the house being served, was outside the
house when the search warrant was served, was not allowed to leave, but
instead taken inside the house while the house was being searched, and after
contraband was found in the house, the defendants person was searched, and further
contraband was discovered thereby. Clearly, the detention and search of Carrolls person
was consistent with Fourth Amendment principles under Summers.
All that remains is to determine whether Carroll is entitled to relief under
Article I, Section 11 of the Indiana Constitution, which is our state counterpart
to the Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution. The State contends
that Carroll did not preserve a claim under that provision. We agree.
So far as we can tell, Carroll has referred to Article I,
Section 11 only twice while presenting and appealing this issue. Paragraph 7
of his Motion to Suppress Evidence stated: The search was conducted
in violation of the Defendants rights secured by the Constitution of the United
States under the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Fourteenth Amendments, and also under the
[sic] Article I, Seciton [sic] 11 of the Indiana Constitution.
Appellants Appendix
at 8. The second reference to the Indiana Constitution is found in
the final sentence of Carrolls appellate brief, which states, The detainment and subsequent
search of Carroll was in violation of rights secured by the Constitution of
the United States under the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Fourteenth Amendments, and under
Article I, Section 11 of the Indiana Constitution[.] Appellants Brief at 9.
As the foregoing reflects, Carroll has offered nothing more than passing references to
the Indiana constitutional provision. We have consistently held that more is required
when making an argument based specifically on a provision of the Indiana Constitution,
especially when, as here, the defendant can prevail only by establishing that the
scope and effect of the Indiana provision differs from its federal counterpart.
See, e.g., Rybolt v. State, 770 N.E.2d 935, 942 n.2 (Ind. Ct. App.
2002) (the defendant fail[ed] to provide an independent analysis of Article I, Section
11 of the Indiana Constitution, and the failure to make a cogent argument
under Article I, Section 11 of the Indiana Constitution constitutes waiver of the
issue on appeal), trans. denied.
In responding to the States waiver claim, Carroll contends the onus is upon
the State because [w]hen a defendant challenges the admissibility of evidence based on
a violation of the Federal and State Constitutions, then the State bears the
burden of proving the evidence was admissible.
Appellants Reply Brief at 3.
In fact, the onus does rest upon the State when, at the
trial court level, a defendant challenges a search or seizure on constitutional grounds.
Such occurred here. Carroll mounted a constitutional challenge to the admissibility
of the fruits of the search of his person. Although his motion
invoked both the United States and Indiana Constitutions by name, his argument was
framed exclusively in terms of the federal provision. The State responded accordingly,
and the trial courts determination reflects its conclusion that the seizure was permissible
under both the Fourth Amendment and Article I, Section 11, notwithstanding that Carrolls
argument did not specifically address the Indiana provision.
Carrolls argument below, the trial courts ruling, and Carrolls argument on appeal implicitly
assume that the analysis under Article I, Section 11 is the same as
the analysis under the Fourth Amendment. Were it otherwise, we presume Carroll
would have offered different analyses under each provision. Be that as it
may, the two provisions are identical and no Indiana case has recognized a
distinction between them. If indeed the scope of Article I, Section 11
is identical to that of the Fourth Amendment,
Summers settles the question under
both. If, on the other hand, the Indiana provision should be interpreted
differently, it was incumbent upon Carroll to make that argument. He did
not do that below, and he makes no such argument on appeal.
In summary, the State carried its burden of proving that the seizure was
proper under the Fourth Amendment and hence, Article I, Section 11.
Carroll has failed to present an argument that the analysis under the Indiana
Constitution differs from the analysis under the United States Constitution, as set forth
in
Summers. Therefore, Carroll waived the issue of the legality, under Article
I, Section 11, of his detention while his apartment was being searched because
it required a separate and distinct analysis under that provision. See Rybolt
v. State, 770 N.E.2d 935.
Ruling affirmed.
SHARPNACK, J., and BAKER, J., concur.