Majority
I. Introduction
II. Timeliness of the Appeal
III. Suppression of Evidence Issue
Defendant, Junius M. LeBlanc, appeals after he was convicted of cocaine possession following the denial of his motion to suppress evidence pursuant to Penal Code section 1538.5 and his ensuing nolo contendere plea. In the published portion of this opinion, we: determine he has timely filed a notice of appeal; reverse the order denying the motion to suppress evidence; and remand for the trial court to decide the consent and other issues.
The pa
rties raise the question of whether the notice of appeal was timely filed. Defendant was sentenced to prison on September 18, 1996. The notice of appeal was given to prison officials for mailing on November 17, 1996, a Sunday. This was 60 days after the sentencing of September 18, 1996. Hence, giving the notice of appeal to the “Dorm Officer” of the unit in which defendant was incarcerated constituted constructive filing of the notice of appeal. (In re Jordan (1992) 4 Cal.4th 116 , 129-130 [ 13 Cal.Rptr.2d 878 , 840 P.2d 983 ]; People v. Slobodion (1947) 30 Cal.2d 362 , 365-368 [ 181 P.2d 868 ].) The fact the envelope containing the notice was addressed to the clerk of the Court of Appeal is irrelevant. (People v. Griggs (1967) 67 Cal.2d 314 , 317-318 [ 61 Cal.Rptr. 641 , 431 P.2d 225 ]; People v. Jackson (1965) 62 Cal.2d 803 , 805-806 [ 44 Cal.Rptr. 452 , 402 P.2d 140 ]; People v. Johnson (1964) 61 Cal.2d 843 , 846 [ 40 Cal.Rptr. 708 , 395 P.2d 668 ].)
A. Procedural Aspects
Prior to pleading nolo contendere, defendant moved to suppress evidence pursuant to Penal Code section 1538.5.[1] The trial court found all of the evidence seized was admissible. Defendant argues the section 1538.5 motion should have been granted. As will be noted, we conclude that the trial court’s findings warrant the admission into evidence of two cocaine pipes initially observed by the two officers while defendant was being arrested. However, three other categories of evidence were seized during the search of the motel room. The officers seized four additional cocaine pipes. Also, the
1 All future statutory references are to the Penal Code.
B. State of the Evidence and the Trial Court’s Findings
When we apply the applicable standard of review (Ornelas v. United States (1996) 517 U.S. 690 , 697 [ 116 S.Ct. 1657 , 1662, 134 L.Ed.2d 911 ]; People v. Williams (1988) 45 Cal.3d 1268 , 1301 [ 248 Cal.Rptr. 834 , 756 P.2d 221 ]; People v. Manning (1973) 33 Cal.App.3d 586 , 602-604 [ 109 Cal.Rptr. 531 ]), the following were the facts. Uniformed Long Beach Police Officers Robert Smith and Jerry Gibbs drove in a marked cruiser to the Avalon Motel in order to serve two misdemeanor arrest warrants on defendant. Defendant had previously been arrested by Officer Smith for a narcotics-related offense. Defendant had “numerous” contacts with Officer Smith. Officer Smith had last spoken to defendant a “[c]ouple of weeks to a month” prior to the arrest at the Avalon Motel. Officer Smith “knew” defendant was involved in narcotics activity. The two officers went to room 12 and knocked on the door. Defendant answered the door. Defendant was advised there were two existing arrest warrants. Then both officers, while standing in the doorway of the motel room, handcuffed defendant. While standing in the doorway, Officer Smith saw what he recognized to be a glass cocaine pipe on a dresser on the west wall of the room. The dresser was approximately five feet from Officer Smith as defendant was being handcuffed. Defendant was walked out to the area in front of the apartment by Officer Smith. While standing outside the motel room, defendant consented to a search of the premises. While defendant was consenting, Officer Gibbs remained in the doorway so as to watch the other individuals in the motel room. While remaining in the doorway watching the other occupants of the motel room, Officer Gibbs saw what he believed to be contraband in the back of the closet on a ledge. Officer Gibbs made this observation while defendant was being handcuffed. The officer described the contraband as a “rock-like object.” Officer Gibbs then saw a glass cocaine pipe. During the search of the motel room, the officers recovered six glass cocaine pipes. Also recovered was a rock of cocaine under the carpet and a shoe belonging to defendant which also contained one of the six glass cocaine pipes. Another cocaine rock, the one observed by Officer Gibbs when he was standing in the door, was found on a ledge. Moreover, a rock of cocaine was recovered
Defendant also presented testimony. This testimony was at odds with some of that presented by Officers Smith and Gibbs. Mr. McGarry, a friend of defendant, testified to being present during the arrest and search on May 16,1996. Mr. McGarry was on parole for commercial burglary. He had been convicted of commercial burglary in Long Beach in 1994. He as also convicted of a nonspecified felony in Orange County on August 6, 1992. Room 12 was rented by defendant, according to Mr. McGarry. Prior to the arrival of the police, Mr. McGarry did not see any drugs of any kind or any cocaine pipes. Mr. McGarry indicated that the police arrived and pushed their way three or four feet into room 12. Defendant was handcuffed and placed in a chair. The officers advised defendant concerning the misdemeanor warrants. Mr. McGarry was asked why he was in the room. Officer Smith indicated Mr. McGarry’s explanation was unacceptable. Officer Smith said, “ ‘Come on, you can come up with something better than that.’ ” Mr. McGarry then consented to a search of the premises. Mr. McGarry was then searched and told to go stand by the door. After some rock cocaine was discovered, Mr. McGarry was arrested. Mr. McGarry never heard defendant consent to a search of the room.
When Mr. McGarry was cross-examined, he was impeached in several areas in addition to his prior convictions. He claimed to have seen defendant 15 to 20 times per year in the preceding 5 years. However, Mr. McGarry admitted that he had been in prison custody during part of the preceding five years. During that time period, Mr. McGarry did not see defendant. Further, he testified that prior to the arrival of the police there was no conversation among the persons in room 12. However, he then changed his testimony and admitted there was discussion among the occupants of the room prior to the arrival of the police. Further, Mr. McGarry testified he had never been convicted for a drug-related offense. However, on June 30, 1989, he was convicted of a violation of Health and Safety Code section 11365.
Defendant also testified in connection with the suppression of evidence motion. He was completely unaware of the drugs and drug paraphernalia in the room. He had resided in the room for five or six days at the time of his arrest. However, defendant did not know how the contraband and the cocaine pipes got into the room. He speculated that they could have been left by others in “cracks and crevices” or compartments in the motel room. When
The trial court determined that there was probable cause to search the premises based on the officers’ observations of cocaine pipes. Further, the court concluded that because there was probable cause to search, there was no need to secure a warrant. The trial judge made no finding as to some of the plain sight or consent issues. The trial judge concluded that because there was probable cause to search, consent was not a material consideration. As we will explain, given its factual findings, the trial court was correct as to the seizure of the cocaine pipe which was observed by Officers Smith and Gibbs while defendant was being handcuffed. As to the remaining four pipes, the three cocaine rocks, and the confession, as we will explain, there will be a need for further findings by the trial judge.
C. The Two Cocaine Pipes Observed by Officers Smith and Gibbs While Defendant Was Being Handcuffed
We agree with the Attorney General that, given the trial judge’s factual findings, the two cocaine pipes observed by Officers Smith and Gibbs while defendant was being handcuffed were lawfully seized. The
Under the version of the testimony accepted by the court, the officers were free to handcuff defendant in the threshold while standing in the doorway or the interior of the room. This was because they had an arrest warrant. It was during this initial phase of the incident that the observations of cocaine pipes were made by Officers Smith and Gibbs. The trial judge’s findings indicate she fully credited the officers’ testimony that they could see the two cocaine pipes while defendant was being handcuffed. Solely from this factual predicate, the trial judge concluded that the observation of the cocaine pipes
The seizure of the two cocaine pipes observed during the handcuffing of defendant were admissible under the Fourth Amendment. We agree with the argument of the Attorney General that the two pipes were observed by the officers while they standing in a place they had a right to be and were hence admissible as contraband seized in plain sight. The plain view doctrine is simply a part of the Fourth Amendment reasonableness standard. The United States Supreme Court has held: “The plain view doctrine ‘merely reflects an application of the Fourth Amendment’s central requirement of reasonableness to the law governing seizures of property. [Citations.]” (Soldal v. Cook County (1992) 506 U.S. 56 , 66 [ 113 S.Ct. 538 , 546, 121 L.Ed.2d 450 ].) The Supreme Court described the limitations and the expanse of the plain view doctrine in Horton v. California (1990) 496 U.S. 128 , 134-136 [ 110 S.Ct. 2301 , 2306-2307, 110 L.Ed.2d 112 ] as follows: “‘It is well established that under certain circumstances the police may seize evidence in plain view without a warrant. But it is important to keep in mind that, in the vast majority of cases, any evidence seized by the police will be in plain view, at least at the moment of seizure. The problem with the “plain view” doctrine has been to identify the circumstances in which plain view has legal significance rather than being simply the normal concomitant of any search, legal or illegal. [*][] ‘An example of the applicability of the “plain-view” doctrine is the situation in which the police have a warrant to search a given area for specified objects, and in the course of the search come across some other article of incriminating character. [Citations.] Where the initial intrusion that brings the police within plain view of such an article is supported, not by a warrant, but by one of the recognized exceptions to the warrant requirement, the seizure is also legitimate. Thus the police may inadvertently come across evidence while in “hot pursuit” of a fleeing suspect. [Citation.] And an object that comes into view during a search incident to arrest that is appropriately limited in scope under existing law may be seized without a warrant. [Citations.] Finally, the “plain-view” doctrine has been applied where a police officer is not searching for evidence against the accused, but nonetheless inadvertently comes across an incriminating object. [Citations.] [CJD ‘What the “plain-view” cases have in common is that the police officer in each of them had a prior justification for an intrusion in the course of which he came inadvertently across a piece of evidence incriminating the accused. The doctrine serves to supplement the prior justification—whether it be a warrant for another object, hot pursuit, search incident to lawful arrest, or
D. The Remaining Evidence
The trial court concluded that the seizure of the two glass cocaine pipes created, first, probable cause to believe that the other narcotics or paraphernalia might be present and, second, disposed of the warrant requirement. We agree with the first line of analysis and disagree with the second conclusion concerning the fact that probable cause is an exception to the warrant requirement. To begin with, we agree that the presence of the two glass cocaine pipes plus Officer Smith’s prior contacts with defendant created a fair probability that other drugs or paraphernalia were likewise present; i.e., there was probable cause to search. (Illinois v. Gates (1983) 462 U.S. 213 , 246 [ 103 S.Ct. 2317 , 2336, 76 L.Ed.2d 527 ]; People v. Hobbs (1994) 7 Cal.4th 948 , 975 [ 30 Cal.Rptr.2d 651 , 873 P.2d 1246 ]; e.g., State v. Moore (Tenn.Crim.App. 1997) 949 S.W.2d 704 , 706 [presence of cocaine pipe in plain view warranted further search of defendant’s person]; State v. Mitchell (Fla.Dist.Ct.App. 1994) 638 So.2d 1015 , 1016 [discovery of cocaine pipes and “ring baggie” in front seat of defendant’s car provided officer with probable cause to search contents of bag of clothes in automobile]; Vercher v. State (Tex.Crim.App. 1993) 861 S.W.2d 68 , 70-71 [cocaine pipe on floorboard provided probable cause]; State v. Ward (1992) 80 Ohio App.3d 701 [ 610 N.E.2d 579 , 580] [seizure of crack cocaine pipe constitutional]; Stanley v. State (Fla.Dist.Ct.App. 1990) 559 So.2d 460 , 462 [probable cause to arrest created in part by cocaine pipe].)
E. Proceedings on Remand
Because the order denying the motion to suppress some of the paraphernalia, contraband, and the confession may not be sustained under the Fourth Amendment, even though the two cocaine pipes were admissible as determined by the trial judge, the judgment must be reversed. However, we agree with the Attorney General that the evidence need not be ordered suppressed until the trial judge has an opportunity to address the consent, protective sweep, and exigent circumstances contentions of the prosecution and make appropriate findings on those subjects. In People v. Henderson (1990) 220 Cal.App.3d 1632 ,1642-1643 [ 270 Cal.Rptr. 248 ], the defendant, after pleading guilty, challenged the trial judge’s findings on a legal issue in connection with a suppression of evidence motion, which was denied. The Court of Appeal determined that the trial judge’s analysis as to why the evidence was admissible was in error. However, in ruling on the suppression of evidence motion, the trial judge did not reach the issue proffered by the prosecution that the entry to the premises could not be justified under the “independent source doctrine.” (Murray v. United States (1988) 487 U.S. 533 , 537-539 [ 108 S.Ct. 2529 , 2533-2534, 101 L.Ed.2d 472 ]; Segura v. United States (1984) 468 U.S. 796 , 805, 813-816 [ 104 S.Ct. 3380 , 3385-3386, 3389-3391,
Defendant argues that he is entitled to withdraw his guilty plea. If we determined that any of the challenged evidence were inadmissible, we would agree. In People v. Hill (1974) 12 Cal.3d 731 , 769-770 [ 117 Cal.Rptr. 393 , 528 P.2d 1 ], disapproved on another point in People v. DeVaughn (1977) 18 Cal.3d 889 , 896, footnote 5 [ 135 Cal.Rptr. 786 , 558 P.2d 872 ], the Supreme Court held that certain evidence should have been suppressed. Because it was impossible to determine whether some or all of the evidence, ordered for the first time excluded on appeal, would have affected the decision to plead guilty, the Supreme Court held that normal harmless error principles were
IV. Disposition
The judgment is reversed and the cause is remanded for proceedings consistent with the views expressed in the body of this opinion.
Grignon, J., and Armstrong, J., concurred.
Cases cited
- In re Jordan 4 Cal.4th 116 at 129-130 p. 160
- People v. Slobodion 30 Cal.2d 362 at 365-368 p. 160
- People v. Griggs 67 Cal.2d 314 at 317-318 p. 160
- People v. Jackson 62 Cal.2d 803 at 805-806 p. 160
- People v. Johnson 61 Cal.2d 843 at 846 p. 160
- Ornelas v. United States 517 U.S. 690 at 697 p. 161
- People v. Williams 45 Cal.3d 1268 at 1301 p. 161
- People v. Manning 33 Cal.App.3d 586 at 602-604 p. 161
- Miranda v. Arizona 384 U.S. 436 at 469-473 p. 162
- Stoner v. California 376 U.S. 483 at 486-490 p. 164
- Steagald v. United States 451 U.S. 204 at 214-215 p. 164
- Payton v. New York 445 U.S. 573 at 603 p. 164
- Maryland v. Buie 494 U.S. 325 at 330 p. 164
- Soldal v. Cook County 506 U.S. 56 at 66 p. 165
- Horton v. California 496 U.S. 128 at 134-136 p. 165
- Illinois v. Gates 462 U.S. 213 at 246 p. 166
- People v. Hobbs 7 Cal.4th 948 at 975 p. 166
- Taylor v. United States 286 U.S. 1 p. 167
- Johnson v. United States 333 U.S. 10 p. 167
- McDonald v. United States 335 U.S. 451 p. 167
- Jones v. United States 357 U.S. 493 at 497-498 p. 167
- Chapman v. United States 365 U.S. 610 p. 167
- Trupiano v. United States 334 U.S. 699 p. 167
- People v. Henderson 220 Cal.App.3d 1632 at 1642-1643 p. 167
- Murray v. United States 487 U.S. 533 at 537-539 p. 167, p. 168
- Segura v. United States 468 U.S. 796 at 805, 813-816, at 3385-3386, 3389-3391 p. 167, p. 168
- People v. Machupa 7 Cal.4th 614 at 628 p. 168
- People v. Brooks 26 Cal.3d 471 at 483 p. 168
- People v. DeVaughn 18 Cal.3d 889 at 896 p. 168
- People v. Ward 66 Cal.2d 571 at 575 p. 169
- People v. Ruggles 39 Cal.3d 1 at 13 p. 169
- People v. Miller 33 Cal.3d 545 at 550-553 p. 169
- Fare v. Scott K. 24 Cal.3d 395 at 400 p. 169
- People v. Rios 16 Cal.3d 351 at 354 p. 169
- People v. Scott 16 Cal.3d 242 at 250-251 p. 169
- People v. Dalton 24 Cal.3d 850 at 860 p. 169
- People v. Ingram 122 Cal.App.3d 673 at 681-682 p. 169
- People v. Mack 66 Cal.App.3d 839 at 849 p. 170