State v. Chrisman
| Citation | 600 P.2d 1316,24 Wn.App. 385 |
| Decision Date | 04 October 1979 |
| Docket Number | 2991-III-3,Nos. 2959-III-0,s. 2959-III-0 |
| Parties | STATE of Washington, Respondent, v. Neil Martin CHRISMAN and Carl Philip Overdahl, Appellants. |
| Court | Court of Appeals of Washington |
Stephen E. Bishop, Garfield, for Overdahl.
Robert F. Patrick, Aitken, Schauble, Patrick & Neill, Pullman, for Chrisman.
Ronald Carpenter, Pros. Atty., Gerald R. Fuller, Deputy Pros. Atty., Colfax, for respondent.
*
On the evening of January 21, 1978, Carl Overdahl, carrying a half gallon of gin, walked out of Orton Hall at Washington State University on his way to a party with several of his student friends. At that moment, Officer Daugherty of the Washington State University police department arrived at Orton Hall to investigate an unrelated matter. Officer Daugherty noticed the half gallon of gin and suspected that Overdahl was under the age of 21. The officer stopped Overdahl and asked him for his identification. Overdahl replied that he did not have his identification with him and would have to go upstairs to his room and get it. Overdahl asked the officer if he would wait; the policeman said that under the circumstances, he would have to accompany Overdahl to his room.
While they were waiting for the elevator, the officer asked the student how old he was; he said he was 19. Upon arriving at the eleventh floor, the officer followed Overdahl down the hallway to his room. The door was slightly ajar; Overdahl pushed the door open and entered the approximately 17 by 11 foot room. Officer Daugherty leaned against the doorjamb in the open doorway. At the same time, he noticed that the room was occupied by another student, Neil Chrisman, who appeared visibly nervous upon seeing the police officer.
Officer Daugherty watched the two occupants for a few moments before he saw a tray on a desk 8 to 10 feet from where he was standing; the tray contained seeds. A small pipe lay nearby which his experience led him to believe was used for smoking marijuana. At that point, Officer Daugherty entered the room, walked over and examined the seeds and pipe to verify that what he had been observing was marijuana. For the first time, he gave both Chrisman and Overdahl their Miranda rights. They told the officer they understood their rights and agreed to waive them.
The officer then asked them if they had other drugs in the room; Chrisman handed him a small box containing three plastic baggies of marijuana. Officer Daugherty then called another police officer who arrived shortly thereafter. The officers explained to Overdahl and Chrisman that a search of their room was necessary and they could either consent or the officers would have to get a search warrant. The explanation was given in considerable detail and after it was over, the two students conferred in whispers between themselves for several minutes before giving their consent. The officers again gave them their Miranda rights; both students signed written consent forms prior to the search of the room. The search yielded more marijuana and also LSD.
Chrisman and Overdahl were tried without a jury and convicted of possession of more than 40 grams of marijuana. Neil Chrisman was convicted on a second count of possession of LSD. Prior to trial, a suppression hearing was held. The trial judge denied defendants' motion to suppress. Both defendants appeal. We affirm.
Overdahl contends that Officer Daugherty was required to give him his Miranda rights before asking for proof of his age since the officer suspected him of being a minor in possession and being underage is an element of that crime. Overdahl further contends that because the officer elicited the incriminating information that he was underage prior to giving him his Miranda rights, the officer did not have a justifiable reason for being in the doorway of the room where he observed the drugs, thus the drugs should have been suppressed. We disagree.
The trial judge found that Officer Daugherty had properly placed Overdahl under arrest for minor in possession and was therefore entitled to accompany Overdahl to his room. An officer may arrest for a misdemeanor committed in his presence and the fact that a defendant is later formally charged with another offense does not invalidate an otherwise lawful arrest. City of Spokane v. Badeaux, 20 Wash.App. 731, 734, 581 P.2d 1088 (1978). Overdahl makes no allegation that the detention was an illegal arrest. See State v. Byers, 88 Wash.2d 1, 559 P.2d 1334 (1977). As a general rule, incriminating statements made and evidence then subsequently seized while a person is in custody before he has been advised of his Miranda rights are inadmissible. State v. Dennis, 16 Wash.App. 417, 558 P.2d 297 (1976); State v. Galloway, 14 Wash.App. 200, 540 P.2d 444 (1975). Cf. State v. Hilliard, 89 Wash.2d 430, 573 P.2d 22 (1977); State v. McKeown, 23 Wash.App. 582, 596 P.2d 1100 (1979). Since Overdahl was neither charged with nor tried for the offense of being a minor in possession, his statement to the officer regarding his age was immaterial. Evidence of his age had no bearing on the charge for which he was convicted. We find Overdahl was in lawful custody; and, therefore, Officer Daugherty's accompanying Overdahl to his room was proper and the officer's presence justifiable.
Overdahl argues that Officer Daugherty's entry into his room was an unjustifiable intrusion which does not come within any exception to the requirements of the Fourth Amendment. However, since Overdahl was in custody, Officer Daugherty had a duty to accompany him to his room. His presence in the doorway was proper. It is undisputed that Mr. Overdahl pushed the door open and entered the room. In order to keep Overdahl within his view, the officer stood in the doorway looking into the room. There is no suggestion that Overdahl attempted to close the door once he had entered. Prior to entering the room, the officer saw from his vantage point in the doorway what he believed was contraband. Only at that time, did he cross the threshold and seize the pipe and marijuana seeds.
The circumstances here bear a close resemblance to State v. Daugherty, 22 Wash.App. 442, 591 P.2d 801 (1979), and the rationale in that case is applicable. The police suspected that Daugherty had burglarized a safe. The police went to Daugherty's home and walked into the middle of his driveway. One police officer looking through the open garage doors into the garage saw an object that resembled a safe, partially covered by a...
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Washington v. Chrisman
... 455 U.S. 1 ... 102 S.Ct. 812 ... 70 L.Ed.2d 778 ... WASHINGTON, Petitioner, ... Neil Martin CHRISMAN ... No. 80-1349 ... Jan. 13, 1982. Syllabus by the Court ... An officer of the Washington State University police department observed a student (Overdahl) leave a dormitory carrying a bottle of gin; because Overdahl appeared to be under 21 (the minimum age allowable under Washington law for possession of alcoholic beverages), the officer stopped him and asked for identification. After ... ...
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State v. Chrisman
...of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD). Both defendants appealed and the Court of Appeals affirmed their convictions. State v. Chrisman, 24 Wash.App. 385, 600 P.2d 1316 (1979). They then petitioned this court for review. The charges against Overdahl, however, were subsequently dismissed, and h......
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State v. Roberts
...two occupants. The trial court denied a motion to suppress which ruling was affirmed by the Court of Appeal's in State v. Chrisman, 24 Wash.App. 385, 600 P.2d 1316 (1979). The Supreme Court of the State of Washington in State v. Chrisman, 94 Wash.2d 711, 619 P.2d 971 (1980) reversed the Cou......
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State v. Coyle
...414 U.S. 839, 94 S.Ct. 89, 38 L.Ed.2d 74 (1973); United States v. Nicholas, 319 F.2d 697, 698 (2d Cir. 1963); State v. Chrisman, 24 Wash.App. 385, 390-91, 600 P.2d 1316 (1979); State v. Campbell, 15 Wash.App. 98, 101, 547 P.2d 295 (1976); State v. Singleton, 9 Wash.App. 399, 403, 512 P.2d 1......