People v. Smith

• Decision Date: 04 March 2002
• Docket Number: No. 01SA312.,01SA312.
• Parties: The PEOPLE of the State of Colorado, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. Toby SMITH, Defendant-Appellee.
• Court: Colorado Supreme Court

40 P.3d 1287

The PEOPLE of the State of Colorado, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. Toby SMITH, Defendant-Appellee.

No. 01SA312.

Supreme Court of Colorado, En Banc.

March 4, 2002.

Frank J. Daniels, District Attorney Twenty-First Judicial District, Brian J. Flynn, Deputy District Attorney, Grand Junction, Colorado, Attorneys for Plaintiff-Appellant.

Stephen L. Laiche, Grand Junction, Colorado, Attorney for Defendant-Appellee.

Justice RICE delivered the Opinion of the Court.

The People bring this interlocutory appeal pursuant to section 16-12-102(2), 6 C.R.S. (2001) and C.A.R. 4.1, seeking reversal of the trial court's order suppressing all evidence obtained following the warrantless entry of police into Defendant's residence. The trial court ruled that no medical emergency existed to justify the warrantless entry into Defendant's home because there was no "real and immediate danger to the life or safety of this defendant at the point [the police] entered the house," and, therefore, the seizure was unconstitutional. (R. at v. III, p. 101.) We agree. Accordingly, we affirm the trial court's order suppressing the evidence.

I. FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

At the conclusion of an evidentiary hearing, the trial court found the following facts. On February 24, 2001 at approximately 3:15 p.m., Detective Curt Moreno and Sergeant John Zen met outside Defendant's residence to investigate a tip that drug activity was occurring at the residence. Detective Moreno stood on the porch and knocked on the door to the residence, while Sergeant Zen stayed off the porch and to the side of it in order to provide cover to Detective Moreno if needed. Defendant answered the door, and Detective Moreno identified himself as a member of the joint drug task force, said that he had information of drug activity at the house, and told Defendant that he would like to talk to him. Immediately after Detective Moreno's statement to him, Defendant collapsed.

The trial court further found that Defendant was on the ground only an instant before he regained consciousness.¹ The officers then followed Defendant into his residence. Defendant had entered the house on his own without police assistance and sat down on a chair. The officers asked Defendant about his medical condition; however, neither officer contacted emergency medical personnel. Defendant told the officers that he did not want medical assistance. The trial court also found that according to Sergeant Zen, Defendant was immediately lucid and coherent.

The trial court further found that Detective Moreno asked Defendant if he was okay, and Defendant answered that he was "fucked, [and] that he was going to prison." (R. at v. III, p. 97.) In response, Detective Moreno asked Defendant why he was concerned and whether there were drugs in the residence. Defendant told him that there was a small amount of drugs in the residence. Detective Moreno asked Defendant to obtain them or tell him their location. Defendant gave Detective Moreno a plastic container without a lid containing illegal drugs and drug paraphernalia. Defendant then gave Detective Moreno a lid, which appeared to fit the container, with marijuana placed on top and a marijuana pipe. Defendant then consented to a search of his residence; however, police found no additional evidence. Defendant also asked his wife to obtain a tin for him, which contained marijuana seeds. He gave Detective Moreno the tin as well.

Defendant was arrested and charged with possession of a schedule II controlled substance, § 18-18-405(1)(a), 6 C.R.S. (2001), possession of less than one ounce of marijuana, § 18-18-406(1), 6 C.R.S. (2001), possession of drug paraphernalia, § 18-18-428, 6 C.R.S. (2001), and child abuse, § 18-6-401(7)(b)(II), 6 C.R.S. (2001). Defendant filed a motion to suppress the evidence obtained by police after the warrantless entry into his home. The trial court granted his motion, holding that because there was no real and immediate danger to the life or safety of Defendant when police entered the residence, the officers' warrantless entry into Defendant's home was not justified under the medical emergency exception.

II. THE EMERGENCY EXCEPTION

The Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution and article II, section 7 of the Colorado Constitution forbid unreasonable searches and seizures. A warrantless search and seizure is unconstitutional unless it falls under a well-delineated, specifically established exception to the Warrant Clause of the Fourth Amendment. People v. Kluhsman, 980 P.2d 529, 534 (Colo.1999); People v. Wright, 804 P.2d 866, 869 (Colo. 1991). The prosecution has the burden of proving that the intrusion was necessary under the circumstances of the case. Wright, 804 P.2d at 869. One exception to the Warrant Clause is when exigent circumstances exist, necessitating immediate police action. People v. Winpigler, 8 P.3d 439, 443 (Colo. 1999). We have recognized the exigent circumstances exception in three situations: (1) the bona fide "hot pursuit" of a fleeing suspect; (2) the risk of immediate destruction of evidence; and (3) a colorable claim of an emergency that threatens the life or safety of another. Id. at 443-44. The emergency variant requires: (1) an immediate crisis; and (2) the probability that assistance will be helpful. Id. at 444; People v. Amato, 193 Colo. 57, 60, 562 P.2d 422, 424 (1977).

To determine whether the prosecution has proved that the warrantless entry was justified by the emergency exception, a court must examine the totality of the circumstances as they would have appeared to a "prudent and trained police officer" at the time the decision to conduct the warrantless search is made. People v. Malczewski, 744 P.2d 62, 66 (Colo.1987). A search justified by the emergency doctrine is limited by the nature of the emergency; a general exploratory search is not defensible under this exception. People v. Harper, 902 P.2d 842, 845 (Colo.1995).

III. NO IMMEDIATE CRISIS JUSTIFIED THE WARRANTLESS ENTRY

In reviewing a suppression appeal, a trial court's historical findings of fact are entitled to deference by a reviewing court; however, the trial court's application of legal standards to those facts is treated as a question of law and reviewed de novo. People v. Rivas, 13 P.3d 315, 320 (Colo.2000). Our independent review of the record shows that the trial court's factual findings as recited above are supported by the record. Therefore, the only issue before us is whether the facts as found by the trial court constitute an emergency, and our review is de novo.

To determine whether an emergency excused the officers' warrantless entry into Defendant's home we must first analyze whether the situation — as it would have been objectively examined by a prudent and trained police officer — presented an immediate crisis. Because we conclude that there was no immediate crisis, we need not determine whether police assistance would have been helpful.

The facts show that the situation was not the kind of immediate crisis that would necessitate the police officers' warrantless entry into Defendant's home. Defendant, who according to Sergeant Zen was unconscious for only "a few seconds," (R. at.v.III, p. 7), and was immediately "lucid" and "coherent," (R. at v. III, p. 8, 18), entered his residence on his own accord, needing no assistance from police. Moreover, police did not call medical emergency personnel. In fact, Sergeant Zen specifically admitted that he believed such aid was unnecessary. (R. at v. III, p. 18.) In addition, Defendant's wife was with him if it had later become necessary for her to seek emergency medical support for Defendant.

This situation is unlike prior cases where we have found that an emergency justified a police officer's warrantless entry into a private home. Here the police were not responding to an emergency call, see People v. Amato, 193 Colo. 57, 58, 60-61, 562 P.2d 422, 423-24 (1977)

(holding that police officers' warrantless entry into home and subsequent seizure of items in plain view were justified under emergency doctrine because police were legitimately and reasonably on premises in response to emergency call for a resuscitation unit to treat a possible overdose), a fire, see People v. Harper, 902 P.2d 842, 845-46 (Colo.1995) (ruling that police officers' warrantless entry into residence and subsequent seizure of marijuana in plain view were justified under emergency and plain view doctrines because entry by fire and police personnel to extinguish fire is per se constitutionally valid), an apparent burglary, see People v. Unruh, 713 P.2d 370, 379 (Colo. 1986) (ruling that "under the emergency exception to the warrant requirement, police officers may enter private property without a warrant where there is a reasonable belief that the premises have been or are being burglarized in order to secure the premises and to search for suspects and victims"), or a plea for help in obtaining a woman's baby from her intoxicated husband who "had broken into her niece's house and had taken `their baby.'" See People v. Malczewski, 744 P.2d 62, 66 (Colo.1987) (holding that police officer's warrantless entry into defendant's home was justified under the emergency variant of the exigent circumstances exception because officer had reason to believe that an immediate crisis existed with respect to the safety of the baby and that his entry into the apartment would be helpful to alleviate the crisis).

Moreover, in this case, there was no evidence that police were worried that others might be hurt inside Defendant's home, see People v. Kluhsman, 980 P.2d 529, 532, 535 (Colo.1999)

(ruling that exigent circumstances justified officers' initial warrantless entry into private home for the purpose of searching for injured people because defendant's blood-streaked appearance and statements that "people had been chasing him all night," that "they were trying to kill him," that "he had killed a couple...