State v. Patterson, 90-KA-0615

Citation588 So.2d 392
Decision Date15 October 1991
Docket NumberNo. 90-KA-0615,90-KA-0615
PartiesSTATE of Louisiana v. Vester L. PATTERSON, a/k/a Gilbert Patterson. 588 So.2d 392
CourtCourt of Appeal of Louisiana (US)

Harry F. Connick, Dist. Atty., David L. Arena, Asst. Dist. Atty., New Orleans, for plaintiff-appellee State.

Sherry Watters, Orleans Indigent Defender Program, New Orleans, for defendant-appellant Vester Patterson, etc.

Before KLEES, BYRNES and PLOTKIN, JJ.

KLEES, Judge.

The defendant Vester Patterson a/k/a Gilbert Patterson was charged by bill of information, with violating R.S. 14:95.1 relative to being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. On January 4, 1990, a twelve-person jury found the defendant guilty as charged. The defendant was sentenced to serve five years at hard labor without the benefit of probation, parole, or suspension of sentence. He was also sentenced to pay a fine of $1,000 or serve thirty days in jail and to pay court costs of $159.00 or serve thirty days in jail. This appeals follows.

FACTS

On September 29, 1989, Officer Charles Montgomery, Agent Charles Smith, Detective Howard Gay, and an agent of the Immigration Service were working together as part of a narcotics task force. At around 4:00 a.m. they were travelling in an unmarked police vehicle on Olive Street when they saw the defendant and another man sitting on the steps in front of 7206 Olive Street. Detective Gay recognized the house and knew it was abandoned because of a previous search. When the defendant saw the officers' car, he became fidgety, got up, walked toward an alley, pulled a gun from his waistband, and threw it under the house. Officers Montgomery and Smith retrieved the gun from under the house while Detective Gay detained the defendant. Officer Montgomery testified that the gun was clean and dry, but the area under the house was wet and full of trash.

Officer William Sable, a fingerprint expert, testified that the defendant's fingerprints matched those on a bill of information from case number 336-990. That bill of information charged a simple burglary on July 27, 1989. Officer Sable also matched the defendant's fingerprints with those on an arrest register in the name of Vester L. Patterson a/k/a Gilbert Patterson for the charge of simple burglary on July 27, 1989. The State later introduced the court record from case number 336-690.

The defendant testified at trial. He admitted that he was convicted of simple burglary in 1989. He denied having been in possession of the gun.

ERRORS PATENT

The only error patent pertains to appellant's sentence and is discussed under the second assignment of error.

ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR NO. 1

Both counsel and the appellant in a pro se brief argue that the trial court erred when it denied the motion to suppress the physical evidence. They argue that the officers did not have reasonable suspicion to approach the defendant and thus any property abandoned by him was illegally seized.

Reasonable cause for an investigatory stop is something less than probable cause for arrest and must be determined under the facts of each case. The issue is whether the officers had sufficient knowledge of facts and circumstances to justify an infringement on the individual's right to be free from government interference. The right to make an investigatory stop must be based upon reasonable cause to believe that the suspect has been, is, or is about to be engaged in criminal activity. State v. Ossey, 446 So.2d 280 (La.1984), cert. den. Ossey v. Louisiana, 469 U.S. 916, 105 S.Ct. 293, 83 L.Ed.2d 228 (1984). State v. Belton, 441 So.2d 1195 (La.1983), cert. den. Belton v. Louisiana, 466 U.S. 953, 104 S.Ct. 2158, 80 L.Ed.2d 543 (1984); State v. Andrishok, 434 So.2d 389 (La.1983). The detaining officer must have knowledge of specific, articulable facts which reasonably warrant the stop. State v. Lee, 462 So.2d 249 (La.App. 4th Cir.1984). The totality of the circumstances must be considered in determining whether reasonable cause exists. U.S. v. Cortez, 449 U.S. 411, 101 S.Ct. 690, 66 L.Ed.2d 621 (1981).

La.C.Cr.P. art. 215.1 allows a police officer to stop a person in a public place whom "he reasonably suspects is committing, has committed, or is about to commit an offense and may demand of him his name, address, and an explanation of his actions." While flight, nervousness or startled behavior at the sight of a police officer is not in and of itself enough to constitute reasonable cause to make an investigatory stop, these facts may be highly suspicious and lead to a finding of reasonable case to detain the individual. State v. Belton, supra.

A person's liberty and privacy are not violated simply because a police officer attempts to talk with him as long as that individual is free to disregard the questioning and walk away. U.S. v. Mendenhall, 446 U.S. 544, 100 S.Ct. 1870, 64 L.Ed.2d 497 (1980); State v. Lanter, 391 So.2d 1152 (La.1980); State v. Duplessis, 391 So.2d 1116 (La.1980). When an individual is actually stopped without reasonable cause or if a stop is imminent, the "right to be left alone" is violated, resulting in an illegal seizure. State v. Belton, supra.

When officers do not have the right to make an investigatory stop, property abandoned or otherwise disposed of as a result thereof cannot be legally seized. State v. Andrishok, 434 So.2d 389 (La.1983). If, however, property is abandoned without any prior unlawful intrusion into a citizen's right to be free from governmental interference then such property may be lawfully seized. State v. Wheeler, 416 So.2d 78 (La.1982); State v. Williams, 398 So.2d 1112 (La.1981). In such cases, there is no expectation of privacy and, thus, no violation of a person's custodial rights. State v. Andrishok, supra. It is only where a citizen is actually stopped without reasonable cause or when that stop is imminent that the right to be left alone is violated thereby rendering unlawful any resultant seizure of abandoned property. State v. Chopin, 372 So.2d 1222 (La.1979).

Article 1, Section 5, of the Louisiana Constitution of 1974 protects against unreasonable searches, seizures, and invasions of privacy. 1 This clause is not the same and does not duplicate the Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution. Instead, as was stated by the Louisiana Supreme Court in State v. Church, 538 So.2d 993, 996 (La.1989)

It represents a conscious choice by the citizens of Louisiana to give a "higher standard of individual liberty than that afforded by the jurisprudence interpreting the federal constitution." State v. Hernandez, 410 So.2d 1381 at 1385 (La.1982).

In Church, the Court found that although a DWI roadblock may have met federal constitutional standards, it was an unconstitutional invasion of the privacy guaranteed by the Louisiana Constitution.

The Court in Hernandez, supra, also made it clear that in some instances Louisiana courts cannot be bound by the decisions of the United States Supreme Court:

We, of course, give careful consideration to the United States Supreme Court interpretations of relevant provisions of the federal constitution, but we cannot and should not allow those decisions to replace our independent judgment in construing the constitution adopted by the people of Louisiana.

Therefore, the determination to be made in this instance is whether the defendant has been "seized", this would occur when the police have made it appear that some form of detention was imminent, thus invading the defendant's privacy interest. If the defendant's right to privacy has been invaded, without regard to whether physical force has been applied to the person or whether the person has submitted to a show of authority, then the State must show that the officers had probable cause or reasonable suspicion to do so, depending on whether an arrest or merely an investigatory stop has occurred.

The facts of this case show that the defendant abandoned the gun after the police officers exited the vehicle, identified themselves, and told the defendant to freeze. These actions indicate that the defendant's freedom to leave had been interfered with, especially given that there were four officers involved. The issue is then whether the officers were in possession of facts and knowledge to have a reasonable suspicion that the defendant had been, was, or was about to engage in criminal activity.

The appellant argues that the only articulated fact which the officers had was that the defendant got up and acted fidgety when he observed their vehicle. However, there were additional facts. Detective Gay testified that the defendant was sitting on the steps of a house he knew to be abandoned. Detective Gay also testified that he saw the butt of a gun in the defendant's waistband before he pulled the vehicle over. Officer Montgomery testified that when the defendant saw the vehicle he began fidgeting and fumbling around with the front of his pants. According to Montgomery, he commented to Detective Gay "I hope he's not reaching for a gun. I think he's reaching for a gun." The officers also testified that the other person sitting on the steps acted normally whereas the defendant's actions were suspicious.

The appellant is correct in his argument that mere nervousness or flight is insufficient for reasonable suspicion. State v. Edwards, 530 So.2d 97 (La.App. 4th Cir.1988) writ den., 533 So.2d 19 (La.1988); State v. Williams, 572 So.2d 756 (La.App. 4th Cir.1990), writ den., 576 So.2d 30 (La.1991). In this case, in addition to the defendant's "fidgety" actions, Detective Gay testified he saw the butt of a gun in the defendant's waistband. Officer Montgomery did not actually see a gun but believed that defendant had one. All of the officers testified that even before the vehicle was pulled over the defendant was fumbling with his waistband. Given this testimony, it appears that the officers had reasonable cause for an investigatory stop.

This assignment of error has no merit.

...

To continue reading

Request your trial
27 cases
  • Cole v. Celotex Corp.
    • United States
    • Louisiana Supreme Court
    • May 28, 1992
    ... ... exposure to asbestos at their workplace, and presents several significant issues of law upon which a divergence of opinion exists among our state and federal courts. 1 Plaintiffs, three workers, and defendant, the insurer of plaintiffs' employer's executive officers, both filed writ ... ...
  • State v. Tucker
    • United States
    • Court of Appeal of Louisiana — District of US
    • June 24, 1992
    ...or reasonable suspicion to do so, depending on whether an arrest or merely an investigatory stop has occurred. State v. Patterson, 588 So.2d 392, 395-6 (La.App. 4th Cir.1991) (emphasis After due consideration of the experience of our sister circuits with this issue, and in the absence of an......
  • State v. Thompson
    • United States
    • Louisiana Supreme Court
    • March 2, 2005
    ...criminal activity. State v. Washington, 621 So.2d 114 (La.App. 2d Cir.1993), writ denied, 626 So.2d 1177 (La.1993); State v. Patterson, 588 So.2d 392 (La.App. 4th Cir.1991); State v. Thibodeaux, 531 So.2d 284 (La.App. 3d Cir.1987). Reasonable cause for an investigatory stop is something les......
  • State v. Thompson
    • United States
    • Court of Appeal of Louisiana — District of US
    • March 2, 2005
    ...criminal activity. State v. Washington, 621 So.2d 114 (La.App. 2d Cir.1993), writ denied, 626 So.2d 1177 (La.1993); State v. Patterson, 588 So.2d 392 (La.App. 4th Cir.1991); State v. Thibodeaux, 531 So.2d 284 (La.App. 3d Cir.1987). Reasonable cause for an investigatory stop is something les......
  • Request a trial to view additional results

VLEX uses login cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience. If you click on 'Accept' or continue browsing this site we consider that you accept our cookie policy. ACCEPT