State v. Torres

• Citation: 262 P.3d 1006,125 Hawai'i 382
• Decision Date: 09 August 2011
• Docket Number: No. 28583.,28583.
• Parties: STATE of Hawai‘i, Respondent and Petitioner/Plaintiff–Appellee, v. Jenaro TORRES, Petitioner and Respondent/Defendant–Appellant.
• Court: Supreme Court of Hawai'i

125 Hawai'i 382

262 P.3d 1006

STATE of Hawai‘i, Respondent and Petitioner/Plaintiff–Appellee,

v.Jenaro TORRES, Petitioner and Respondent/Defendant–Appellant.

No. 28583.

Supreme Court of Hawai‘i.

Aug. 9, 2011.

Cynthia A. Kagiwada for petitioner and respondent/defendant-appellant.

Deirdre Marie–Iha, Deputy Solicitor General, and Susan Y.N. Won, Deputy Attorney General, State of Hawai‘i, for respondent and petitioner/plaintiff-appellee.

Amended Opinion of the Court by ACOBA, J.¹

We hold that where the State seeks to prosecute a defendant in a Hawai‘i state court, and seeks to admit evidence obtained in another jurisdiction, the court must give due consideration to the Hawai‘i Constitution and applicable case law, as indicated herein, when assessing whether such evidence is admissible against the defendant. Both Respondent and Petitioner and Respondent/Defendant–Appellant Jenaro Torres (Petitioner) applied for writs of certiorari to review the January 7, 2010 judgment of the Intermediate Court of Appeals (ICA)² filed pursuant to its December 15, 2009 published opinion vacating the May 29, 2007 judgment of conviction filed by the circuit court of the first circuit (the court).³ We accepted Petitioner's Application for writ of certiorari (Petitioner's Application or Application) to correct the ICA's analysis with regard to the admissibility of evidence obtained by federal officers in a state court prosecution.

In accordance with the opinion set forth herein, we uphold that portion of the ICA's opinion affirming the legality of the searches of Petitioner's vehicle under federal law. However, we correct the opinion of the ICA insofar as it failed to additionally consider whether the searches of Petitioner's vehicle also comported with the Hawai‘i Constitution and applicable case law. We affirm the opinion of the ICA in all other respects and we affirm the court's December 5, 2006 order denying Petitioner's motion to suppress under the Hawai‘i Constitution.

I.

The following relevant facts, some verbatim, are from the ICA opinion and the record.

A.

Ruben Gallegos (Gallegos) worked as a cashier at the Pearl Harbor Naval Base (PHNB) Navy Exchange. State v. Torres, 122 Hawai‘i 2, 6, 222 P.3d 409, 413 (App.2009). On May 1, 1992, Gallegos was assigned to cash paychecks at a satellite cashier's cage (cashier cage). Id. at 7, 222 P.3d at 414. Prior to reporting to the cashier cage, Gallegos received $80,000 in cash. Id. Shortly after Gallegos had been escorted to the cashier cage, Petitioner, who was a police officer at PHNB, arrived at the cashier cage in his police uniform, although Petitioner was not scheduled to work on that day. A witness saw Gallegos exit the cashier cage carrying the canvas cash bag and saw the two men walk toward the parking area. Id. Military authorities were subsequently notified that Gallegos was not at his post and "an all points bulletin was issued to detain and arrest [Petitioner] and Gallegos[.]" Id. at 8, 222 P.3d at 415.

Later that day, PHNB police officer Napoleon Aguilar (Officer Aguilar) saw Petitioner in a line of cars waiting to enter PHNB. Id. Officer Aguilar waived Petitioner through, but, once through, motioned for him to stop. Id. When Petitioner rolled down his window to shake Officer Aguilar's hand, Officer Aguilar reached into Petitioner's vehicle and turned off the ignition. Id. A struggle ensued but Petitioner eventually complied with Officer Aguilar's orders, exited the vehicle, and was arrested. Id. Because Petitioner's vehicle was blocking traffic, PHNB Police Sergeant James Rozkiewicz (Sergeant Rozkiewicz) moved it to a nearby parking lot. Id. Pursuant to base procedures for securing an unattended vehicle, Sergeant Rozkiewicz checked the vehicle and the trunk for hazardous or flammable substances. Id. When Sergeant Rozkiewicz attempted to lock the glove compartment, the compartment door fell open, revealing a .38 caliber revolver and a scanner. Id.

Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) Special Agent Ty Torco (Agent Torco) prepared an affidavit in support of a Command Authorization for Search and Seizure (Command Authorization), seeking authorization to search Petitioner's vehicle. Id. at 16, 222 P.3d at 423. The affidavit detailed the information Agent Torco had learned regarding Petitioner's alleged involvement in the theft of $80,000 from the Navy Exchange and also included the observations made by Sergeant Rozkiewicz during his inspection and securing of Petitioner's vehicle. Id. The Command Authorization was signed by E.A. Warner, Commander of PHNB. Id.

A subsequent search of Petitioner's vehicle by NCIS and FBI agents revealed a brown bag in the trunk, which NCIS agents recognized as the type of bag used by the Navy Exchange to transport cash. Id. at 8, 222 P.3d at 415. The bag contained $77,971.82 in cash, along with other items, including a wallet in which Gallegos's driver's license, Navy Exchange identification card, bank card, temporary pass to Pearl Harbor, and other papers were found. Id. NCIS agents also recovered a .38 caliber revolver registered to Petitioner, a stun gun, and a scanner in the glove compartment. Id. NCIS agent Robert Robbins (Agent Robbins) testified at Petitioner's trial that upon examination of the revolver obtained from Petitioner's vehicle, he discovered that there were two intact bullets and three spent cartridge casings in the revolver. Id. Gallegos, who had been reported missing on May 1, 1992, was never seen again. Id.

Petitioner was subsequently charged by the federal government with theft and possession of a loaded firearm on a public highway without a license. Id. at 6, 222 P.3d at 413. Petitioner pled no contest to both charges in federal court and was sentenced to concurrent terms of two years of imprisonment. Id.

Thirteen years after the federal charges were filed, Respondent charged Petitioner with murder in the second degree of Gallegos, in violation of Hawai‘i Revised Statutes (HRS) § 707–701.5 (Supp.1992).⁴ The indictment further stated that Petitioner was subject to sentencing under HRS § 706–660.1 (Supp.1992),⁵ for having "a firearm in his possession or threatened the use or used the firearm while engaged in the commission of [a] felony, whether the firearm was loaded or not, and whether operable or not."

B.

On July 24, 2006, Petitioner filed a Motion to Suppress Evidence No. 2 with the court, seeking to preclude all evidence obtained from the search of his automobile, including the handgun, stun gun, scanner, victim's wallet, identification, and other papers, nearly seventy-eight thousand dollars, and all testimony derived therefrom. Petitioner claimed that the searches of his vehicle violated article I, section 7 of the Hawai‘i Constitution⁶ and the Fourth⁷ and Fourteenth⁸ Amendments to the United States Constitution.

On January 10, 2007, the court issued its Order Denying Petitioner's Motion to Suppress No. 2 (order). In its order, the court made the following findings of fact (findings).

1. On May 1, 1992, [Sergeant Rozkiewicz was] on duty as a base police officer for the [PHNB] and was the acting desk lieutenant. At the time, he had been employed as a base police officer for 6 years.

2. On May 1, 1992, [Officer Aguilar] was also working as a [PHNB] police officer and assigned to guard duty at the Makalapa Gate of the [PHNB].

3. The [PHNB] is a place where nuclear submarines, ships and other military transport vehicles are housed.

4. The [PHNB] also has various officers in high command positions stationed on the base.

5. The [PHNB] had specific regulations for entrance onto the base as provided for in the Internal Security Act of 1950.

6. Pursuant to the Internal Security Act of 1950, the [PHNB] posted a clear and visible sign at the entrance gate which stated: "authorizeD entRY ontO thiS installatioN constituteS consenT tO searcH of Personnel And The Property Under Their Control. Internal Security Act of 1950 Section 21; 50 U.S.C. 797."

7. The aforementioned sign was posted at the Makalapa Gate prior to and on May 1, 1992.

8. Any person who, after reading the sign, decides not to consent to a search of their [sic ] person or property can turn around and leave without having their [sic ] person or property searched.

9. Additionally, the guard shack where a person would have to report in order to gain entrance onto the base was located approximately 50 feet past the sign, thus giving a person ample opportunity to turn around if the person did not want to be subjected to a search of their [sic ] person or property.

10. The duties of a base police officer included enforcement of rules and regulations regarding entry onto the base as well as enforcement of the laws on the base.

11. [Sergeant] Rozkiewicz had receiving [sic] recruit training and other ongoing or recall training regarding the rules and regulations on base.

12. Prior to May 1, 1992, [Sergeant] Rozkiewicz was [Petitioner's] supervisor. [Petitioner] was also employed as a [PHNB] police officer. [Petitioner] had knowledge of the rules and regulations concerning entry onto the base because he had received training regarding the Internal Security Act of 1950 and the regulations concerning procedures to search persons and property.

13. [Officer] Aguilar and [Petitioner] went to training together in June 1990 at the Pearl Harbor police academy and they received training on the Internal Security Act of 1950.

14. On May 1, 1992, prior to 2:30 p.m., [Sergeant] Rozkiewicz was aware of the theft of $80,000.00 from the Navy Exchange and that the persons involved was [sic] the courier [ ] [Gallegos] and [Petitioner].

15. Sometime after 11:00 a.m., [Officer] Aguilar received information from [Sergeant] Rozkiewicz and Major Cruciano that both Gallegos and [Petitioner] were suspects in the theft of $80,000.00 from the Navy Exchange.

16. Around 2:10 p.m., [Officer] Aguilar saw [Petitioner]'s vehicle, a silver-gray Chevrolet Celebrity with the license place "KUNSIL" approach the Makalapa Gate.

17. [Pet

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