U.S. v. Bercier, No. C4-04-27.
| Decision Date | 22 July 2004 |
| Docket Number | No. C4-04-27. |
| Citation | 326 F.Supp.2d 992 |
| Parties | UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff, v. Patrick John BERCIER, Defendant. |
| Court | U.S. District Court — District of North Dakota |
David D. Hagler, U.S. Attorney, U.S. Attorney's Office, Bismarck, ND, for United States of America.
Richard L. Hagar, Kenner Law Firm, P.C., Minot, ND, for Defendant.
ORDER DENYING DEFENDANT'S MOTION TO SUPPRESS EVIDENCE
Before the Court is the Defendant's Motion to Suppress Evidence filed on June 3, 2004. For the reasons set forth below, the motion is denied.
On Saturday, January 17, 2004, medical officials at the Belcourt Hospital notified Tammy Morin1 that the mother of Patrick John Bercier's children had prematurely given birth to a baby girl that tested positive for methamphetamine. Given Morin's past experience with the Bercier family, Morin contacted Tribal Judge Beverly May to obtain authorization to conduct an onsite assessment and possible emergency removal of the three remaining Bercier children residing with Bercier.
Upon receiving verbal authorization from Tribal Judge May, Morin requested the assistance of Belcourt law enforcement to facilitate the visit and potential emergency removal. Officers Stacey LaRocque and Phil LaVallie accompanied Morin to the Bercier residence as requested. Both officers were aware that Patrick Bercier had two outstanding arrest warrants for contempt of court and a probation violation.
When Tammy Morin and the officers arrived at the Bercier residence, the front door was partially open. Morin knocked and Amanda Bercier, the Defendant's sister, peered through the door opening followed by Patrick John Bercier who fully opened the door. Bercier was identified by Belcourt law enforcement and was promptly arrested inside the residence. Upon entry, Officer LaRocque saw two other adult males whom he excused from the premises. Officer LaRocque also heard some noise upstairs.
Morin then notified Patrick Bercier of Tribal Judge May's authorization to remove the three children currently living with him and to place them into protective custody until the matter could be brought before the Tribal Court.
Morin identified two of the children in the immediate living room area and Bercier indicated that the youngest child was upstairs sleeping. After finding clothes for the two children, Amanda Bercier preceded Morin upstairs. A sixteen-year-old male was present and exited the premises upon Morin's arrival.
Morin opened the first bedroom door but the child was not present. Morin immediately noticed drug paraphernalia including needles, syringes and books of rolling papers. Morin called to the law enforcement officers for assistance because she feared that other people might still be present and the youngest child still had not been located. Officer LaVallie went upstairs and confirmed the presence of the drug paraphernalia and also noticed a four-inch-long pipe with both ends plugged and a green fuse protruding out of one end. Officer LaVallie called for Officer LaRocque to assist in the determination of whether a methamphetamine lab was in operation there and to assess the presence of the suspected explosive device. The room contained several items commonly used in association with drug ingestion. Officer LaRocque concluded that because the building housed three other apartments accessible by other people in this residential neighborhood, the suspected pipe bomb was an immediate danger and was promptly removed.
After securing the area and removing the explosive device, the remaining child was located. Suffering from head lice, colds, hunger and filthy diapers, all three children were immediately taken to the hospital emergency room. Patrick Bercier was taken into custody pursuant to the two Tribal arrest warrants.
The pipe bomb was later detonated by Officers Haug and Glaser of the Minot Police Department Bomb Squad. Officers Haug and Glaser accompanied Officer LaRocque back to the Bercier residence to search for any more explosive devices. While none were found, another piece of pipe consistent with the first pipe bomb was found in the residence.
The Fourth Amendment guarantees "[t]he right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures." U.S. Const. amend. IV. The reasonableness of the search is determined "by assessing, on one hand, the degree to which it intrudes upon an individual's privacy and, on the other hand, the degree to which it is need for the promotion of legitimate governmental interests." Wyoming v. Houghton, 526 U.S. 295, 300, 119 S.Ct. 1297, 143 L.Ed.2d 408 (1999).
The general rule is that the government must secure a warrant before conducting a search. Katz v. U.S., 389 U.S. 347, 357, 88 S.Ct. 507, 19 L.Ed.2d 576 (1967); accord U.S. v. Alberts, 721 F.2d 636, 638 (8th Cir.1983). When an individual's home is searched without a warrant, "the burden is on those seeking [an] exemption to show the need for it." U.S. v. Jeffers, 342 U.S. 48, 51, 72 S.Ct. 93, 96 L.Ed. 59 (1951); accord U.S. v. Selberg, 630 F.2d 1292, 1294 (8th Cir.1980) ().
The United States Supreme Court has established many exceptions2 to the general rule. Schneckloth v. Bustamonte, 412 U.S. 218, 243, 93 S.Ct. 2041, 36 L.Ed.2d 854 (1973) (consent searches); Warden v. Hayden, 387 U.S. 294, 298-99, 87 S.Ct. 1642, 18 L.Ed.2d 782 (1967) (exigent circumstances); U.S. v. Robinson, 414 U.S. 218, 94 S.Ct. 467, 38 L.Ed.2d 427 (1973) (); Coolidge v. New Hampshire, 403 U.S. 443, 91 S.Ct. 2022, 29 L.Ed.2d 564 (1971) ().
While the Fourth Amendment limits the circumstances under which the police can conduct a search, "there is nothing constitutionally suspect in a person's voluntarily allowing a search." Schneckloth v. Bustamonte, 412 U.S. 218, 243, 93 S.Ct. 2041, 36 L.Ed.2d 854 (1973); Florida v. Bostick, 501 U.S. 429, 439, 111 S.Ct. 2382, 115 L.Ed.2d 389 (1991) ().
"[T]he question of whether a consent to search was in fact `voluntary' or was the product of duress or coercion, expressed or implied, is a question of fact to be determined from the totality of all circumstances." Schneckloth, 412 U.S. at 227, 93 S.Ct. 2041. Furthermore, "[a] voluntary statement made by a suspect, not in response to interrogation, is not barred by the Fifth Amendment and is admissible with or without the giving of Miranda warnings." U.S. v. Hatten, 68 F.3d 257, 262 (8th Cir.1995) (citing Rhode Island v. Innis, 446 U.S. 291, 299, 100 S.Ct. 1682, 64 L.Ed.2d 297 (1980)).
The Eighth Circuit has established several relevant factors including both individual and environmental characteristics that may be considered in making such a determination: (1) the age of the individual giving consent; (2) the general intelligence and education of the consenting party; (3) whether the individual was under the influence of alcohol or a mind-altering substance; (4) whether the individual was informed of his right to withhold consent or of his Miranda rights prior to consent; (5) whether an individual had experienced prior arrests so that he or she was aware of the protections the legal system affords to suspected criminals; (6) the length of time the individual was detained or questioned; (7) whether the individual was physically threatened, intimidated, or punished by the police; (8) whether the individual relied upon promises or misrepresentations by the police; (9) whether the individual was in custody or under arrest when the consent was given; (10) whether the individual was in a public or secluded location; and (11) whether the individual objected to the search or passively looked on. U.S. v. Hathcock, 103 F.3d 715, 719 (8th Cir.1997) (citing U.S. v. Chaidez, 906 F.2d 377, 380 (8th Cir.1990)).
Patrick Bercier is a twenty-eight-year-old father of four children. He was on probation at the time of this arrest and it could be reasonably inferred that he was aware of his legal rights. No evidence indicates that he was intoxicated. While the officers did not read Bercier his rights, they also did not ask to search the residence for at least three reasons: (1) Bercier was immediately apprehended upon entry to the premises, (2) two of the three children were immediately located, and (3) Morin, aided by Bercier's own guidance as to the location of the third child, was the only official moving through the residence. Only when Morin requested assistance upstairs did Officer LaVallie move beyond the immediate vicinity of Bercier's arrest. Upon Officer LaVallie's return from the upstairs bedroom to confirm the presence of drug paraphernalia identified by Morin, Officer LaRocque noted that Bercier rejected Officer LaVallie's assertion that a meth lab might be operating there and volunteered his consent to a search to prove it. No evidence or complaint of physical abuse or intimidation exists. Bercier was taken into custody at his residence and volunteered consent to confirm his claim that a meth lab was not operating in the residence.
In summary, the Defendant provided consent to search the upstairs area to both Morin and the officers on two distinct occasions: first, when he told Morin that the youngest child was upstairs sleeping, and second, when he asserted that a meth lab was not operating in the residence and told the officers to inspect the area.
"Police officers need either a warrant or probable cause plus exigent circumstances in order to...
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