STATE of New Mexico, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. Raymond MARQUART, Defendant-Appellant
No. 17767
Court of Appeals of New Mexico
July 30, 1997
Certiorari Denied Sept. 17, 1997.
945 P.2d 1027 | 1997-NMCA-090
27. In the event the trial court determines that the waiver was not freely and intelligently made, and that the waiver was influenced by the physical inability of his counsel to proceed to trial on the date in question, Defendant‘s convictions should be set aside and Defendant awarded a new trial.
CONCLUSION
28. Defendant‘s convictions are conditionally affirmed. The cause is remanded with instructions to conduct an evidentiary hearing concerning whether Defendant voluntarily, knowingly, and intelligently agreed to waive his right to a jury trial. If Defendant is found not to have knowingly and intelligently waived his right to a jury trial, the convictions are vacated and Defendant shall be entitled to a new trial. If Defendant is found to have voluntarily, knowingly, and intelligently waived such right, the judgment and sentence shall remain in effect, subject to Defendant‘s right to appeal.
29. IT IS SO ORDERED.
APODACA and FLORES, JJ., concur.
T. Glenn Ellington, Chief Public Defender, Carolyn R. Glick, Assistant Appellate Defender, Santa Fe, for Defendant-Appellant.
OPINION
DONNELLY, Judge.
1. In this appeal we examine the issue of whether the trial court erred in revoking Defendant‘s probation based, in part, on the basis of evidence obtained from an allegedly illegal search of Defendant‘s person and vehicle. Because we find that the exclusionary rule of
FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY
2. On June 17, 1996, Officer Paul Martino of the City of Tucumcari Police Department stopped Defendant for not wearing his seat belt. Martino testified that, as he approached Defendant‘s vehicle, both Defendant and his passenger, Gary Olguin, appeared to be acting in a “suspicious manner.” The officer asked Defendant and Olguin to exit the vehicle because the officer stated he was concerned for his own safety. When Defendant got out of the vehicle, the officer saw that the vehicle had been “hot-wired.” Martino then asked Defendant for his driver‘s license, proof of insurance, and registration. Defendant was unable to produce the items and told Martino that his license had been suspended.
3. Martino stated that he then conducted a pat-down search of Defendant because he сontinued to be concerned for his own safety. During this search, the officer testified he felt something bulky. Continuing with the search, Martino removed a small change purse from Defendant‘s rear, right pocket and unzipped it. Inside the purse he found a white envelope which he also opened. The envelope contained a white powdery substance which subsequently tested positive for methamphetamine.
4. Martino then asked Defendant if he could searсh the vehicle. He testified that Defendant gave his consent. In addition to the items found on Defendant‘s person, the officer found three hypodermic needles in a bag situated inside the vehicle. Following the discovery of these items, Defendant was placed under arrest. Martino then ran a computer check and verified that Defendant‘s license had been suspended.
5. At the time of this arrest, Defendant was on probation for prior drug-related offenses. Dеfendant had previously pled guilty to possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, driving on a revoked license, and possession of marijuana, all growing out of a prior incident which occurred on August 29, 1995. As a result of the August 1995 charges, Defendant had received a suspended sentence and had been placed on probation for a period of eighteen months.
6. Following Defendant‘s June 17, 1996, arrest, the State moved to rеvoke Defendant‘s probation. At his probation revocation hearing, Defendant objected to the use of evidence which he claimed to have been illegally seized. Defendant asserted that Officer Martino‘s search was unconstitutional and all evidence seized as a result of the search was “fruit of the poisonous tree.” He argued that the trial court erred in considering evidence illegally obtained and that the only evidence which should have been considered at the hearing to revoke probation related to his violations of the Motor Vehicle Code. The trial court responded, “We really didn‘t have a motion to suppress, that would be addressed to the underlying charge. . . . This was not a suppression hearing. This was a motion for probation revocation.” The trial court proceeded to revoke Defendant‘s probation. The trial court found that Defendant had violatеd the terms of his probation by possessing a controlled substance, possessing drug paraphernalia, and driving while his license was suspended or revoked.
ANALYSIS
7. Defendant contends that the exclusionary rule applies to probation revocation hearings because the rule protects his constitutional right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures pursuant to
8. Defendant, although acknowledging that the trial court could properly revoke his probation on any of the three grounds found by the court, argues that absent evidence of the drug and drug paraphernalia charges, it was questionable as to whether the trial court would have ordered the revocation of his probation solely on the driving charges. He emphasizes, for instance, that the trial court stated it would have considered some alternative treatment had the facts shown that there had been merely “a technical violation of his probation agreement or some other matter.”
9. The State argues that New Mexico‘s еxclusionary rule does not apply to probation revocation hearings because such proceedings are not criminal prosecutions or trials. It points out correctly that this Court has held that the full panoply of rights possessed by a defendant in a criminal prosecution do not apply in probation revocation proceedings. See State v. Sanchez, 109 N.M. 718, 719, 790 P.2d 515, 516 (Ct.App.1990). Instead, the State contends only minimum due process requirements must be met. See id. Responding to thеse contentions, Defendant argues, however, that, although all of the rights possessed by an accused in a criminal prosecution do not apply in probation revocation hearings, nevertheless,
The peоple shall be secure in their persons, papers, homes and effects, from unreasonable searches and seizures, and no warrant to search any place, or seize any person or thing, shall issue without describing the place to be searched, or the persons or things to be seized, nor without a written showing of probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation.
10. Courts in other jurisdictions that have considered the question of whether the exclusionary rule applies to probation revocation proceedings have reached differing results. See generally Phillip E. Hassman, Annotation, Admissibility, In State Probation Revocation Proceedings, of Evidence Obtained Through Illegal Search and Seizure, 77 A.L.R.3d 636 (1977 & Supp.1996). Courts which have declined to apply the exclusionary rule in probation revocation proceedings have generally followed the rationale applied by a majority of federal circuits which have held that the exclusionary rule operates as a judicially created remedy designed to safeguard Fourth Amendment rights through its deterrent effect, and that the rule does not bestow a personal constitutional right upon an aggrieved party. See, e.g., United States v. Bazzano, 712 F.2d 826, 830-34 (3d Cir. 1983) (en banc) (discussing deterrence rationale of Fourth Amendment exclusionary rule as applied to probation revocation); United States v. Frederickson, 581 F.2d 711, 713 (8th Cir.1978) (holding Fourth Amendment exclusionary rule inappliсable to probation revocation proceedings). But see United States v. Workman, 585 F.2d 1205, 1211 (4th Cir.1978) (determining rule applicable to parole revocation hearing).
11. State courts that have followed the approach of a majority of the federal circuit courts have similarly concluded that the exclusionary rule should not apply in probation revocation hearings. Courts which have applied this result generally apply a balance of interest analysis utilized by the United States Supreme Court to determine whether to extend the reach of the exclusionary rule. See United States v. Calandra, 414 U.S. 338, 349-52, 94 S.Ct. 613, 620-22, 38 L.Ed.2d 561 (1974) (considering whether to extend exclusionary rule to grand jury proceedings). In resolving the question of whether to apply the exclusionary rule to probation revocation proceedings, state courts have frequently sought to weigh the prophylactic effect of the
12. Other courts have applied a different rationale in resolving this issue and found that the exclusionary rule to be applicable in probation revocation hearings based upon constitutional privacy rights. See Workman, 585 F.2d at 1211; State v. Dodd, 419 So.2d 333, 334-35 (Fla.1982); Howard v. State, 168 Ga.App. 143, 308 S.E.2d 424, 425 (1983); State v. McMilliam, 243 N.C. 775, 92 S.E.2d 205, 208 (1956); State ex rel. Juvenile Dep‘t v. Rogers, 314 Or. 114, 836 P.2d 127, 128-30 (1992) (en banc); Mason v. State, 838 S.W.2d 657, 659-60 (Tex.App.1992); State v. Lampman, 45 Wash.App. 228, 724 P.2d 1092, 1095 (1986).
13. The State urges this Court to restrict application of the exclusionary rule to probation revocation hearings, in part, because a majority of courts in other jurisdictions have similarly done so. However, as Defendant points out, the determinative question in the case before us is whether the provisions of
14. The State relies in part upon State v. Gardner, 95 N.M. 171, 174, 619 P.2d 847, 850 (Ct.App.1980); State v. Gallagher, 100 N.M. 697, 699, 675 P.2d 429, 431 (Ct.App.1984). We have examined each of the cases the State relies upon in support of its claim that a probationer is not entitled to state constitutional protections and find them unpersuasive under the circumstances existing here. Both cases discuss the rights of a probationer contesting a search by a probation officer, where a submission to search by the probation officer was a specific condition of the individual‘s probation. Gardner, 95 N.M. at 174, 619 P.2d at 850; Gallagher, 100 N.M. at 698, 675 P.2d at 430. In addition, the Gallagher Court relied solely on the Fourth Amendment and declined to decide, under that provision, “whether probationary search conditions may be extended to allow searches by any law enforcеment officials.” Gallagher, 100 N.M. at 699, 675 P.2d at 431. Similarly, this Court‘s decision in Gardner does not provide support for warrantless searches of individuals on probation by any officer. The Gardner Court upheld the search of a probationer where “[the search] was requested by the probation officer.” Gardner, 95 N.M. at 175, 619 P.2d at 851.
“[A]n ordinary law enforcement official [is not] precluded from seeking the probationer‘s consent to conduct a search provided no coercion, actual or threatened, is employed. The prоbationer‘s refusal to accede to such a request makes it necessary either that the matter be referred to the probation officer or that a warrant be obtained.”
Id. (citing United States v. Consuelo-Gonzalez, 521 F.2d 259, 267 (9th Cir.1975)).
16. We think it is clear that the provisions of
17. The New Mexico Supreme Court in Gutierrez distinguished its rationale for application of the exclusionary rule from that of the United States Supreme Court. While the United States Supreme Court hеld that the purpose of the exclusionary rule is to deter police misconduct, the New Mexico Supreme Court has held that the focus of the exclusionary rule “is to effectuate in the pending case the constitutional right of the accused to be free from unreasonable search and seizure.” Gutierrez, 116 N.M. at 446, 863 P.2d at 1067. Accordingly, our Supreme Court in Gutierrez emphasizes that our state constitution focuses on the constitutional rights of individuals; thus, the exclusionary rule is not a “mere ‘judicial remedy‘” for unconstitutionally seized evidence. Id. Application of the exclusionary rule to probation revocation proceedings is consistent with this state‘s constitutional purpose.
18. Nor do we believe that
19. In light of the express provisions of
20. Having found that
21. Because the trial court relied upon evidence claimed to have been unlawfully obtained in violation of Defendant‘s Article II, Section 10 rights, and because the trial court did not indicate whether, if the other evidence is determined to be subject to exclusion, Defendant‘s motor vehicle license violations, alone, under the circumstances warrant revocation of Defendant‘s probation, we remand to the trial court for consideration of these issues. Cf. State v. Danek, 118 N.M. 8, 11-12, 878 P.2d 326, 329-30 (1994) (remanding for trial court to determine whether single error created sufficient prejudice to require new trial).
CONCLUSION
22. The trial cоurt‘s order revoking Defendant‘s probation is reversed, and the cause is remanded with instructions to redetermine the probation status and for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.
23. IT IS SO ORDERED.
APODACA, J. concurs.
HARTZ, C.J., specially concurs.
HARTZ, Chief Judge, specially concurring.
(24) I concur in the result. I do so because I believe that the result is compelled by the reasoning of the New Mexico Supreme Court in State v. Gutierrez, 116 N.M. 431, 863 P.2d 1052 (1993).
(25) The Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution states:
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
The people shall be secure in their persons, papers, homes and effects, from unreasonable searches and seizures, and no warrant to search any place, or sеize any person or thing, shall issue without describing the place to be searched, or the persons or things to be seized, nor without a written showing of probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation.
For convenience, I shall refer to both provisions as the Fourth Amendment.
(26) Whether this case is difficult depends on the rationale one adopts for the exclusionary rule--the rule that evidence obtained in violation of a person‘s Fourth Amendment rights cannot be used by the government in a criminal trial of that person. One view is that the use at a criminal trial of unlawfully obtained evidence constitutes a violation of the Fourth Amendment. In other words, the Fourth Amendment itself commands the exclusionary rule. The other view is that the exclusionary rule is merely a means to an end--a remedy devised by the courts to protect Fourth Amendment rights.
(28) Hence, whether to adopt the exclusionary rule is a matter of pragmatic judgment. For the past several decades the dominant view has been that remedies short of the exclusionary rule are inadequate to protect Fourth Amendment rights. In the absence of the rule, courts have found law enforcement agencies all too willing to disregard constitutional restraints. See, e.g., People v. Cahan, 44 Cal.2d 434, 282 P.2d 905, 907-14 (1955).
(29) Yet, if the exclusionary rule is a means to an end, rather than an end in itself, it may be appropriate to set limits to its application. For example, the United States Supreme Court adopted what is called the good-faith exception in United States v. Leon, 468 U.S. 897, 104 S.Ct. 3405, 82 L.Ed.2d 677 (1984). The Supreme Court held that evidence obtained pursuant to a warrant that is later determined to be invalid should not be suppressed if the officers’ reliance on the warrant was objectively reasonable. Cf. Cahan, 282 P.2d at 909 n. 4 (suggesting possibility of good-faith exception to exclusionary rule). Contra Gutierrez (rejecting good-faith exception).
(30) From this pragmatic point of view, the question before us on appeal would be whether application of the exclusionary rule to probation-revocation hearings is necessary to deter violations of the Fourth Amendment by law enforcement officers. Reasonable people could differ in their answers. The fact that New Mexico has rejected the good-faith exception does not in itself compel exclusion. I note that the Connecticut Supreme Court has rejected the good-faith exception, see State v. Marsala, 216 Conn. 150, 579 A.2d 58 (1990), while ordinarily refusing to apply the exclusionary rule in probation-revocation proceedings, see Payne v. Robinson, 207 Conn. 565, 541 A.2d 504 (1988).
(31) Such analysis is unnecessary, however, if one adopts the view that the Fourth Amendment compels the exclusionary rule, regardless of pragmatic considerations. This is the view of the New Mexico Supreme Court. As I understand Gutierrez, the use at trial of unlаwfully seized evidence in itself constitutes a violation of the New Mexico Constitution. Even if the exclusionary rule did not reduce by one iota the number or extent of unlawful searches or seizures in the State of New Mexico, and even if victims of unlawful searches or seizures could receive adequate damages in civil actions, the exclusionary rule would still have to be applied in New Mexico courts. In Gutierrez the Court stated unequivocally that its rejection of the good-faith exception to the exclusionary rule was not “premised on policy concerns of judicial integrity or deterrence,” id. at 447, 863 P.2d at 1068, and that the only way to “effectuate the constitutional right to be free from unreasonable search and seizure” is “to deny the government the use of evidence obtained pursuant to an unlawful search.” Id. at 445, 863 P.2d at 1066.
(32) I find nothing in the Gutierrez opinion that would support the exclusion of evidence in a criminal trial but not in a revocation proсeeding. Therefore, the decision in the case before us is an easy one. The State cannot use unlawfully obtained evidence in a probation-revocation hearing. I express no view on what the result would be if the exclusionary rule in New Mexico were “premised on policy concerns of judicial integrity or deterrence.”
BENNY E. FLORES
JUDGE
Notes
You will permit any Probation Officer to visit you at your home or place of employment at any time and you will permit a warrantless search, by a Probation Officer, of your person, automobile, residence, property and/or living quarters to ensure compliance of you [sic] Probation Conditions.
