|
You can of the Alaska Court of Appeals opinions.
|
|
NOTICE
The text of this opinion can be corrected before the opinion is published in thePacific
Reporter. Readers are encouraged to bring typographical or other formal errors to
the attention of the Clerk of the Appellate Courts.
303 K Street, Anchorage, Alaska 99501
Fax: (907) 264-0878
E-mail: corrections @ appellate.courts.state.ak.us
IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF ALASKA
MICHAEL S. WEIL, )
) Court of Appeals No. A-10586
Appellant, ) Trial Court No. 3KN-08-1017 CR
)
v. )
) O P I N I O N
STATE OF ALASKA, )
)
Appellee. )
) No. 2295 - February 18, 2011
Appeal from the District Court, Third Judicial District, Kenai,
Sharon Illsley, Judge.
Appearances: Kenneth W. Cole, Kenneth W. Cole Law Offices,
Kenai, for the Appellant. Martin C. Fallon, Assistant District
Attorney, Kenai, and Daniel S. Sullivan, Attorney General,
Juneau, for the Appellee.
Before: Coats, Chief Judge, and Mannheimer and Bolger,
Judges.
BOLGER, Judge.
A state trooper contacted Michael S. Weil because it appeared that Weil was
going to cross a road with his dog tethered to his four-wheeler. As a result of this contact,
Weil was convicted of driving under the influence. Weil challenges the denial of his
motion to suppress, arguing that the district court erred in upholding his stop as a
----------------------- Page 2-----------------------
community caretaker stop. We affirm Weil's conviction because we conclude that the
trooper was justified in stopping Weil to avoid a potential threat to public safety.
Background
On June 14, 2008, at about 2:30 a.m., Alaska State Trooper Lawrence C.
Erickson was driving down Kalifornsky Beach Road toward Soldotna when he noticed
a four-wheeler coming down a gravel side street with a dog tied to it. The four-wheeler
was driving down the right side of the street toward Kalifornsky Beach Road and the dog
was walking down the middle of the street on a long lead. Sergeant Erickson made a U-
turn and activated his overhead lights, intending to contact the driver to warn him not to
drive his four-wheeler across the road. It was dark, there was traffic on the road, and
Sergeant Erickson believed it would be unsafe for the dog and for any motorists who
might be forced to take evasive action.
When Sergeant Erickson contacted the driver, Weil, he noticed that Weil
was "obviously drunk and impaired." There was an open beer and two unopened beers
on the rear rack of the four-wheeler next to the driver's seat. A subsequent breath test
showed that Weil's blood alcohol content was .226 percent. Weil was charged with
driving under the influence.1
Before trial, Weil filed a motion to suppress the evidence, arguing that his
stop was not supported by reasonable suspicion. At an evidentiary hearing on the motion,
Sergeant Erickson testified that the only reason he stopped Weil was to warn him not to
drive his four-wheeler across the road; Erickson said he did not believe it would be safe
for Weil to "cross [the] highway with vehicles in the traffic flow with a dog tied to [his]
1 AS 28.35.030(a).
- 2 - 2295
----------------------- Page 3-----------------------
four-wheeler." After hearing this testimony, District Court Judge Sharon Illsley denied
the motion to suppress, concluding that the stop was a valid community caretaker stop.
Weil filed a motion for reconsideration, which Judge Illsley denied. Weil
then entered a Cooksey2 plea to driving under the influence, preserving his right to
challenge the denial of his motion to suppress.
Weil's stop was a valid community caretaker stop.
The parties do not challenge Judge Illsley's ruling that Weil was subjected
to a Fourth Amendment seizure; the only claim on appeal is whether the court erred in
ruling that Weil's seizure was a lawful community caretaker stop. In Ozhuwan v. State,
we held that a Fourth Amendment seizure may be justified without reasonable suspicion
of criminal activity if the police are validly acting within their community caretaker role
- that is, if the police are aware of specific circumstances supporting a reasonable belief
that police assistance is required.3 In reviewing the trial court decision to uphold the stop,
we view the facts in the light most favorable to the trial court's ruling.4
Weil argues that Judge Illsley clearly erred in finding that Sergeant
Erickson's purpose in contacting him "had nothing to do with investigating a crime."
He concedes that Erickson testified at the suppression hearing that his only reason for
stopping Weil was to prevent him from driving his four-wheeler across the road with a
dog tethered to it. But Weil argues that, notwithstanding this testimony, "the Defense
submits that the true purpose of the stop was to investigate." To support this claim, Weil
2 Cooksey v. State, 524 P.2d 1251, 1255-57 (Alaska 1974).
3 786 P.2d 918, 922 (Alaska App. 1990); see also Crauthers v. State, 727 P.2d 9,
10-11 (Alaska App. 1986) (citing Cady v. Dombrowski, 413 U.S. 433, 441 (1973)).
4 See Howell v. State, 115 P.3d 587, 590 (Alaska App. 2005).
- 3 - 2295
----------------------- Page 4-----------------------
asserts that "[i]t was after midnight and the officer saw activity and wanted to check it
out. That [was] the basis for the stop, unbridled suspicion." He argues that Erickson's
testimony that the stop was motivated by safety concerns was not credible because his
four-wheeler was forty feet from the main road.
The record supports Judge Illsley's decision on this point. Sergeant Erickson
testified that the four-wheeler was about twenty feet from the road when he contacted
Weil. And, as Judge Illsley found, Weil's own exhibits showed that his twenty-foot dog
lead, fully extended from the location of the stop, came within several feet of the fog line
on Kalifornsky Beach Road.
Judge Illsley could also reasonably reject Weil's claim that Sergeant Erickson
stopped him to investigate a possible crime. Judge Illsley found that Erickson observed
Weil driving his four-wheeler toward a busy major road after dark with a dog tethered
to it, and that Erickson contacted Weil to avoid a situation that was potentially dangerous
to the dog and the motoring public. The record fully supports Judge Illsley's findings.
Weil next argues that the stop was not a valid community caretaker stop
because he never asked for police assistance and there was no indication he was in distress.
In previous cases we have upheld community caretaker stops where there was no overt
request for police assistance.5 We acknowledge that in these previous cases there were
facts suggesting that the motorists might need help even though they did not ask for it.6
As Weil points out, there were no facts indicating that he was in distress when Erickson
stopped him.
5 Howell, 115 P.3d at 589-90; Marsh v. State, 838 P.2d 819, 820 (Alaska App.
1992).
6 Howell, 115 P.3d at 589-90; Marsh, 838 P.2d at 820.
- 4 - 2295
----------------------- Page 5-----------------------
But we have also upheld community caretaker stops where the police acted
to prevent a potential hazard.7 For instance, in Russell v. Anchorage, we held that the
police were justified in temporarily stopping a vehicle with a misted rear window to ensure
that the defect was remedied; in reaching that conclusion, we emphasized that there was
no evidence that the traffic stop was motivated by reasons other than warning the motorist
of a potential traffic hazard.8
Other jurisdictions have similarly ruled that the police are justified in briefly
detaining a motorist to warn of a potential safety hazard, regardless of whether that hazard
warrants a citation for a traffic infraction.9 As the Maine Supreme Court explained: "If
we were to insist upon suspicion of activity amounting to a criminal or civil infraction
... we would be overlooking the police officer's legitimate role as a public servant to assist
those in distress and to maintain and foster public safety."10
7 See Rogers-Dwight v. State, 899 P.2d 1389, 1390 (Alaska App. 1995); Russell v.
Anchorage , 706 P.2d 687, 689 (Alaska App. 1985).
8 706 P.2d at 689.
9 See, e.g., United States v. King, 990 F.2d 1552, 1560-61 (10th Cir. 1993) (holding
that motorist's persistent honking during traffic jam at accident site gave officer articulable
basis to believe motorist might cause another accident, and therefore justified brief contact
to warn motorist to stop honking, regardless of whether the conduct violated any traffic
laws); State v. Harrison, 533 P.2d 1143, 1144 (Ariz. 1975) (holding that officer's public
safety duties justified stopping vehicle because it was weaving somewhat and rear tire was
bouncing); State v. Pinkham, 565 A.2d 318, 319-20 (Me. 1989) (holding that safety reasons
can justify stop in the absence of suspected traffic infraction if the stop is based upon specific
and articulable facts and not a pretext stop; case remanded for determination as to whether
officer was justified in stopping motorist to warn him of improper lane usage); State v. Oxley,
503 A.2d 756, 759 (N.H. 1985) (holding that officer was justified in stopping motorist to
ensure that furniture that appeared inadequately secured did not fall onto the public highways
and endanger other drivers).
10 Pinkham , 565 A.2d at 319.
- 5 - 2295
----------------------- Page 6-----------------------
Weil urges this court to read the community caretaker doctrine more
narrowly, lest it become "a means of avoiding the dictates of Coleman." Under Coleman
v. State, the police may only conduct an investigatory stop if they have "reasonable
suspicion that imminent public danger exists or [that] serious harm to persons or property
has recently occurred."11 The basic inquiry under Coleman is whether "a prompt
investigation [was] required ... as a matter of practical necessity."12
We have never conclusively decided whether the Coleman requirement of
"imminent public danger" applies to a community caretaker stop.13 We note that other
jurisdictions have not taken a uniform approach to this issue; for instance, one court has
held that, under appropriate circumstances, the police are justified in stopping a vehicle
to warn the occupants that an item of property is endangered,14 while another jurisdiction
permits community caretaker stops only when there is "imminent danger to life or limb."15
We have no reason in this case to resolve where Alaska stands on this
continuum because the district court's factual findings establish that Sergeant Erickson
had reasonable suspicion to believe Weil's conduct posed an imminent public danger.
Judge Illsley found that Erickson observed Weil approaching Kalifornsky Beach Road
on his four-wheeler with a dog tethered on a twenty-foot lead; it was dark out and there
11 553 P.2d 40, 46 (Alaska 1976).
12 State v. G.B., 769 P.2d 452, 456 (Alaska App. 1989) (quoting Coleman, 553 P.2d
at 46).
13 See Crauthers, 727 P.2d at 11 (noting that a community caretaker stop is not
analyzed as an investigatory stop requiring articulable suspicion).
14 State v. Chisholm, 696 P.2d 41, 43 (Wash. App. 1985) (remanding for
consideration of whether officer was justified in stopping vehicle solely for the purpose of
informing the driver that his hat was in jeopardy of blowing out of the bed of the vehicle).
15 Provo City v. Warden, 844 P.2d 360, 364 (Utah App. 1992).
- 6 - 2295
----------------------- Page 7-----------------------
was traffic on the road. These circumstances gave Erickson reason to believe that
motorists might be forced to take evasive action if Weil continued across the road.
At the time Sergeant Erickson contacted Weil, neither the dog nor the four-
wheeler had yet ventured onto the main road. But Erickson was not obliged to wait for
an accident to happen to contact Weil;16 the purpose of the stop was to avoid that possible
outcome, and if Erickson had not immediately observed signs that Weil was intoxicated,
the stop would have been brief and non-intrusive.17 We conclude that the stop was lawful,
even if the Coleman requirement that the police have reasonable suspicion of imminent
public danger applies to a community caretaker stop in the circumstances of this case.
Conclusion
We AFFIRM the decision of the district court.
16 Dionne v. State, 766 P.2d 1181, 1183 (Alaska App. 1989) ("It is not necessary that
the officer observe someone do something dangerous; it is enough that the officer have
reason to suspect that the person to be stopped is dangerous.").
17 G.B., 769 P.2d 452 (Alaska App. 1989) (noting that a minimally intrusive
investigatory stop may be justified in circumstances in which the potential harm is less
serious).
- 7 - 2295
 |
| Case Law Statutes, Regs & Rules Constitutions Miscellaneous |
|
