FOR PUBLICATION
ATTORNEY FOR APPELLANT: ATTORNEYS FOR APPELLEE:
WILLIAM F. THOMS, JR. JEFFREY A. MODISETT
Indianapolis, Indiana Attorney General of Indiana
J.T. WHITEHEAD
Deputy Attorney General
Indianapolis, Indiana
THEODORE PURDY, )
)
Appellant-Defendant, )
)
vs. ) No. 49A04-9807-CR-360
)
STATE OF INDIANA, )
)
Appellee-Plaintiff. )
OPINION - FOR PUBLICATION
marijuana smoke coming from the bedroom. Paula then removed two plastic bags
containing 7.87 grams of marijuana from a drawer under the bed in Purdy's room and
handed them to Officer Gooch. Officer Gooch and the probation officers had been in the
home for several minutes and had located the marijuana before Purdy came into the house
through the back door. When Purdy arrived, Officer Gooch advised him of the purpose of
their visit and told him what they had discovered during their search. According to Officer
Gooch's testimony, Purdy replied that "it's my marijuana."
Officer Gooch testified that the terms of Purdy's probation included a consent to
search his person, residence or property, and Purdy does not dispute this. Another condition
of Purdy's probation was that there be no marijuana or other illegal substances in his home.
Although Paula and the defendant were divorced, they lived together in the same house and
slept in the same bedroom.
Paula was aware that her ex-husband was on probation, but she
was not aware of all the conditions of his probation. At trial, Purdy suggested that the
marijuana did not belong to him and that he was not aware that it was in the house. Purdy
also argued that he had only claimed the marijuana as his own in order to "protect his
family" because Officer Gooch threatened to arrest him and his ex-wife and take their
children to a foster home. Officer Gooch acknowledged that it would have been possible
to arrest both Paula and the defendant, but he insisted that he did not induce Purdy's
admission by threatening to arrest Paula and take their children to a home. The trial court
resolved this conflicting testimony in favor of the State. At trial, the court denied Purdy's
motion to suppress the marijuana discovered during Officer Gooch's search of the
defendant's home. Purdy was found guilty of possessing marijuana and this appeal ensued.
warrant and probable cause requirements. Griffin, 483 U.S. at 873, 107 S.Ct. at 3168, 97
L.Ed.2d at 717. The imposition of probation, like incarceration, is a criminal sanction. Id.
Probation is a conditional liberty dependent upon the observance of certain restrictions.
Rivera v. State, 667 N.E.2d 764, 766 (Ind. Ct. App. 1996), trans. denied (1996). As such,
probationers simply do not enjoy the freedoms to which ordinary citizens are entitled. Id.
Certain restrictions on a probationer's behavior are designed to assure that the probation
serves as a period of genuine rehabilitation and that the community is not harmed by a
probationer being at large. Griffin, 483 U.S. at 875, 107 S.Ct. at 3169, 97 L.Ed.2d 718.
These goals require and justify the exercise of supervision to ensure that the restrictions are
in fact observed by the probationers. Id. We have held that a trial court has broad discretion
to impose conditions of probation that will aid in the furtherance of these goals. Patton v.
State, 580 N.E.2d 693, 698 (Ind. Ct. App. 1991), trans. denied (1992). These conditions
may impinge upon the probationer's exercise of an otherwise constitutionally protected right.
Id.
However,
it must be remembered that probationers are entitled to some limited
protection of their privacy interest. Griffin, 483 U.S. at 875, 107 S.Ct. at 3170, 97 L.Ed.2d
at 718. A
probationer's home is protected by the Fourth Amendment requirement that
searches at least be reasonable. Griffin, 483 U.S. at 873, 107 S.Ct. at 3168, 97 L.Ed.2d at
717; Rivera, 667 N.E.2d at 766. Similarly, the focus of our state constitutional analysis is
on the reasonableness of the official behavior in conducting a warrantless search.
Rivera,
667 N.E.2d at
767. In deciding Rivera, this Court sought guidance from the federal courts.
In order to adequately protect a probationer's privacy interest, a probation agreement requiring the probationer to submit to searches should contain narrowly tailored restrictions. Id.; United States v. Wryn, 952 F.2d 1122, 1124 (9th Cir. 1991); United States v. Giannetta, 909 F.2d 571, 575 (1st Cir. 1990); United States v. Schoenrock, 868 F.2d 289, 292-93 (8th Cir. 1989). Moreover, Judge Staton's concurring opinion in Rivera noted that a condition of probation requiring the probationer to submit to a search without reasonable suspicion is overly broad and in conflict with the dictates of the Supreme Court's decision in Griffin. Rivera, 667 N.E.2d at 767-768. We agree with this analysis and affirm the importance of a reasonableness limitation on a probationer's consent to waive his Fourth Amendment rights in a probation agreement. The determination of the validity of a consent to search is a factual matter for the trial court that will not be set aside unless it is clearly erroneous. Id. While conditions of probation may impinge upon the probationer's exercise of a constitutionally protected right, those impingements must be designed to accomplish the explicit goals of protecting the community and promoting the probationer's rehabilitation process. The State must be able to demonstrate that the warrantless search of a probationer was a true probation search and not an investigation search. United States v. Ooley, 116 F.3d 370, 372 (9th Cir. 1997), cert. denied, __U.S.__, 118 S.Ct. 2391, 141 L.Ed.2d 756 (1998) . In contrast to an investigation search, a probation search should advance the goals of probation that allow the probationer to "'demonstrate his rehabilitation while serving a part of his sentence outside the prison walls.'" Id.; quoting Latta v. Fitzharris, 521 F.2d 246,
249 (9th Cir. 1975). A probation search cannot be a mere subterfuge enabling the police to
avoid obtaining a search warrant. Ooley, 116 F.3d at 372.
In Patton, we adopted a federal test to determine whether a probation condition
imposed by a court was unduly intrusive of constitutionally protected freedoms. Id. at 698.
That test required the conditions of probation to be reasonably related to the purposes of the
Federal Probation Act. Id. The federal model is an appropriate standard to judge the
constitutionality of probation conditions imposed by state courts. Id. Consideration of three
factors is required to determine whether a reasonable relationship exists between the
conditions of probation and the goals of the probation system. Id. Trial courts must
examine "(1) the purposes sought to be served by probation; (2) the extent to which
constitutional rights enjoyed by law abiding citizens should be accorded to probationers; and
(3) the legitimate needs of law enforcement." Id., quoting United States v. Tonry, 605 F.2d
144, 150 (5th Cir. 1979). The Tonry test facilitates "'an accommodation between the
practical needs of the probation system and the constitutional guarantees of the Bill of
Rights.'" Patton, 580 N.E.2d at 698, quoting United States v. Pierce, 561 F.2d 735, 739 (9th
Cir. 1977), cert. denied, 435 U.S. 923, 98 S.Ct. 1486, 55 L.Ed.2d 516 (1978).
enough to sustain his argument." McGuire v. State, 617 N.E.2d 548, 550 (Ind. Ct. App.
1993). If an appellant fails to furnish any evidence in the record to support a claim of error,
this Court may properly consider that issue waived. Wilson v. State, 679 N.E.2d 1333, 1335
(Ind. Ct. App. 1997). There is insufficient evidence for this Court to determine whether
Purdy consented to a search condition in his probation agreement that was unreasonable or
overly broad on its face. Consequently, the trial court's determination is not clearly
erroneous and will not be set aside.
times at the person's home or elsewhere" as a condition of probation. Moreover, the
probation system's overall goals of genuine rehabilitation and community protection could
not be accomplished without supervision and monitoring by the officers. One of Purdy's
probation conditions required him to submit to a search of his person, property or residence.
He certainly should have expected that his probation officer might stop by for a surprise
visit to make sure that no illegal activity was occurring and to enforce the conditions of his
probation. So long as the supervisory function of probation officers conducting a regular
sweep of probationers does not include the automatic search of their person, vehicle, or
residence without reasonable suspicion, a consent-to-search provision in a probation
agreement is valid.
There is no evidence in the record to indicate that the officers intended to search
Purdy's home until after they arrived and smelled marijuana smoke coming from inside the
home. This inference is supported by the fact that Officer Gooch told Purdy's ex-wife that
they wanted to speak with him when she answered the door. There was no mention of
searching the home until Officer Gooch smelled what he believed to be marijuana smoke.
After smelling the marijuana, Officer Gooch informed Paula that they would have to search
the premises. The officer's decision to search was narrowly and properly made on the basis
of a reasonable suspicion that illegal activity was occurring in Purdy's home in violation of
his probation. The actual search of Purdy's home was not unreasonable and did not violate
his constitutional rights. Therefore, the trial court's denial of Purdy's motion to suppress the
marijuana obtained during the search of his home is not clearly erroneous.
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