[Cite as State v. Harrington, 2013-Ohio-1864.]
COURT OF APPEALS
FAIRFIELD COUNTY, OHIO
FIFTH APPELLATE DISTRICT
STATE OF OHIO : JUDGES:
: Hon. W. Scott Gwin, P.J.
Plaintiff-Appellee : Hon. William B. Hoffman, J.
: Hon. Sheila G. Farmer, J,
-vs- :
:
TIMOTHY R. HARRINGTON : Case No. 12-CA-31
:
Defendant-Appellant : OPINION
CHARACTER OF PROCEEDING: Appeal from the Court of Common
Pleas, Case No. 11-CR-152
JUDGMENT: Affirmed
DATE OF JUDGMENT: May 6, 2013
APPEARANCES:
For Plaintiff-Appellee For Defendant-Appellant
JOCELYN S. KELLY THOMAS R. ELWING
239 W. Main Street 60 West Columbus Street
Suite 101 Pickerington, OH 43147
Lancaster, OH 43130
Fairfield County, Case No. 12-CA-31 2
Farmer, J.
{¶1} On April 8, 2011, the Fairfield County Grand Jury indicted appellant,
Timothy Harrington, on one count of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity in violation
of R.C. 2923.32, fifteen counts of burglary in violation of R.C. 2911.12, one count of
attempted burglary in violation of R.C. 2911.12 and 2923.02, six counts of breaking and
entering in violation of R.C. 2911.13, four counts of vandalism in violation of R.C.
2909.05, one count of grand theft in violation of R.C. 2913.02, and one count of
receiving stolen property in violation of R.C. 2913.51. All charges stemmed from
various thefts of copper pipe and wire from area vacant homes.
{¶2} On August 4, 2011, appellant filed a motion to suppress all evidence,
claiming an unlawful and warrantless trespass upon his property by a police officer who
installed a GPS tracking device on his vehicle. The GPS unit was authorized to be
placed on appellant's vehicle via an entry signed by a Franklin County municipal court
judge. A hearing on the suppression motion was held on September 2, 2011. By
journal entry filed February 22, 2012, the trial court denied the motion.
{¶3} On May 2, 2012, appellant pled no contest to all but the grand theft count
and the receiving stolen property count which were dismissed. By judgment entry filed
May 23, 2012, the trial court sentenced appellant to an aggregate sentence of fifteen
years in prison, three years suspended in lieu of five years of community control.
{¶4} Appellant filed an appeal and this matter is now before this court for
consideration. Assignment of error is as follows:
Fairfield County, Case No. 12-CA-31 3
I
{¶5} "THE TRIAL COURT ERRED IN OVERRULING APPELLANT'S MOTION
TO SUPPRESS EVIDENCE RESULTING FROM POLICE INSTALLATION OF A GPS
TRACKING DEVICE ON APPELLANT'S AUTOMOBILE WITHOUT A VALID SEARCH
WARRANT IN VIOLATION OF APPELLANT'S RIGHTS UNDER THE FOURTH
AMENDMENT TO THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION AND SECTION 14,
ARTICLE I OF THE OHIO CONSTITUTION."
I
{¶6} Appellant claims the trial court erred in denying his motion to suppress.
We disagree.
{¶7} There are three methods of challenging on appeal a trial court's ruling on a
motion to suppress. First, an appellant may challenge the trial court's findings of fact.
In reviewing a challenge of this nature, an appellate court must determine whether said
findings of fact are against the manifest weight of the evidence. State v. Fanning, 1
Ohio St.3d 19 (1982); State v. Klein, 73 Ohio App.3d 485 (4th Dist.1991); State v.
Guysinger, 86 Ohio App.3d 592 (4th Dist.1993). Second, an appellant may argue the
trial court failed to apply the appropriate test or correct law to the findings of fact. In that
case, an appellate court can reverse the trial court for committing an error of law. State
v. Williams, 86 Ohio App.3d 37 (4th Dist.1993). Finally, assuming the trial court's
findings of fact are not against the manifest weight of the evidence and it has properly
identified the law to be applied, an appellant may argue the trial court has incorrectly
decided the ultimate or final issue raised in the motion to suppress. When reviewing
this type of claim, an appellate court must independently determine, without deference
Fairfield County, Case No. 12-CA-31 4
to the trial court's conclusion, whether the facts meet the appropriate legal standard in
any given case. State v. Curry, 95 Ohio App.3d 93 (8th Dist.1994); State v. Claytor, 85
Ohio App.3d 623 (4th Dist.1993); Guysinger. As the United States Supreme Court held
in Ornelas v. U.S., 116 S.Ct. 1657, 1663 (1996), "…as a general matter determinations
of reasonable suspicion and probable cause should be reviewed de novo on appeal."
{¶8} Appellant argues the warrantless trespass upon his driveway and the
installation of a GPS device on his vehicle violated his rights under the Fourth
Amendment. By entry filed February 2, 2011, a Franklin County municipal court judge
granted police the right to place a GPS tracking device on appellant's vehicle. Our first
determination is whether this entry was a violation of appellant's Fourth Amendment
rights. For the following reasons, we find granting the request was not a violation of
appellant's protections against unlawful and warrantless seizures.
{¶9} On February 2, 2011, Reynoldsburg Police Detective Michael Binder
appeared before the municipal court judge and set forth via affidavit his reasons,
observations, and the facts leading to the request for the installation of the electronic
tracking device. The judge granted the installation of the device on the specific vehicle
allegedly being used to transport the suspect and the stolen copper to and from the
crime scenes:
1. Those member's of the Reynoldsburg Police Department are
authorized to install and operate an electronic tracking device on subject
vehicle at 1996 Pontiac Sunfire, red in color, Ohio License EWP6062, VIN
# 1G2JB1247T7576575 during the daytime or nighttime. The electronic
Fairfield County, Case No. 12-CA-31 5
tracking device may be operated and monitored continuously throughout
the period of this court order and may be monitored when the subject
vehicle is located in a place where there is a reasonable expectation of
privacy.
2. That members of the Reynoldsburg Police Department may
surreptitiously enter the above described subject vehicle for the explicit
purpose of installing and removing said electronic tracking device, and to
reenter the subject vehicle at any time to make mechanical adjustments
should the device be rendered inoperable.
{¶10} Appellant argues regardless of a review of sworn-to facts by a neutral
magistrate and the entry, the placing of the GPS device was a warrantless trespass. In
support of his position, appellant cites the case of United States v. Jones, ___ U.S. ___,
132 S.Ct. 945 (2012). Although Jones does state that the warrantless placing of a GPS
tracking device upon a vehicle is against the Fourth Amendment guarantees of
unreasonable searches and seizures, it does not address an authorized placing of a
GPS device by the state. In addressing the issue of a non-trespass, the majority
revisited its decision in Katz v. United States, 389 U.S. 347 (1967). In Katz, the United
States Supreme Court found the placement of an unwarranted eavesdropping device in
a public telephone booth was not a search envisioned by the Fourth Amendment.
Although Katz may be particularly relevant to the inquiry as to the location of the vehicle
when the GPS device was placed, it does not answer the question if a neutral
magistrate may grant the placement of the device. In particular, the Jones court leads
Fairfield County, Case No. 12-CA-31 6
one to the impression that the specific issue is for another day. The day may have just
arrived.
{¶11} The Fourth Amendment takes its historic roots from the use by the colonial
government of general search warrants (Writs of Assistance). As a result, our
Constitutional framers determined that a violation of privacy is only reasonable by a
warrant "supported by probable cause and specifically describing the place to be
searched and the thing to be seized." Katz, Ohio Arrest, Search and Seizure, Section
1:4, at 13 (2009 Ed.)
In determining the sufficiency of probable cause in an affidavit
submitted in support of a search warrant, "[t]he task of the issuing
magistrate is simply to make a practical, common-sense decision whether,
given all the circumstances set forth in the affidavit before him, including
the 'veracity' and 'basis of knowledge' of persons supplying hearsay
information, there is a fair probability that contraband or evidence of a
crime will be found in a particular place."
In reviewing the sufficiency of probable cause in an affidavit
submitted in support of a search warrant issued by a magistrate, neither a
trial court nor an appellate court should substitute its judgment for that of
the magistrate by conducting a de novo determination as to whether the
affidavit contains sufficient probable cause upon which that court would
issue the search warrant. Rather, the duty of a reviewing court is simply
to ensure that the magistrate had a substantial basis for concluding that
Fairfield County, Case No. 12-CA-31 7
probable cause existed. In conducting any after-the-fact scrutiny of an
affidavit submitted in support of a search warrant, trial and appellate
courts should accord great deference to the magistrate's determination of
probable cause, and doubtful or marginal cases in this area should be
resolved in favor of upholding the warrant.
State v. George, 45 Ohio St.3d 325 (1989), paragraphs one and two of the syllabus,
following Illinois v. Gates, 462 U.S. 213 (1983).
{¶12} Do the facts presented in this case meet the minimum requirements of
probable cause and specific description? We answer in the affirmative. The municipal
court judge reviewed an affidavit that set forth specific facts and observations that
clearly met the probable cause standard. Further, the issuing entry specifically
identified the vehicle upon which the device was to be placed including possible
locations.
{¶13} Although much is made about the lack of service of the execution of the
warrant, we find that is a distinction without a difference. The issue is whether the
search was authorized under the scrutiny of probable cause. We note the order is very
similar to entries for other eavesdropping devices. As noted in Jones, the GPS device
is merely shortcutting the actual personal surveillance of the subject vehicle as it
traverses the public roads.
{¶14} We conclude the test of Katz v. United States, supra, and its progeny have
been met as to the entry authorizing the warrant.
Fairfield County, Case No. 12-CA-31 8
{¶15} The second inquiry is whether the police, in fulfilling the directives of the
entry, had the right to enter upon appellant's private property to place the device in his
vehicle. The specific issue is whether appellant's expectation of privacy extends to the
vehicle parked in his own driveway.
{¶16} One Federal Circuit Court and one California Appellate Court pre-Jones
have discussed whether the placing of a tracking device in the undercarriage of a
vehicle while parked in a driveway is in fact the "curtilage" of the property and included
in an owner's expectation of privacy. See, United States v. McIver, 186 F.3d 1119 (9th
Cir.1999) and The People v. Daniel George Zichwic, 94 Cal.App.4th 944 (2001). Both
cases recognize it is the placement of the parked vehicle in relation to the residence
that determines if it is in the curtilage. The Zichwic court held at 953 that just like any
other visitor to a residential property, a police officer is entitled to walk on to parts of the
curtilage that are not fenced off:
Defendant contends that the police searched his property when
"they trespassed into the curtilage of his home." The concept of curtilage
has been employed to identify what property is protected by the Fourth
Amendment. In Oliver v. United States (1984) 466 U.S. 170 [104 S.Ct.
1735, 80 L.Ed.2d 214], the United States Supreme Court "recognized that
the Fourth Amendment protects the curtilage of a house and that the
extent of the curtilage is determined by factors that bear upon whether an
individual reasonably may expect that the area in question should be
treated as the home itself." (United States v. Dunn (1987) 480 U.S. 294,
300 [107 S.Ct. 1134, 1139, 94 L.Ed.2d 326].) Dunn articulated several
Fairfield County, Case No. 12-CA-31 9
factors relevant to determining whether a location is within the curtilage,
including "the proximity of the area claimed to be curtilage to the home,
whether the area is included within an enclosure surrounding the home,
the nature of the uses to which the area is put, and the steps taken by the
resident to protect the area from observation by people passing by." (Id.
at p. 301 [107 S.Ct. at p. 1139.].)
However, the law is clear that not every technical trespass onto the
curtilage amounts to a search. Just like any other visitor to a residence, a
police officer is entitled to walk onto parts of the curtilage that are not
fenced off. "Whether a driveway is protected from entry by police officers
depends on the circumstances. The fact that a driveway is within the
curtilage of a house is not determinative if its accessibility and visibility
from a public highway rule out any reasonable expectation of privacy.
(United States v. Magana (9th Cir. 1975) 512 F.2d 1169, 1171.)" (United
States v. Smith (6th Cir. 1986) 783 F.2d 648, 651.)
{¶17} Under the facts, the Zichwic court found at 956 that the normal route for a
visitor to reach the defendant's front door would be to walk up the driveway from the
street and by necessity navigate around any parked vehicles; therefore, the "trespass"
was not a violation of the defendant's right of privacy.
{¶18} In McIver, the court found a truck parked outside the garage was not
within the curtilage of the residence. The court at 1126 relied on the specific facts that
Fairfield County, Case No. 12-CA-31 10
the driveway and the apron in front of the garage were open to observation from
passing persons and there was no fence or gate present.
{¶19} Ohio courts have also recognized that some properties, although within
the curtilage, are not provided Constitutional protection. See, State v. Crenshaw, 8th
Dist. No. 90635, 2008-Ohio-4859 (an officer could walk up a driveway, but could not
enter a fenced backyard); State v. Buzzard, 112 Ohio St.3d 451, 2007-Ohio-373 (an
officer could look in a crack of a garage door); State v. Terlesky, 7th Dist. No. 05 MA
237, 2007-Ohio-3402 (an officer could look in a window of a closed business).
{¶20} Reynoldsburg Police Detective Tye Downard personally installed the
device on appellant's vehicle during the early morning hours. T. at 34. The vehicle was
parked in the driveway "facing in where the driver's seat is closer to the house and the
rear bumper was down where the sidewalk area is." T. at 35. The vehicle was not
enclosed by a fence or a gate and no signs or warnings or "no trespassing" signs were
posted. Id. Detective Downard testified in order to install the device, he got down on
the ground, slid under the vehicle, and attached it to the metal frame. T. at 43. He
testified the normal course to approach the front door of the property would include
passing the vehicle in the driveway. T. at 50.
{¶21} Based upon the specific facts of this case, we find no constitutional
infringement by the officer who merely approached and passed the vehicle as any other
visitor would. We find the trial court did not err in upholding the placement of the GPS
device pursuant to the entry and order of the municipal court judge.
{¶22} Under the "fruit of the poisonous tree" doctrine, appellant argues the
state's statements and the search warrant obtained for his residence were based upon
Fairfield County, Case No. 12-CA-31 11
information procured via the GPS device. Appellant argues this tainted evidence used
for the search warrant requires suppression. Based upon our finding that there was no
Constitutional violation in placing the GPS device, we find this argument to be moot.
{¶23} The sole assignment of error is denied.
{¶24} The judgment of the Court of Common Pleas of Fairfield County, Ohio is
hereby affirmed.
By Farmer, J.
Gwin, P.J. and
Hoffman, J. concur.
s / Sheila G. Farmer______________
_s/ W. Scott Gwin________________
s/ William B. Hoffman_____________
JUDGES
SGF/sg 23
[Cite as State v. Harrington, 2013-Ohio-1864.]
IN THE COURT OF APPEALS FOR FAIRFIELD COUNTY, OHIO
FIFTH APPELLATE DISTRICT
STATE OF OHIO :
:
Plaintiff-Appellee :
:
-vs- : JUDGMENT ENTRY
:
TIMOTHY R. HARRINGTON :
:
Defendant-Appellant : CASE NO. 12-CA-31
For the reasons stated in our accompanying Memorandum-Opinion, the
judgment of the Court of Common Pleas of Fairfield County, Ohio is affirmed. Costs to
appellant.
s / Sheila G. Farmer______________
_s/ W. Scott Gwin________________
s/ William B. Hoffman_____________
JUDGES
State v. Harrington
Combined Opinion