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State v. Mark Thibodeau

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MAINE SUPREME JUDICIAL COURT					Reporter of Decisions
Decision:	2000 ME 52 
Docket:	Aro-99-127
Submitted
on Briefs:	January 28, 2000
Decided:	March 23, 2000

Panel:WATHEN, C.J., and CLIFFORD, RUDMAN, DANA, SAUFLEY, ALEXANDER, and
CALKINS, JJ.

STATE OF MAINE

v.

MARK THIBODEAU

DANA, J.

	[¶1]  Mark Thibodeau appeals from the judgment entered in the
Superior Court (Aroostook County, Pierson, J.) following his conditional plea
and conviction for trafficking in marijuana (Class C) in violation of 17-A
M.R.S.A. § 1103.{1}  On appeal, Thibodeau contends that the court erred by
denying his motion to suppress because a Maine Drug Enforcement Agency
(MDEA) agent obtained the evidence he sought to suppress as a result of an
improper entry to his apartment.  He also contends that he was subjected to
a custodial interrogation without the benefit of a Miranda{2} warning.  We
affirm.
	[¶2]  The MDEA, having made its decision to seek a warrant to search
Thibodeau's apartment, sent agent Thomas Pelletier to determine how to
describe in the warrant the door to the Thibodeau apartment.  After
knocking on the door that entered into Apartment C and obtaining no
answer, Agent Pelletier turned the doorknob and discovered it was
unlocked.   He opened the door and, although he did not enter, he briefly
looked in the apartment and learned that it did in fact contain marijuana
plants.  Agent Pelletier then closed the door and left the building.  When he
reported the information regarding Apartment C's location to Agent
Crandall, Agent Pelletier informed him that he had viewed the marijuana
plants.
	[¶3]  The improper viewing of the apartment, however, was but one
misstep in an investigation that had otherwise been thorough and well
planned.  The record indicates that, prior to Agent Pelletier's action, the
MDEA had (1) obtained information from an informant that Thibodeau was
growing marijuana in one of the apartments within a building containing
three units, (2) gathered and analyzed the utility records of the three units,
and (3) engaged in legal surveillance of the apartment building including an
infra-red recording of the building indicating that an inordinate amount of
heat was being emitted from the apartment under suspicion.  All of the
information obtained by the MDEA during the investigation supported the
agency's belief that Thibodeau was growing marijuana in Apartment C.
	[¶4]  When MDEA agent David Socoby subsequently submitted an
affidavit and request for a search warrant describing the evidence
supporting the warrant, he attached an addendum explaining in detail Agent
Pelletier's actions so that the Justice of the Peace was both aware of those
actions and in a position to assess whether the search warrant should be
denied as a result.
	[¶5]  "The standard of review of an appeal from a denial of a motion to
suppress is that the decision will be upheld if any reasonable view of the
evidence supports the trial court's decision," United States v. Ford, 22 F.3d
374, 378 (1st Cir. 1994) (quoting United States v. McLaughlin, 957 F.2d 12,
16 (1st Cir. 1992)), and questions of law that arise in the course of the
analysis are reviewed de novo, see id.
	[¶6]  The exclusionary rule prohibits introduction of tangible materials
seized during an unlawful search, as well as any derivative evidence that is
acquired as a result of the unlawful search.  Murray v. United States, 487
U.S. 533, 537 (1988).  The "independent source" doctrine, however,
permits the introduction of evidence initially discovered during, or as a
consequence of, an unlawful search, but later obtained through independent
legal activities that are untainted by the initial illegal activity.  See Murray,
487 U.S. at 537; see also Silverthorne Lumber Co. v. United States, 251 U.S.
385, 392 (1920).  In the present case, Thibodeau argues that the MDEA's
decision to seek the warrant was prompted by what Agent Pelletier saw
when he opened the door to the apartment, and was therefore not
independent of Agent Pelletier's actions.  The record does not support this
assertion.
	[¶7]  The affidavit and request for a search warrant contained
sufficient information from which the Justice of the Peace could have
concluded that the MDEA made its decision to seek the search warrant
before, and independent of, the improper entry.  The affidavit recited a
detailed description of an ongoing investigation of the 16 Lafayette Street
building, particularly Apartment C.  The information gathered during that
investigation, prior to the improper entry, clearly provided the MDEA with
probable cause to seek the warrant.
	[¶8]  The record does not disclose that the MDEA attempted to use
the information obtained from its improper actions to its advantage.{3}  In
fact, we commend the MDEA on its full disclosure.
	[¶9]  Because no one saw Agent Pelletier open the door to Apartment
C, it would have been easy for the MDEA to not disclose the incident.  While
we do not condone the action itself, we find that the MDEA acted in a
manner consistent with fair play.  To suppress the evidence found as a result
of an otherwise proper investigation would place the MDEA in a "worse
position than [it] would be in absent any error or violation."  Murray, 487
U.S. at 537 (quoting Nix, 467 U.S. 431 at 443).
	[¶10]  We next consider Thibodeau's challenge of the court's factual
finding that he was not in custody during a meeting with MDEA agents. 
Thibodeau contends that the interrogation was custodial and that all
evidence obtained as a result of statements he made during the
interrogation should have been suppressed.
	[¶11]  "A Miranda warning is required only if a defendant is:  (1) 'in
custody'; and (2) subject to interrogation."  State v. Michaud, 1998 ME 251,
¶ 3, 724 A.2d 1222, 1226 (quoting State v. Swett, 1998 ME 76, ¶ 4, 709
A.2d 729, 730). We will not reverse a trial court's custodial determination
unless the record fails to rationally support the finding.  See Swett, 1998
ME 76,  ¶ 4, 709 A.2d at 730.  After learning that his apartment had been
searched, Thibodeau called the MDEA and voluntarily arranged to meet with
Agent Crandall to discuss the matter.  The meeting lasted approximately one
hour.  Thibodeau was not restrained in any manner during the meeting, and
he was informed that he was free to end the conversation and leave at any
time.  Accordingly, it was not error for the trial court to conclude that
Thibodeau was not in custody.
	The entry is:
			Judgment affirmed.
                                                  
Attorneys for State:

Neal T. Adams, District Attorney
John M. Pluto, Dep. Dist. Atty.
144 Sweden Street
Caribou, ME 04736-2353

Attorney for defendant:

Jefferson T. Ashby, Esq.
Hardings Law Offices
P O Box 427
Presque Isle, ME 04967-0427