Max Edward Webb v. State ( 2014 )


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  • Opinion issued December 16, 2014
    In The
    Court of Appeals
    For The
    First District of Texas
    ————————————
    NO. 01-14-00200-CR
    ———————————
    MAX EDWARD WEBB, Appellant
    V.
    THE STATE OF TEXAS, Appellee
    On Appeal from the 248th District Court
    Harris County, Texas
    Trial Court Case No. 1399396
    MEMORANDUM OPINION
    Max Webb pleaded guilty to possession of methamphetamine 1 after the trial
    court denied his motion to suppress evidence recovered during a Terry search. In
    two issues, Webb asserts that the court should have granted the motion because the
    1
    TEX. HEALTH & SAFETY CODE ANN. § 481.115(a), (d) (West 2010).
    detention and search lacked justification or, alternatively, the search was initially
    justified but became unconstitutionally broad. We affirm.
    Background
    A motel owner asked two police officers, Sergeant G. Beck and Deputy C.
    Marshall, to give a criminal trespass warning to a man and a woman occupying one
    of the motel’s rooms without authorization. The owner told the officers that he had
    previously notified the woman, and possibly also the man, that they were not
    supposed to be there.
    As the officers approached, they observed the man, later identified as Webb,
    exiting the room with two large duffle bags. The woman exited right behind him.
    As she left the motel room, she dropped a baggie containing a substance that
    Deputy Marshall, an officer who specializes in narcotics crimes, recognized to be
    methamphetamine.
    Sergeant Beck “made contact” with the woman while Deputy Marshall
    “made contact” with Webb. Deputy Marshall testified that he asked Webb to put
    down the duffel bags, and when Webb complied Deputy Marshall spotted a black
    knife in Webb’s back pocket. Deputy Marshall asked Webb if he had any weapons
    on him; Webb replied that he did not. Deputy Marshall detained Webb and began
    frisking him for weapons.
    2
    Deputy Marshall ordered Webb to turn and place his hands on a nearby wall.
    He quickly found two knives on Webb. As Deputy Marshall reached to retrieve the
    second knife, Webb took his hands off the wall. The deputy handcuffed Webb as a
    safety precaution and then continued the frisk. According to his testimony, Deputy
    Marshall felt an object, which he believed to be a gun, on the inside of Webb’s
    thigh. When Deputy Marshal discovered the object, Webb suddenly turned, lost his
    balance, and fell on the floor. Because Webb continued to resist the search,
    Sergeant Beck came over, helped restrain Webb, and unholstered his Taser.
    Deputy Marshall testified that the officers did not remove the object through
    Webb’s waistband because they did not know in which direction the “gun” was
    pointed and did not want it to accidentally discharge. Eventually, two more officers
    arrived to help secure Webb. The officers cut through Webb’s pants and retrieved
    the object, which was a cylinder of methamphetamine wrapped in pantyhose. The
    officers arrested Webb.
    Webb moved to suppress the methamphetamine, arguing that his detention
    and search were not justified under Terry v. Ohio, 
    392 U.S. 1
    , 
    88 S. Ct. 1868
    (1968). The trial court denied the motion. Webb pleaded guilty but retained his
    right to appeal the denial of his motion.
    3
    Motion to Suppress
    In two issues, Webb contends that the trial court erred by denying his motion
    to suppress because (1) the police had no justification under Terry to detain or frisk
    him and (2) the scope of the frisk went beyond the constitutional limits of a Terry
    frisk.
    A.       Standard of review
    In reviewing the trial court’s ruling on a motion to suppress evidence, we
    apply a bifurcated standard of review. See Carmouche v. State, 
    10 S.W.3d 323
    , 327
    (Tex. Crim. App. 2000). We view the evidence in the light most favorable to the
    trial court’s ruling and give “almost total deference” to the trial court’s
    determinations of historical facts and rulings on mixed questions of law and fact
    that depend on an evaluation of credibility or demeanor. Gonzales v. State, 
    369 S.W.3d 851
    , 854 (Tex. Crim. App. 2012); Carmouche, 
    10 S.W.3d at 327
    . But we
    apply a de novo standard of review to the application of search and seizure law and
    to mixed questions of law and fact that do not depend on credibility or demeanor.
    Gonzales, 369 S.W.3d at 854; Carmouche, 
    10 S.W.3d at 327
    .
    B.       Justification for detention and frisk
    In his first issue, Webb asserts that, under the standards set forth in Terry
    and subsequent cases, the officers had no justification to (1) initiate an
    investigative detention or (2) frisk him for weapons.
    4
    1.     Detention
    A law enforcement officer may conduct a brief investigative detention, or
    “Terry stop,” when he has a reasonable suspicion that an individual is involved in
    criminal activity. See Terry, 
    392 U.S. at 22
    , 
    88 S. Ct. at 1880
    ; see also Corbin v.
    State, 
    85 S.W.3d 272
    , 276 (Tex. Crim. App. 2002) (“A seizure [of a person] based
    on reasonable suspicion . . . will generally be reasonable.”). “Reasonable suspicion
    exists if the officer has specific, articulable facts that, when combined with rational
    interferences from those facts, would lead him to reasonably conclude that a
    particular person actually is, has been, or soon will be engaged in criminal
    activity.” Ford v. State, 
    158 S.W.3d 488
    , 492 (Tex. Crim. App. 2005). Courts
    review the totality of the circumstances when determining whether a police officer
    has reasonable suspicion. United States v. Sokolow, 
    490 U.S. 1
    , 8, 
    109 S. Ct. 1581
    ,
    1585 (1989); Ford, 
    158 S.W.3d at
    492–93. Reasonable suspicion requires more
    than an “inchoate and unparticularized suspicion or ‘hunch.’” Terry, 
    392 U.S. at 27
    , 
    88 S. Ct. at 1883
    ; United States v. Martinez-Fuerte, 
    428 U.S. 543
    , 560–61, 
    96 S. Ct. 3074
    , 3084 (1976) (“[S]ome quantum of individualized suspicion is usually
    a prerequisite to a constitutional search or seizure.”). We judge the reasonableness
    of a police officer’s actions from the perspective of a reasonable officer at the
    scene without the advantage of hindsight. Rhodes v. State, 
    945 S.W.2d 115
    , 118
    (Tex. Crim. App. 1997).
    5
    In this case, Deputy Marshall detained Webb after he approached the motel
    room to issue a criminal trespass warning. Several facts support the conclusion that
    Deputy Marshall had reasonable suspicion to justify this detention. Both Webb and
    his companion were exiting the same hotel room. No one else was with them. His
    companion dropped a baggie of methamphetamine. Webb was carrying two large
    duffle bags out of the room. According to Deputy Marshall, Webb appeared
    nervous. Deputy Marshall also testified Webb denied having any weapons on him,
    yet Deputy Marshall saw a knife in Webb’s back pocket. Webb concedes that the
    area has a high crime rate; Deputy Marshall testified that the motel is in a high-
    crime area; and Sergeant Beck testified that the motel is a “known place” for
    prostitution, burglaries, car thefts, and narcotics. See Adams v. Williams, 
    407 U.S. 143
    , 147–48, 
    92 S. Ct. 1921
    , 1924 (1972) (concealed weapon, possible narcotics,
    and high-crime area justified Terry stop).
    Webb argues that the officers had no reasonable suspicion that he was
    engaging in criminal trespass because he did not have notice that he was
    trespassing. Prior notice is an element of that offense. TEX. PENAL CODE ANN.
    § 30.05 (West Supp. 2014). Notably, the record contains contradictory evidence
    regarding whether Webb received prior notice. We assume the factfinder resolved
    this conflict in favor of the decision to overrule the motion to suppress and defer to
    that conclusion. Gonzales, 369 S.W.3d at 854. Webb also argues that his mere
    6
    proximity to his companion when she threw down the bag of methamphetamine is
    not sufficient to create reasonable suspicion that he was also possessing narcotics.
    Both of these arguments fail because reasonable suspicion does not require
    probable cause for each element of a particular offense. Derichsweiler v. State, 
    348 S.W.3d 906
    , 916–17 (Tex. Crim. App. 2011); Crockett v. State, 
    803 S.W.2d 308
    ,
    311 (Tex. Crim. App. 1991). “It has been an accepted part of state and federal
    jurisprudence for many years that law enforcement officers may stop and briefly
    detain persons suspected of criminal activity on less information than is
    constitutionally required for probable cause to arrest.” Crockett, 
    803 S.W.2d at 311
    . Further, the circumstances justifying a Terry stop do “not necessarily mean
    that the information [relied upon to justify the detention] must lead inexorably to
    the conclusion that a particular and identifiable penal code offense is imminent.”
    Derichsweiler, 
    348 S.W.3d at 917
    . “It is enough to satisfy the lesser standard of
    reasonable suspicion that the information is sufficiently detailed and reliable—i.e.,
    it supports more than an inarticulate hunch or intuition—to suggest that something
    of an apparently criminal nature is brewing.” 
    Id.
    Here, Deputy Marshall had much more than a hunch. Webb was in a high-
    crime area, carrying a knife, trespassing, leaving a private room together with a
    companion who was carrying narcotics, and removing unknown items from that
    private room in two large duffle bags. While we agree with Webb’s assertion that
    7
    proximity alone does not create the requisite reasonable suspicion, there was much
    more than mere proximity here. See Lippert v. State, 
    664 S.W.2d 712
    , 721–22
    (Tex. Crim. App. 1984); Salazar v. State, 
    893 S.W.2d 138
    , 142 (Tex. App.—
    Houston [1st Dist.] 1995, pet. ref’d, untimely filed). Webb’s proximity to his
    companion and the additional circumstances discussed above justify his detention
    because the totality of the circumstances supports the reasonable suspicion that
    Webb was engaged in criminal activity. See Salazar, 893 S.W.2d at 142.
    2.     Frisk
    Webb also contends that the officers did not have justification to conduct a
    Terry frisk. “Law enforcement personnel may conduct a limited search for
    weapons of a suspect’s outer clothing, even in the absence of probable cause,
    where an officer reasonably believes that the suspect is armed and dangerous.”
    Carmouche, 
    10 S.W.3d at 329
    . “The officer need not be absolutely certain that the
    individual is armed; the issue is whether a reasonably prudent man in the
    circumstances would be warranted in the belief that his safety or that of others was
    in danger.” Terry, 
    392 U.S. at 27
    , 
    88 S. Ct. at 1883
    .
    According to the officers’ testimony, they frisked Webb because:
    (1) Webb’s companion had just thrown down a bag of methamphetamine, and
    weapons are often associated with narcotics; (2) Webb had a knife; and (3) Webb
    lied about having a knife after Deputy Marshall saw the weapon. Together, these
    8
    provide an objective basis for reasonably prudent officers to be concerned for their
    safety. Weapons are frequently associated with narcotics, and this association can
    help justify a Terry frisk. Carmouche, 
    10 S.W.3d at 330
    . That Deputy Marshall
    saw a knife on Webb’s person, and that Webb lied about this weapon after the
    deputy saw it, provides additional justification for the frisk.
    Webb responds that the record contains evidence directly contradicting
    Deputy Marshall’s testimony. While that may be true, we defer to the factfinder to
    resolve questions of fact and weigh the evidence. Gonzales, 369 S.W.3d at 854. In
    this case, we assume the factfinder chose to credit the deputy’s testimony and
    discount any contrary evidence. See id. The reasons given in the deputy’s
    testimony justify the Terry frisk.
    We conclude that the evidence, when viewed in the light most favorable to
    the trial court’s finding, demonstrates justification for both the detention and the
    frisk of Webb. Accordingly, we overrule Webb’s first issue.
    C.    Scope of search
    In his second issue, Webb asserts that the scope of the Terry frisk went
    beyond constitutional bounds. “When a protective search is warranted, the search
    must be carefully limited to that which is necessary to discover weapons that could
    reasonably harm the police officers or others.” Balentine v. State, 
    71 S.W.3d 763
    ,
    770 (Tex. Crim. App. 2002). Webb contends that the officers had no reason to fear
    9
    the unknown object in his pants because, by the time it was retrieved, the officers
    had already handcuffed Webb, pinned him to the ground, and drawn—but never
    fired—a Taser, thereby eliminating any threat Webb previously posed to them.
    The State contends that Webb did not raise this issue before the trial court
    and thus failed to preserve any error. Preservation of error requires a party to
    timely file an objection and to obtain a ruling on the objection. TEX. R. APP. P.
    33.1(a). “The objection must merely be sufficiently clear to provide the trial judge
    and opposing counsel an opportunity to address and, if necessary, correct the
    purported error.” Ford v. State, 
    305 S.W.3d 530
    , 533 (Tex. Crim. App. 2009).
    This case involves two motions to suppress: one filed by Webb pro se and
    another filed by Webb’s trial counsel. Webb withdrew his pro se motion from the
    court’s consideration and never obtained a ruling. Therefore, his pro se motion
    does not preserve any error. His trial counsel’s motion asserts merely that “[h]is
    person was searched in violation of his constitutional rights.” This language is too
    broad to give the trial court notice of the specific constitutional injury alleged.
    Webb’s counsel also filed a brief in support of this motion, which objects that “the
    officers do not articulate, nor is there evidence of any reason to believe defendant
    was armed or presented a danger to the officers prior to the initiation of the
    search.” (emphasis added). The brief limits its argument to whether justification
    existed to initiate the frisk; it does not address whether, once initiated, the frisk
    10
    subsequently exceeded the scope of Terry. Similarly, in the hearing on the motion,
    Webb’s counsel argued that “[the State has] offered no justification for searching
    the defendant for weapons . . . .” Counsel thereby limited his argument to the
    justification for the search and did not challenge the scope of that search.
    We conclude that Webb did not preserve any error regarding the scope of the
    Terry frisk. Accordingly, we overrule Webb’s second issue.
    Conclusion
    We affirm the judgment of the trial court.
    Harvey Brown
    Justice
    Panel consists of Justices Keyes, Higley, and Brown.
    Do not publish. TEX. R. APP. P. 47.2(b).
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