State v. Blanco

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NOT DESIGNATED FOR PUBLICATION

No. 119,558


IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF KANSAS

STATE OF KANSAS,
Appellant,

v.

JAY BLANCO,
Appellee.

MEMORANDUM OPINION


Appeal from Johnson District Court; STEPHEN R. TATUM, judge. Opinion filed December 28,
2018. Affirmed.

Jacob M. Gontesky, assistant district attorney, Stephen M. Howe, district attorney, and Derek
Schmidt, attorney general, for appellant.

Peter L. Conley, of Johnson County Public Defender's Office, for appellee.

Before MALONE, P.J., PIERRON, J., and BURGESS, S.J.

PER CURIAM: The district court granted Jay Blanco's motion to suppress evidence
discovered during a warrantless search of his vehicle after his driving under the influence
(DUI) arrest. The State has filed an interlocutory appeal. We affirm.

On December 20, 2017 at 10:23 p.m., Olathe Police Officer Drew Fitzpatrick
responded to a call about an intoxicated driver. At 10:26 p.m., Fitzpatrick observed a
dark-colored vehicle, driving with its headlights off, turn into a parking lot. The vehicle
matched the description provided by dispatch. Fitzpatrick activated his emergency lights
in an attempt to stop the vehicle. The driver jumped the curb with the vehicle and struck a
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tree trying to escape the lot. As the vehicle passed, Fitzpatrick got a good look at the
driver's face. Because of the heavy traffic on the road and the department's pursuit policy,
Fitzpatrick did not pursue the vehicle.

At 10:31 p.m., dispatch advised officers that a caller reported the vehicle that fled
Officer Fitzpatrick was parked at The Other Place, a tavern in the same parking lot as the
incident five minutes before. Officers Shane Bryan and Kevin Dornes reached the
location two minutes later. When they arrived, Blanco was standing near the railing that
encompasses The Other Place's patio area. The black Mercury Sable that fled from
Officer Fitzpatrick was approximately 20 yards away. When Blanco saw the officers, he
began walking away from them, looking back as he walked. Officer Dornes motioned
toward Blanco to return to the vehicle but Blanco continued toward the front of the tavern
and got into the back seat of his girlfriend's, Ximena Cruz, vehicle.

Officer Bryan told Blanco to get out of the vehicle, to which Blanco replied, "I'm
wasted." From around one and a half feet away, Bryan smelled a heavy odor of consumed
alcohol on Blanco's breath and noticed that his eyes were bloodshot. Blanco was
argumentative with the officers and stumbled as he walked. He did not have his driver's
license on him and he denied driving. As the officers escorted Blanco toward the patrol
car to conduct field sobriety tests, he struggled to maintain his balance and, at one point,
tried to break free of the officers' grips and run. The officers grabbed Blanco and arrested
him for DUI and resisting arrest. As the officers escorted Blanco to their patrol car,
Officer Fitzpatrick arrived and identified Blanco as the driver who had fled from him
earlier. Before placing him in the patrol car, the officers searched Blanco and found the
keys to the Sable in his front pocket. The officers verified that the Sable was registered to
Blanco.

The officers examined the exterior of the vehicle, which appeared to have fresh
damage. The hood of the vehicle was warm to the touch, indicating it had been driven
recently. Officers Bryan and Dornes then searched the interior of the vehicle as a search
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incident to arrest. Bryan searched the driver's side of the vehicle, including the side
pockets of the door and the rubbish on the floor. Dornes searched the passenger side,
where a backpack sat on the floorboard. He first searched the outer pocket of the
backpack and found a digital scale. Inside the bag, he found 155.3 grams of marijuana.
The State subsequently charged Blanco with distribution of marijuana, fleeing or
attempting to elude a police officer, possession of drug paraphernalia, interference with
law enforcement, and DUI.

Blanco moved to suppress evidence discovered in his vehicle, claiming the search
violated his rights against unreasonable searches and seizures under the Fourth
Amendment to the United States Constitution. He asked the district court to disallow any
evidence from the search under the exclusionary rule.

The United States Supreme Court, in Arizona v. Gant, 556 U.S. 332, 129 S. Ct.
1710, 173 L. Ed. 2d 485 (2009), provided two situations in which law enforcement may
conduct a warrantless vehicle search incident to a recent occupant's arrest: (1) the
arrestee is unsecured and within reaching distance of the passenger compartment at the
time of the search; or (2) it is "'reasonable to believe evidence relevant to the crime of
arrest might be found in the vehicle.'" 556 U.S. at 343 (quoting Thornton v. United States,
541 U.S. 615, 632, 124 S. Ct. 2127, 158 L. Ed. 2d 905 [2004] [Scalia, J., concurring]).
Because officers had already secured Blanco in the patrol car at the time of the search,
the legality of the search depended on the district court's interpretation of the second
Gant exception to the warrant requirement.

Courts have adopted two interpretations of Gant's "it is reasonable to believe"
language: (1) certain offenses provide a categorical link under which officers will always
have a reasonable belief that a vehicle contains evidence relevant to the offense; and (2)
the Supreme Court provided a standard akin to reasonable suspicion. See State v. Ewertz,
49 Kan. App. 2d 8, 11-12, 305 P.3d 23 (2013).

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Blanco contended that the Gant Court did not intend on creating a categorical link
between certain offenses and even if it did, the standard would not apply to DUI. He
asserted that with drug possession charges, as analyzed in Gant, it is common for drug
dealers to carry firearms, so much so that Kansas has enacted special punishments for
drug offenses committed with firearms. He contrasted that with the fact that drunk
drivers' risk is in their driving and the bulk of the evidence is in the blood alcohol
content, which officers cannot discover in a vehicle search.

Blanco cited Judge Malone's concurring opinion in Ewertz, 49 Kan. App. 2d at 17,
in which he opined that Kansas should reject a per se rule of a categorical link providing
officers a right to search based on the nature of the crime of arrest. Judge Malone
advocated for Kansas courts to equate Gant's "reasonable to believe" language with
reasonable suspicion, an objective standard based on the totality of the circumstances, a
standard understood by law enforcement. 49 Kan. App. 2d at 17. Judge Malone
specifically rejected that courts should apply a categorical link between DUI and the right
to search a vehicle, while admitting that during a traffic stop, an officer may develop
probable cause for an arrest but observations leading to arrest do not automatically
provide reasonable suspicion that evidence may be inside the vehicle. 49 Kan. App. 2d at
17.

Blanco contended the officers may have had reasonable suspicion that he had been
driving under the influence, but not that any evidence related to the DUI would have been
in his car. He noted that the Ewertz court found reasonable suspicion existed in Ewertz,
but distinguished his case on the facts. In Ewertz, the odor of alcohol emanated from the
vehicle, rather than the defendant's breath, and the officers saw drug paraphernalia in
plain view inside her car. However, here, Officer Bryan was clear that he did not smell
the odor of alcohol in or near the vehicle and he never shined his flashlight into the
vehicle to try to use the plain view doctrine. In addition, Officer Fitzpatrick never saw
Blanco holding a drink or anything that would have led him to believe Blanco had an
open container in his vehicle. Witnesses never reported that Blanco had any drinks or
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contraband with him. Blanco argued that because the officers lacked reasonable suspicion
to search his car, the district court rightly suppressed the evidence as fruits of the
poisonous tree under Wong Sun v. United States, 371 U.S. 471, 485, 83 S. Ct. 407, 9 L.
Ed. 2d 441 (1963).

The State claimed the search was lawful under both interpretations of Gant. The
Ewertz court cited to cases that both rejected and adopted the categorical link approach.
More importantly, the court did not reject the categorical link approach. The court found
that the officer searched for open alcohol containers, which qualified as evidence relevant
to the DUI arrest. The Ewertz court did not reject either approach. Instead, it analyzed the
facts of Ewertz' arrest under both approaches.

The State conceded the officers never contacted Blanco while he was in his
vehicle, but they claimed that "just moments after he stepped from his vehicle, officers
observed indicators of impairment." The State contended that Blanco was trying to
distance himself from his vehicle when officers arrived, even ignoring their request to
return to his vehicle. The State also asserts that Blanco had not had time to go into
another location to drink between the contact with Officer Fitzgerald and the contact with
Officers Bryan and Dornes. With no indication that he consumed alcohol in the bar or
since the initial contact, the State asserts there was reasonable suspicion to believe that
evidence of alcohol consumption would have been in the vehicle.

The State concluded by asserting that even if the district court found the search
unlawful, the good-faith exception to the exclusionary rule applied because the officers
acted in reasonable reliance on Kansas caselaw.

During the motions hearing, the officers testified to the above facts. The State
asked Officers Bryan and Dornes to explain their understanding of why the search was
lawful. Officer Bryan explained that it was a search incident to arrest and his
understanding of the law was that he could search specifically for evidence of the
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elements of crime of arrest. Officer Dornes responded he conducted the search as part of
the DUI investigation as a search incident to arrest. He indicated he looked for anything
suggesting that Blanco had consumed alcohol that night, any evidence contributing to the
DUI arrest. Officer Dornes cited Gant as the authority that addressed search incident to
arrest and "[r]ecovering fruits of being drunk."

The district court granted Blanco's motion. Recognizing that Kansas courts have
not yet determined which interpretation of Gant to adopt, the district court wrote:

"This Court does not interpret Gant to give officers carte blanche to search a
vehicle simply because the driver is arrested for driving under the influence when there is
no evidence supporting a reasonable belief there will be evidence of the crime found in
the vehicle, i.e., open containers of alcohol."

The court highlighted the fact that Blanco was 20 yards from his vehicle when officers
made contact with him and although he exhibited numerous clues to support the arrest for
DUI, no reasonable suspicion existed to believe evidence of DUI would be in his vehicle.
The court noted the officers saw no open containers in the vehicle before they began the
search nor did they smell an odor of alcohol emanating from the vehicle. The court held
that the officers lacked reasonable suspicion and so the search was unlawful.

The district court denied the State's assertion that the good-faith exception to the
exclusionary rule applied. The United States Supreme Court has recognized the good-
faith exception applies when law enforcement acted in reasonable reliance on (1) a search
warrant later found invalid; (2) a statute later found unconstitutional; or (3) binding
appellate precedent later overruled. See Davis v. United States, 564 U.S. 229, 238-39,
241, 131 S. Ct. 2419, 180 L. Ed. 2d 285 (2011). The district court noted that in each
exception, the invalidity of the search stemmed from an error by a party other than law
enforcement. But here, the officers committed the error in interpretation. The court
determined the Fourth Amendment violation had not resulted from reasonable reliance on
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a later invalidated search warrant, statute, or appellate precedent. Therefore, no
established exception to the exclusionary rule applied.

The State filed an interlocutory appeal.

In claiming that the search of Blanco's vehicle was constitutional, the State asserts
that the officers only searched for physical evidence of the crime of arrest, according to
the Gant restrictions. The State also contends that the United States Supreme Court
created a categorical link that permits vehicle searches "if the crime of arrest is one which
could reasonably be understood to produce physical evidence that could be located in the
car." The State notes that even if we adopted the Gant interpretation requiring reasonable
suspicion, the search was constitutional.

The standard of review for a district court's decision on a motion to suppress has
two components. The appellate court reviews the district court's factual findings to
determine whether they are supported by substantial competent evidence. We review the
ultimate legal conclusion using a de novo standard. In reviewing the factual findings, the
appellate court does not reweigh the evidence or assess the credibility of witnesses. State
v. Hanke, 307 Kan. 823, 827, 415 P.3d 966 (2018). When the material facts supporting a
trial court's decision on a motion to suppress evidence are not in dispute, the ultimate
question of whether to suppress is a question of law over which an appellate court has
unlimited review. Hanke, 307 Kan. at 827.

The State carries the burden to prove that a search and seizure was lawful. State v.
Cleverly, 305 Kan. 598, 605, 385 P.3d 512 (2016).

For the most part, the facts of the case are not in question. The only difference is
the parties' characterization of Blanco's location as officers arrived. The State contends
that Blanco was walking away from his vehicle, while Blanco contends he was standing
in the grass outside the patio, talking to bar patrons. Officer Bryan testified that upon
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arriving, he "observed someone standing in the grass outside of the patio area walking
away from the vehicle." (Emphasis added.) When asked specifically whether Blanco was
walking when Bryan saw him, he stated, "He was standing, I believe, by the rail of the
patio." Officer Dornes testified that Blanco was in the grass, outside the patio area,
talking to bar patrons who were standing inside the tavern railing. According to the
testimony of the State's witnesses, Blanco was standing in the grass talking to patrons
when they arrived. He was not walking away from or trying to distance himself from his
vehicle. Blanco proceeded to walk further from his vehicle as he walked to Cruz' car.
Substantial competent evidence supports the district court's finding that Blanco was
standing outside the patio area of The Other Place about 20 yards from his vehicle.

It seems the State slightly twisted Blanco's movement as a justification for
connecting him to his vehicle for search purposes. The significance of this fact is for our
determination of whether a DUI arrest made after law enforcement initiated contact with
the suspect who was outside the vehicle, not fleeing the vehicle, would allow for a
vehicle search. The district court considered Blanco's distance from his vehicle in
determining that although Blanco demonstrated several clues to support his DUI arrest,
officers had no reasonable suspicion to believe evidence relevant to the DUI would be in
the vehicle.

When reviewing vehicle search cases, the courts tend to refer to the offender as the
"recent occupant" of the vehicle. In doing so, most cases refer to an encounter initiated by
law enforcement while the offender was in the vehicle and got out at the officer's request.
In Thornton, 541 U.S. 615, the United States Supreme Court addressed the permissibility
of vehicle searches when suspects are "next to" the vehicle, specifically when the officer
observed the suspect exit the vehicle. The Court stated the concerns for officer safety and
destruction of evidence when the offender flees the vehicle are identical to those in which
the officer contacts the offender in the vehicle. 541 U.S. at 621. The Court pointed out
that an officer's stress does not lessen because an arrestee exited the vehicle before the
officer initiated contact, nor is the arrestee less likely to lunge for a weapon or attempt to
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destroy evidence from outside the vehicle. The Court characterized the arrestee as
"outside of, but still in control of, the vehicle." 541 U.S. at 621.

Although Officer Fitzpatrick identified Blanco as having driven the vehicle within
10 minutes of the contact initiated by Officers Bryan and Dornes, this case is
distinguishable from Thornton because of the duration of time and Blanco's distance from
the vehicle. It seems the State seeks to characterize Blanco walking from his vehicle as an
attempt to fit under the Thornton rule. Even so, although the two calls about Blanco were
close in time, the officers did not continually see his vehicle or see him exit the vehicle.
The significance in Thornton was the ability of the arrestee to retrieve a weapon or
destroy evidence in the vehicle as an offender next to the vehicle maintained control of it.
Neither of those issues apply when Blanco stood, talking to bar patrons, 20 yards from
his locked vehicle.

The officers had not maintained watch over Blanco's vehicle, could not determine
how long since he had exited, and were unaware whether anyone else had entered it.
Blanco was standing 20 yards away talking to bar patrons. He was not a "recent
occupant" or "suspect who [was] next to a vehicle" when officers initiated contact with
him. Therefore, the search was unreasonable because the applicable warrant exceptions in
Thornton and Gant do not apply.

Search Incident to Lawful Arrest

The Fourth Amendment and § 15 of the Kansas Constitution Bill of Rights protect
citizens from unreasonable searches and seizures. State v. Moralez, 297 Kan. 397, 404,
300 P.3d 1090 (2013). All warrantless searches are per se unreasonable subject to a few
specifically established and well-delineated exceptions. State v. Estrada-Vital, 302 Kan.
549, 555-56, 356 P.3d 1058 (2015). The exceptions to the warrant requirement include
"'consent; search incident to a lawful arrest; stop and frisk; probable cause plus exigent
circumstances; the emergency doctrine; inventory searches; plain view or feel; and
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administrative searches of closely regulated businesses.'" State v. Sanchez-Loredo, 294
Kan. 50, 55, 272 P.3d 34 (2012) (quoting State v. Fitzgerald, 286 Kan. 1124, 1127, 192
P.3d 171 [2008]).

The officers claimed they conducted the search under the search incident to a
lawful arrest warrant exception. In Gant, the United States Supreme Court provided that
law enforcement may search a vehicle incident to a recent occupant's arrest when: (1) the
arrestee is unsecured and within reaching distance of vehicle at the time of the search or
(2) it is "'reasonable to believe evidence relevant to the crime of arrest might be found in
the vehicle.'" 556 U.S. at 343. Because the officers had secured Blanco in the patrol
vehicle at the time of the search, only the second condition could apply.

Interpretations of Reasonable to Believe

The Gant Court held: "[C]ircumstances unique to the vehicle context justify a
search incident to a lawful arrest when it is 'reasonable to believe evidence relevant to the
crime of arrest might be found in the vehicle.'" 556 Kan. at 343 (quoting Thornton, 541
U.S. at 632 [Scalia, J., concurring]). The Court stated that in many cases, like in Gant,
where officers arrested the recent occupant for a traffic violation, no reasonable belief
that the vehicle would contain relevant evidence could exist. 556 U.S. at 343. However,
in cases such as drug possession, the "offense of arrest will supply a basis for searching
the passenger compartment of an arrestee's vehicle and any containers therein." 556 U.S.
at 344. Courts have interpreted the "it is reasonable to believe" language in two ways.

Under the first interpretation, some courts have determined that the Supreme Court
created a categorical link between the nature of some crimes and the right to search a
vehicle. Ewertz, 49 Kan. App. 2d at 11. This view accepts that the nature of the crime,
despite the facts of the case, conveys whether a reasonable belief that evidence relevant
to the crime of arrest exists. Essentially, some crimes will always provide a reasonable
belief while others never will.
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The second interpretation of Gant is that the Supreme Court created a standard
akin to reasonable suspicion. Ewertz, 49 Kan. App. 2d at 12. Reasonable suspicion
requires a particularized and articulable basis for believing evidence relevant to the crime
of arrest would be in the vehicle. In determining whether reasonable suspicion exists, law
enforcement must consider the totality of circumstances—the whole picture. State v.
Toothman, 267 Kan. 412, ¶ 5, 985 P.2d 701 (1999).

The Kansas Supreme Court has not adopted either Gant interpretation. Most
recently, in State v. Torres, 308 Kan. 476, 485, 421 P.3d 733 (2018), the court declined to
accept the categorical link interpretation while leaving it open for future consideration.
Although the Supreme Court adopted no interpretation of Gant, it opted to review the
totality of circumstances as the Court of Appeals had. 308 Kan. at 485.

The State claims that the categorical link interpretation is the most natural reading
of Gant. This contention stems from the fact that the Supreme Court did not explicitly
apply a reasonable suspicion standard, a standard that the courts are familiar with and
have explicitly applied before. Blanco claims a categorical approach is not in line with
the rationale behind Gant, claiming that the Court sought to rectify the "myriad
unconstitutional searches" permitted in New York v. Belton, 453 U.S. 454, 101 S. Ct.
2860, 69 L. Ed. 2d 768 (1981). See Gant, 556 U.S. at 350-51. In Belton, the Court stated,
"we hold that when a policeman has made a lawful custodial arrest of the occupant of an
automobile, he may, as a contemporaneous incident of that arrest, search the passenger
compartment of that automobile." 453 U.S. at 460.

Blanco's argument is more in line with the rationale provided in Gant, especially if
the purpose was to prevent unconstitutional searches. Before providing the additional
exception to the warrant requirement, the Gant Court wrote,

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"Under this broad reading of Belton, a vehicle search would be authorized
incident to every arrest of a recent occupant notwithstanding that in most cases the
vehicle's passenger compartment will not be within the arrestee's reach at the time of the
search. To read Belton as authorizing a vehicle search incident to every recent occupant's
arrest would thus untether the rule from the justifications underlying the Chimel
exception—a result clearly incompatible with our statement in Belton that it 'in no way
alters the fundamental principles established in the Chimel case regarding the basic scope
of searches incident to lawful custodial arrests.' Accordingly, we reject this reading of
Belton and hold that the Chimel rationale authorizes police to search a vehicle incident to
a recent occupant's arrest only when the arrestee is unsecured and within reaching
distance of the passenger compartment at the time of the search. [Citations omitted.]" 556
U.S. at 343.

Before providing the second provision for warrantless searches, the Court acknowledged
that it was contrary to Chimel. Though the Court provided another means of conducting a
warrantless vehicle search, it seems a broad reading of Gant under the categorical link
interpretation would lead to similar myriad unconstitutional searches much like the broad
reading of Belton. Ultimately, a categorical link rule without further guidance would
permit unconstitutional searches because of confusion over which crimes could be
categorized as always providing a reasonable basis. The Supreme Court only applied this
rationale to drug possession, a crime that requires physical possession of contraband. At
the same time, such a rule could force law enforcement officers to ignore the facts that
could amount to reasonable suspicion for a search if the crime of arrest provides no
categorical link.

Categorical Link Interpretation

One Court of Appeals panel has the right to disagree with a previous panel of the
same court. Graham v. Herring, 297 Kan. 847, 861, 305 P.3d 585 (2013). In Ewertz,
another panel of this court found, "like drug offenses, driving under the influence is likely
within the category of crimes identified by the Gant Court as supplying a basis for
searching a vehicle." 49 Kan. App. 2d at 13. However, in his concurring opinion, Judge
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Malone wrote, "In many instances, a law enforcement officer investigating a DUI may
develop probable cause to arrest the driver without having reason to believe evidence
relevant to the crime might be found in the vehicle." 49 Kan. App. 2d at 17.

In Ewertz, the officer testified that the odor of alcohol emanated from the vehicle
and he saw contraband in plain view when he entered the car to retrieve Ewertz' purse for
her. Here, officers smelled the odor of consumed alcohol coming from Blanco and not the
vehicle and there was no indication that the officers had any reason to believe relevant
evidence may have been in the vehicle.

The facts of Ewertz made it easy to assume that DUI falls into the category of
crime identified in Gant. Yet the facts here demonstrate why Judge Malone hesitated in
taking such a leap. Blanco was not in or "next to" the vehicle upon contact with the
officers and the officers did not smell alcohol coming from the vehicle before the search.
As Blanco argued, with drug possession other contraband is often found, whether it be
paraphernalia to assist with drug consumption or weapons. Blanco pointed out that the
relationship between drugs and weapons is so great that Kansas has adopted stricter
punishments for offenders who carry a firearm to commit a drug felony or possess a
firearm in the furtherance of a drug felony. See K.S.A. 2017 Supp. 21-6805(g). Such a
connection does not exist with DUI. Blanco also emphasized that the bulk of the evidence
in a DUI case is the blood alcohol content rather than circumstantial physical evidence
from inside the vehicle. This court has recently decided numerous cases permitting
warrantless breath-alcohol testing as a search incident to a lawful DUI arrest. Such a
search produces direct evidence of the crime of DUI.

Ultimately, DUI should not fall into the category of crimes that always provides a
reasonable belief that relevant evidence of the crime may be in the vehicle. By expanding
the category to include DUI, this court risks allowing for further expansion into other
crimes with a mere assertion that there was a possibility that evidence of the crime could
have been in the vehicle. Further expansion of the category risks continued violations of
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arrestees' constitutional rights and fishing expeditions by officers so long as the State can
later persuade the courts that the possibility existed. Therefore, this court finds DUIs
should not be in the category of crimes that always permit a vehicle search.

Reasonable Suspicion Interpretation

The State contends that the officers' search of Blanco's vehicle was permissible
because they had reasonable belief that evidence of DUI was in it. The State asserts that
Blanco had been seen driving dangerously minutes before making contact with him, he
admitted he was wasted, and the officer had no reason to believe he had been in the
tavern before contacting him or that he became wasted in the time between the two 911
calls. The State also claims that it was reasonable to believe Blanco was intoxicated when
he fled from Officer Fitzpatrick at 10:26 p.m.

Blanco counters by noting that he does not contest the DUI arrest. He contends the
facts did not suggest that any evidence was in the vehicle. He smelled of alcohol, not his
vehicle, and there was no indication that he had been drinking in his vehicle. He asserts
that his breath-alcohol content would have been good evidence that officers could not
have obtained by searching the vehicle. At the suppression hearing, Blanco asserted that
in a majority of DUI cases, the offender had been drinking before getting into the vehicle
and later considered "drunken stupidity" as one reason that somebody may flee and elude
officers.

Blanco did not dispute probable cause existed to arrest him for DUI, only that
there was reasonable suspicion that evidence of his DUI would be in the vehicle. The
facts provide for the reasonable conclusion that any alcohol consumption occurred before
driving. Without specifically admitting that he was driving under the influence, Blanco
agreed that intoxication could be a reason for fleeing and eluding law enforcement. The
State also contends that Blanco consumed alcohol before his encounter with Officer
Fitzpatrick and provides no indication that the officers had reason to believe Blanco
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consumed alcohol in the vehicle. In fact, officers did not assert that belief either; they
asserted that a vehicle search was reasonable upon the lawful arrest for any crime, so long
as they searched for evidence of the crime of arrest. Considering the totality of
circumstances officers had no articulable reasons to believe that evidence of the DUI
would be in the vehicle. Therefore, the search was unreasonable under the reasonable
suspicion interpretation of Gant.

Good-Faith Exception to the Exclusionary Rule

The State further contends that even if this court determines the search was
unlawful, the evidence is admissible under the good-faith exception to the exclusionary
rule. The State claims applying the exclusionary rule will not deter future violations and
is not appropriate because the officers conducted the search on objectively reasonable
reliance on binding judicial precedent. Blanco counters the State's assertion by raising the
issue that no such "settled caselaw" exists.

We review the district court's factual findings under a substantial competent
evidence standard and the legal conclusion by a de novo standard. State v. Daniel, 291
Kan. 490, 495, 242 P.3d 1186 (2010).

When law enforcement illegally obtains evidence in an unconstitutional search or
seizure, the exclusionary rule, a judicially created rule, may act as a safeguard by
suppressing evidence. State v. Powell, 299 Kan. 690, 694-95, 325 P.3d 1162 (2014). The
purpose of the rule is deterrence from future violations. Powell, 299 Kan. at 694-95.
Courts should only apply the exclusionary rule to further its intended purpose. Krull, 480
U.S. at 347. In determining whether application will achieve the rule's deterrent effect,
the court weighs the likelihood of the deterrence against the costs of withholding reliable
evidence. 480 U.S. at 347.

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In State v. Karson, 44 Kan. App. 2d 306, 314, 235 P.3d 1260 (2010), aff'd 297
Kan. 634, 304 P.3d 317 (2013), this court held the exclusionary rule did not apply to
evidence obtained in an unlawful search when officers acted in reasonable reliance on
settled caselaw even if a later United States Supreme Court decision deems the search
invalid. Here, caselaw is not settled. As addressed by both parties, different states and
different federal districts have split between the two Gant interpretations. However,
neither the Kansas Supreme Court nor the Kansas Court of Appeals has adopted a Gant
interpretation. Because of this, the good-faith exception cannot apply. The exception is
based on reasonable reliance on settled caselaw that supports the constitutionality of the
search at the time and requires the search to have been later deemed unconstitutional
based on a United States Supreme Court decision. Therefore, the good-faith exception is
not applicable.

Additionally, the officers' legal explanations showed a faulty understanding of the
two interpretations of Gant. Officer Bryan testified, "I can look specifically for elements
related directly to the crime that [Blanco] was arrested for." Officer Dornes explained
that he looked for "fruits of the crime, the DUI, open alcoholic beverages, anything that
would indicate that [Blanco] had been consuming alcohol that night that would contribute
to the DUI arrest." Officer Dornes also testified it was "a search incident to the arrest, one
of the exceptions to a search warrant and gives me probable cause to search the vehicle
for proof of any crime." He also stated that under Gant, he could recover "fruits of being
drunk" or evidence "[r]elated to the crime that [he] arrested [Blanco] for." Although
Officer Dornes concluded that he could only search for evidence of the DUI here, both
officers testified that as long as they searched for evidence of the crime of arrest, the
search was lawful. Which, to a point is accurate, but the explanation lacks an
understanding of limitations of searches based on the "reasonable to believe" language of
Gant, whether it be based on a categorical link or the need for reasonable suspicion.

The belief that Gant provided a rule that officers could search any vehicle so long
as they searched only for evidence of the crime of arrest will lead to more
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unconstitutional searches based on officers' interpretations of caselaw. Also, expanding
the good-faith exception to include officers' interpretations of unsettled caselaw would be
even more problematic based on Blanco's location at the time of the initial contact with
officers. The district court correctly concluded that the good-faith exception could not
apply here because the officers did not reasonably rely on later invalidated appellate
precedent. The court also appropriately determined that the exclusionary rule would serve
its deterrent purpose in preventing the officers involved and others from making the same
mistake in the future.

Affirmed.

* * *

MALONE, J., concurring: I concur in the result.