STATE OF NEW JERSEY VS. ANDRE T. LINDSEY(13-10-0922, UNION COUNTY AND STATEWIDE) ( 2017 )

NOT FOR PUBLICATION WITHOUT THE
APPROVAL OF THE APPELLATE DIVISION
This opinion shall not "constitute precedent or be binding upon any court."
Although it is posted on the internet, this opinion is only binding on the
parties in the case and its use in other cases is limited. R.1:36-3.
SUPERIOR COURT OF NEW JERSEY
APPELLATE DIVISION
DOCKET NO. A-3024-14T3
STATE OF NEW JERSEY,
Plaintiff-Respondent,
v.
ANDRE T. LINDSEY, a/k/a
ANDRE T. LIDSEY and ANDRE
LINDSEY,
Defendant-Appellant.
_____________________________
Submitted September 21, 2016 – Decided August 18, 2017
Before Judges Fuentes and Simonelli.
On appeal from the Superior Court of New
Jersey, Law Division, Union County, Indictment
No. 13-10-0922.
Joseph E. Krakora, Public Defender, attorney
for appellant (Jaime B. Herrera, Assistant
Deputy Public Defender, of counsel and on the
brief).
Christopher S. Porrino, Attorney General,
attorney for respondent (Jennifer E. Kmieciak,
Deputy Attorney General, of counsel and on the
brief).
PER CURIAM
On October 31, 2013, a Salem County grand jury returned
Indictment No. 13-10-0922, charging defendant Andre T. Lindsey
with fourth degree possession of marijuana with intent to
distribute, N.J.S.A. 2C:35-5a(1) and N.J.S.A. 2C:35-5b(12); third
degree possession of marijuana with intent to distribute within
1000 feet of school property, N.J.S.A. 2C:35-7; second degree
possession of marijuana with intent to distribute within 500 feet
of a public park, N.J.S.A. 2C:35-7.1; second degree unlawful
possession of a firearm, N.J.S.A. 2C:39-5b; second degree
possession of a firearm in the course of committing a drug offense,
N.J.S.A. 2C:39-4.1a; and third degree receiving stolen property,
N.J.S.A. 2C:20-7.
After the court denied his motion to suppress the evidence
supporting the charges in Indictment No. 13-10-0922, defendant
entered into a negotiated agreement with the State in which he
pleaded guilty to fourth degree possession of marijuana with intent
to distribute and second degree unlawful possession of a firearm.
The State agreed to dismiss the remaining counts of the indictment
and recommend the court sentence defendant to an aggregate term
of five years, with three years of parole ineligibility. The
State also agreed to recommend that the court permit defendant to
serve this sentence concurrent to a separate three-year term the
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court imposed under Indictment No. 14-2-0143. Defendant is not
appealing his conviction under Indictment No. 14-2-0143.
On December 19, 2014, the court sentenced defendant to a term
of five years with three years of parole ineligibility on the
charge of second degree unlawful possession of a firearm. However,
the judge did not impose a separate sentence on the charge of
fourth degree possession of marijuana with intent to distribute.
The Judgment of Conviction (JOC) also erroneously states the court
imposed a five-year term on this fourth degree offense. Both
parties agree that even if we affirmed the trial court, a remand
is required to permit the trial judge to sentence defendant on the
charge of fourth degree possession of marijuana with intent to
distribute and thereafter amend the JOC accordingly.
Pursuant to Rule 3:5-7(d), defendant appeals from the trial
court's order denying his motion to suppress the evidence seized
from the trunk of his car by officers from the Plainfield Police
Department. Relying on State v. King, 44 N.J. 346 (1965),
defendant claims the police officer at the scene coerced him into
signing the consent to search form by telling him the police would
tow his car if he refused. Defendant also argues the police
officers at the scene violated his rights under the Fourth
Amendment of the United States Constitution and Article I,
paragraph 7 of the New Jersey Constitution by failing to make any
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effort to obtain an electronic search warrant, as required by the
prevailing legal standards at the time.
In response, the State admits that the police officer at the
scene told defendant that if he did not sign the consent to search
form, the vehicle would be towed to the Plainfield Police Station
and kept there until and a search warrant could be obtained. The
State also agrees that King established the relevant standard for
determining whether defendant made a voluntary and knowing waiver
of his rights when he signed the consent to search form. The
State argues, however, that the trial judge correctly applied the
Court's holding in King to find that defendant was not coerced
into signing the form.
The State also argues the trial judge correctly applied the
then-prevailing factors under State v. Pena-Flores, 198 N.J. 6,
29 (2009), to conclude that exigent circumstances made it
impractical for the officers at the scene to obtain an electronic
search warrant. The State argues the motion judge's factual
findings in support of this conclusion are well supported by the
record developed at the evidentiary hearing, and are thus binding
on this court. See State v. Elders, 192 N.J. 224, 244 (2007).
After reviewing the evidence presented at the motion hearing,
we affirm. In reaching this conclusion, we emphasize defendant
did not challenge the propriety of the initial motor vehicle stop.
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I
The evidence presented by the State to uphold the warrantless
search of defendant's car came entirely from the testimony of
Sergeant Christopher Sylvester of the Plainfield Police
Department, Narcotics Division. Sylvester testified that on July
22, 2013, he was the supervisor of the Narcotics Division and was
assigned to a "Backup Takedown Unit" to support Detective Reginald
Johnson "who was conducting an undercover narcotics surveillance
in the west end of the city[,]" an area encompassing Myrtle Avenue
and Rock Avenue. Sylvester described this area as "a residential
[and] business area, a more quiet area of the city, but a . . .
high narcotic[s]-dealing area."
There were two other Backup Takedown Units working with
Sylvester that day. Each Unit consisted of two detectives who
communicated using cellular phones with a "push to talk" feature
similar to "the old Nextels." Sometime during the surveillance,
Johnson advised Sylvester and the two other Units that he "had
just witnessed a possible narcotics transaction between . . .
three individuals in a BMW and two individuals in a Ford." Johnson
"wanted both vehicles stopped[] . . . and further investigated for
any possible narcotic[s] activity."
Sylvester responded to the intersection of Rock Avenue and
Myrtle Avenue where two detectives from one of the Backup Takedown
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Units had stopped the BMW. When Sylvester arrived, the detectives
at the scene "already had all three individuals of the BMW removed
from the vehicle, placed in handcuffs, and . . . seated on the
curb[.]" Sylvester testified that Detective Elias Muhammad
advised him "he had smelled . . . raw marijuana emanating from
either one of the individuals or from inside of the . . . BMW."1
When Sylvester asked the three handcuffed individuals seated
on the curb who owned the BMW, defendant said he owned the car.
According to Sylvester, when he requested defendant to produce the
vehicle's registration and proof of insurance card, "he told me
they were somewhere inside the vehicle, but he wasn't sure [where]
at the time." The police officers later found these documents
behind the driver-side visor. Sylvester testified he "attempted
to open" the car's glove box, but found it was locked. Sylvester
explained he did this because "[t]ypically people keep their
registration and insurance cards in the glove box." Defendant
informed Sylvester the glove box was not locked, "but it needed
to be jimmied open because the mechanism had been broken, or
something to that extent."
1
Despite this nebulous description of alleged criminality and the
absence of any other information supporting a finding of probable
cause to arrest defendant on a specific charge at this point in
time, defendant has not challenged the propriety of the motor
vehicle stop, his removal from his car, and/or his handcuffed
detention.
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According to Sylvester, when he asked defendant if he could
search the interior of the car, defendant "said he didn't have a
problem with it and he said go ahead." A search of the BMW's
interior did not uncover any contraband, so Sylvester "escorted
Mr. Lindsey . . . to the rear of the vehicle and asked him if he
was willing to sign a [c]onsent to [s]earch the trunk form."2
Sylvester testified that defendant "agreed to sign the form."
Sylvester next described how he obtained defendant's consent to
search the trunk of the car:
PROSECUTOR: Sergeant, when you provided the
form to the defendant what, if anything, did
you say to him?
A. I . . . asked him and . . . he said he
would and I said he did not have to sign it
. . . but I informed him if he didn't[,] I
would be towing his vehicle to police
headquarters and would be applying for a
search warrant.
PROSECUTOR: And Sergeant, when you said that
to the defendant[,] how did you say it?
A. Just like I said it right now, very calmly.
PROSECUTOR: Sergeant, what was his response?
. . . .
A. He . . . asked me if he had . . . signed
the form and consented to the search if I would
not tow the car, and I said we would be leaving
the car on the scene if he agreed to search
on scene.
2
The State does not dispute that defendant was in handcuffs when
Sylvester asked him this question.
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Sylvester testified that he filled out the standard consent
to search a motor vehicle form and handed defendant a pen to sign
it. Defendant allegedly read the form, wrote his name where
indicated, and signed it. According to Sylvester, as soon as
defendant signed the form he "looked at me and said I'm gonna
[sic] tell you what's in the vehicle, what's in the trunk." When
Sylvester asked him to explain, defendant allegedly said: "there's
a gun and some weed." Sylvester testified that he opened the
BMW's trunk with the key and immediately saw "a small handgun" and
a "Clorox Bleach . . . hide-a-can3 that was open and had a couple
of bags of marijuana in it."
Citing State v. Johnson, 68 N.J. 349, 354 (1975), the motion
judge acknowledged that when the State "seeks to rely on consent
as the basis for a proper search, it has the burden of
demonstrating that the consenting individual had knowledge that
3
As Sylvester explained:
[A] [h]ide-a-can is something that's made to
look to the . . . naked eye as a household
product[,] such as . . . a can of soda, a can
of water, [or] a . . . spray can[,] [and]
. . . looks exactly like what you would have
normally, but . . . will usually twist open
. . . and inside is a compartment to hide
anything you need.
8 A-3024-14T3
he had a choice to withhold consent." In upholding the validity
of the consent, the judge found:
Here, Mr. Linsey was the driver of the vehicle
so he had authority to consent to the search.
At the time of his consent, he was under arrest
and placed in handcuffs. The defense suggests
that the detectives threatened the defendant
by telling him that his car was going to be
towed and confiscated due to use and narcotics
trafficking if he did not sign the consent
form and a warrant was imminent.
With that in mind, . . . the State argues, and
this court finds more credible, that Sergeant
Sylvester asked defendant for consent to
search the vehicle after not being able to
locate the vehicle registration in the locked
glove compartment; at which point, Sergeant
Sylvester asked defendant if there was any
contraband in the vehicle. The defendant
replied he could search the car if he wanted
to. Sergeant Sylvester then asked if
defendant would sign a permission to search
form. The defendant agreed to sign the form
and Sergeant Sylvester filled out the form and
the defendant signed it.
At this point, the defendant told the sergeant
that there was weed and a gun in the trunk.
Further, even if the detectives did threaten
to have the car towed and get a warrant, these
are not unlawful threats as the detectives
were well within their authority to tow the
car or obtain a warrant. Given the signed
permission to search form and based on the
totality of the circumstances, the [c]ourt
finds that knowing and voluntary consent was
given by the defendant to the sergeant to
search the vehicle.
Citing Pena-Flores, which the motion judge acknowledged
established the then-prevailing legal standard for determining the
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validity of a warrantless search of an automobile, the judge stated
the police may search a vehicle without a warrant when: (1) "the
vehicle stop is unexpected;" (2) "the police have probable cause
to believe that the vehicle contained contraband or evidence of a
crime;" and (3) "exigent circumstances exist which [make] it
. . . impracticable to obtain a warrant." The judge also
acknowledged he must consider the following factors when
determining if exigent circumstances existed:
[T]ime of day, location of the stop, nature
of the neighborhood, the unfolding of the
events establishing probable cause, the ratio
of officers to suspects, the number of
officers available for backup, the existence
of confederates who know the location of the
car and can remove it or it[s] contents,
whether the arrest was observed by passers[-]
by who could tamper with the car or it[s]
contents, whether the passengers are removed
from the vehicle and placed in a police car[,]
. . . whether the delay that would be caused
by obtaining a warrant would place the
officers or the evidence at risk[,] whether
the vehicle could have been impounded, [and]
whether the vehicle could be left without fear
that evidence would be destroyed.
After this recitation, the judge found there was sufficient
evidence to deny defendant's motion to suppress. The judge neither
elaborated nor provided any further legal analysis.
Against this record, defendant now raises the following
arguments.
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POINT I
THE CONTRABAND OBTAINED FROM THE SEARCH OF THE
BMW MUST BE SUPPRESSED BECAUSE LINDSEY'S
CONSENT WAS NOT KNOWING OR VOLUNTARY AND THERE
WERE NO EXIGENT CIRCUMSTANCES JUSTIFYING A
WARRANTLESS SEARCH.
A. The Search of the Trunk of the
BMW Violated Lindsey's Fourth
Amendment Rights Because the
Consent Was Not Knowing or
Voluntary.
B. Because There Were No Exigent
Circumstances Justifying the
Warrantless Search of the BMW, the
Contraband Discovered During the
Search Must be Suppressed.
POINT II
THE JUDGMENT OF CONVICTION INCORRECTLY STATES
THE SENTENCE FOR COUNT ONE AND MUST BE
CORRECTED.
In State v. Witt, 223 N.J. 409 (2015), the Supreme Court
overturned Pena-Flores, but made clear that its decision
constituted a "new rule of law and will be given prospective
application from the date of this opinion." Id. at 450. Because
this case predates Witt, the principles and standards established
in Pena-Flores apply. However, we are satisfied that defendant's
decision to consent to the search of the trunk of his car obviates
the need to determine whether the detectives could have secured
an electronic warrant consistent with Pena-Flores.
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Our analysis exclusively focuses on whether the motion
judge's findings that defendant voluntarily and knowingly
consented to the search of his car are supported by the competent
evidence in the record. The parties agree that the Court's
decision in King sets out the principles governing this assessment.
The defendant in King was convicted of what today would constitute
first degree robbery with a weapon.4 King, supra, 44 N.J. at 348.
On appeal, we reversed the defendant's conviction "on the ground
that certain evidence introduced against him at his trial had been
obtained by an unconstitutional search and seizure since his
consent to the search had not been voluntarily given." Ibid.
(citing State v. King, 84 N.J. Super. 297 (1964)).
The Supreme Court disagreed and reversed our decision. The
Supreme Court began its analysis by noting that when an accused
consents to a search, he or she "relinquishes the Fourth Amendment
protection which prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures."
Id. at 352. By its very nature, consent requires a voluntary act.
"To be voluntary the consent must be 'unequivocal and specific'
and 'freely and intelligently given.' The burden of proof is on
the State to establish by clear and positive testimony that the
consent was so given. Ibid. (emphasis added) (citations omitted).
4
See N.J.S.A. 2C:15-1.
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The King Court delineated a series of factors that a judge
should consider when determining whether the evidence clearly and
positively demonstrated that defendant's consent was an
unequivocally voluntary and intelligent act.
Among those factors which courts have
considered as tending to show that the consent
was coerced are: (1) that consent was made by
an individual already arrested; (2) that
consent was obtained despite a denial of
guilt; (3) that consent was obtained only
after the accused had refused initial requests
for consent to search; (4) that consent was
given where the subsequent search resulted in
a seizure of contraband which the accused must
have known would be discovered; (5) that
consent was given while the defendant was
handcuffed.
Among those factors which courts have
considered as tending to show the
voluntariness of the consent are: (1) that
consent was given where the accused had reason
to believe that the police would find no
contraband; (2) that the defendant admitted
his guilt before consent; [and] (3) that the
defendant affirmatively assisted the police
officers.
[Id. at 352-53 (citations omitted).]
The Court emphasized that these factors were "only guideposts
to aid a trial judge in arriving at his [or her] conclusion." Id.
at 353. The Court also admonished appellate judges to be mindful
that trial judges are "in a better position to weigh the
significance of the pertinent factors[.]" Ibid. This deference
stems from the motion judge's opportunity to develop a "'feel' of
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the case" by personally hearing and seeing the witnesses testify,
something inherently denied to us as appellate judges. Elders,
supra, 192 N.J. at 243-44.
Applying these principles to the record developed in this
case, we are satisfied the motion judge had sufficient grounds to
find defendant voluntarily and knowingly consented to the search
of the BMW's trunk. Sergeant Sylvester's statement to defendant
that if he did not consent to the search, the car would be towed
to a police lot and held until a warrant could be secured, was not
a threat or a statement intended to coerce defendant into giving
up his constitutional right. This information merely conveyed to
defendant the futility of resistance under the circumstances.
Defendant made a rational, voluntary, and intelligent decision to
cooperate with the police. Indeed, the motion judge found that
defendant told Sylvester about the presence of the handgun and the
marijuana in the trunk before Sylvester opened the trunk.
Considering the totality of the circumstances, we discern no
legal basis to disturb the motion judge's decision. We remand
this case, with the parties' agreement, for the trial court to
sentence defendant on fourth degree possession of marijuana with
intent to distribute, N.J.S.A. 2C:35-5a(a) and N.J.S.A. 2C:35-
5b(1), consistent with the terms of the plea agreement, and to
amend the JOC accordingly.
14 A-3024-14T3
Affirmed and remanded. We do not retain jurisdiction.
15 A-3024-14T3