P. v. Troyer
A police officer received a dispatch call that a man had possibly been shot twice at a house in Elk Grove. When the officer arrived at the two-story house, he found a man and a woman bleeding on the front porch. The man said the perpetrators had driven away, but he was equivocal about whether anyone was inside the house, and the officer saw what appeared to be droplets and smudges of blood on the front door. After the officer threatened to kick down the locked front door to gain entry, the man handed over the keys. Four police officers entered the house. They saw no signs of struggle or blood. They searched the first floor and found nothing. While searching the second floor, one of the officers encountered a locked bedroom door. After announcing his presence and receiving no response, he broke down the door and inside the bedroom found a scale and a glass jar filled with marijuana, which led to the charges against defendant Albert Troyer. Because the warrantless search of the locked bedroom violated the Fourth Amendment, the trial court erred in denying defendants motion to suppress. Accordingly, Court will reverse.
Comments on P. v. Troyer