Bridgeford v. Sorel
Annotate this Case
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The North Dakota Department of Transportation appealed a district court judgment reversing an administrative hearing officer’s decision to suspend Andrew Bridgeford’s driving privileges for 91 days. The Department maintained the district court erred in finding a law enforcement officer was not within a recognized exception to the warrant requirement of the Fourth Amendment when the officer entered Bridgeford’s vehicle after he failed to respond to the officer’s actions outside the vehicle. The North Dakota Supreme Court reversed, finding the community caretaker exception applied and allowed the warrantless entry into Bridgeford’s vehicle. The suspension was reinstated.
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N.D. Dep’t of Transp. 1' 1 : G FLWLQJ State v. DeCoteau 1' 1 : G 7KH 8QLWHG 6WDWHV 6XSUHPH &RXUW GHVFULEHG FRPPXQLW\ FDUHWDNLQJ IXQFWLRQV DV WKRVH µWRWDOO\ GLYRUFHG IURP WKH GHWHFWLRQ LQYHVWLJDWLRQ RU DFTXLVLWLRQ RI HYLGHQFH UHODWLQJ WR WKH YLRODWLRQ RI D FULPLQDO VWDWXWH ¶ Cady v. Dombrowski 8 6 6 &W / (G G &RPPXQLW\ FDUHWDNLQJ DOORZV ODZ HQIRUFHPHQW FLWL]HQ FRQWDFW LQFOXGLQJ VWRSV ZLWKRXW DQ RIILFHU¶V UHDVRQDEOH VXVSLFLRQ RI FULPLQDO FRQGXFW State v. Glaesman 1 : G 1 ' )RU )RXUWK $PHQGPHQW SXUSRVHV D VHL]XUH GRHV QRW RFFXU ZKHQ DQ RIILFHU DSSURDFKHV D SDUNHG YHKLFOH LI WKH RIILFHU TXHVWLRQV WKH RFFXSDQW LQ D FRQYHUVDWLRQDO PDQQHU DQG GRHV QRW LVVXH RUGHUV WR WKH SHUVRQ RU GHPDQG D UHVSRQVH State v. Langseth 1 : G 1 ' FLWLQJ Wibben v. N.D. State Highway Comm’r 1 : G 1 ' 9DQGH:DOOH - FRQFXUULQJ +RZHYHU HYHQ D FDVXDO HQFRXQWHU FDQ EHFRPH D VHL]XUH LI D UHDVRQDEOH SHUVRQ ZRXOG YLHZ WKH RIILFHU¶V DFWLRQV²LI GRQH E\ DQRWKHU SULYDWH FLWL]HQ²DV WKUHDWHQLQJ RU RIIHQVLYH Id. FLWLQJ Wibben DW 7KLV PD\ RFFXU WKURXJK DQ RUGHU D WKUHDW RU D ZHDSRQ GLVSOD\ Id. $Q RIILFHU¶V LQLWLDO FRPPXQLW\ FDUHWDNLQJ HQFRXQWHU DOVR PD\ FDXVH WKH RIILFHU WR GHYHORS D UHDVRQDEOH DQG DUWLFXODEOH VXVSLFLRQ RI XQODZIXO FRQGXFW Lapp DW ³2XU SUHYLRXV FDVHV SURYLGH H[DPSOHV RI ODZ HQIRUFHPHQW RIILFHUV SHUIRUPLQJ FRPPXQLW\ FDUHWDNLQJ IXQFWLRQV See Lapp v. Dep’t of Transp. 1' 1 : G KROGLQJ DQ RIILFHU¶V HQFRXQWHU ZLWK DQ LQGLYLGXDO MXVWLILHG E\ WKH RIILFHU¶V FRPPXQLW\ FDUHWDNLQJ UROH ZKHQ WKH LQGLYLGXDO ZDV VOXPSHG RYHU WKH VWHHULQJ ZKHHO RI D YHKLFOH ZLWK LWV HQJLQH UXQQLQJ City of Fargo v. Sivertson 1' 1 : G GHWHUPLQLQJ DQ RIILFHU¶V LQLWLDO DSSURDFK RI D GULYHU ZKR IDLOHG WR SURFHHG DURXQG WKH VFHQH RI DQ DFFLGHQW ZLWK WKH UHVW RI WUDIILF ZDV D FDUHWDNLQJ HQFRXQWHU City of Grand Forks v. Zejdlik 1 : G 1 ' KROGLQJ DQ RIILFHU ZDV DFWLQJ DV D FRPPXQLW\ FDUHWDNHU ZKHQ KH LQLWLDOO\ DSSURDFKHG DQ LQGLYLGXDO VOXPSHG RYHU WKH VWHHULQJ ZKHHO RI DQ LGOLQJ YHKLFOH State v. Franklin 1 : G 1 ' GHWHUPLQLQJ RIILFHUV¶ DSSURDFK RI LQGLYLGXDOV SDUNHG DW QLJKW LQ PRWHO SDUNLQJ ORW DQG VOXPSHG GRZQ LQ WKHLU VHDWV ZDV PRUH RI D FDUHWDNLQJ HQFRXQWHU WKDQ D VHDUFK RU VHL]XUH State v. Halfmann 1 : G 1 ' KROGLQJ DQ RIILFHU DFWHG LQ D FDUHWDNLQJ FDSDFLW\ ZKHQ KH DSSURDFKHG D GULYHU DIWHU VKH GURYH WR WKH VKRXOGHU RI D JUDYHO URDG DQG VWRSSHG KHU YHKLFOH ³$ UHYLHZ RI RXU FDVH ODZ DOVR UHYHDOV VLWXDWLRQV ZKHUH ODZ HQIRUFHPHQW RIILFHUV GLG QRW DFW DV FRPPXQLW\ FDUHWDNHUV See State v. Keilen 1' 1 : G KROGLQJ WKH FRPPXQLW\ FDUHWDNLQJ H[FHSWLRQ GLG QRW DSSO\ WR DQ DSDUWPHQW VHDUFK ZKHQ RIILFHUV DUULYHG DQG GLG QRW VHH D GLVWXUEDQFH RU DQ\RQH LQ QHHG RI DVVLVWDQFH City of Jamestown v. Jerome 1' 1 : G GHWHUPLQLQJ DQ RIILFHU GLG QRW DFW DV D FRPPXQLW\ FDUHWDNHU EHFDXVH KLV SXUSRVH LQ WDONLQJ ZLWK WKH GHIHQGDQW ZDV WR LQYHVWLJDWH D SRVVLEOH OHJDO YLRODWLRQ State v. DeCoteau 1' 1 : G KROGLQJ RIILFHUV KDG QR FRPPXQLW\ FDUHWDNLQJ UROH WR ILOO ZKHQ WKH\ DUULYHG DW D KRPH VDZ QR GLVWXUEDQFH DQG ZHUH WROG E\ WKH KRPHRZQHU VKH GLG QRW QHHG RU UHTXHVW WKHLU DVVLVWDQFH State v. Hawley 1 : G 1 ' GHFOLQLQJ WR DGGUHVV FRPPXQLW\ FDUHWDNLQJ EHFDXVH WKH RIILFHU KDG D UHDVRQDEOH DQG DUWLFXODEOH VXVSLFLRQ RI D SDUNLQJ YLRODWLRQ State v. Brown 1 : G 1 ' KROGLQJ DQ RIILFHU¶V YHKLFXODU VWRS ZDV PDGH WR GHWHUPLQH LI GULYHU ZDV LQWR[LFDWHG QRW IRU WKH FRPPXQLW\ FDUHWDNLQJ SXUSRVH RI UHQGHULQJ DVVLVWDQFH State v. Sarhegyi 1 : G 1 ' GHWHUPLQLQJ DQ RIILFHU¶V VWRS RI D ORQH YHKLFOH SDUNHG LQ D IDUP LPSOHPHQW GHDOHU¶V ORW ZKLFK DWWHPSWHG WR OHDYH ZKHQ KH DSSURDFKHG ZDV QRW FRPPXQLW\ FDUHWDNLQJ State v. Langseth 1 : G 1 ' FRQFOXGLQJ WKH FRPPXQLW\ FDUHWDNLQJ H[FHSWLRQ GLG QRW DSSO\ ZKHQ DQ RIILFHU SXUVXHG WKH GHIHQGDQW ZKLOH IODVKLQJ WKH SDWURO FDU¶V ZDUQLQJ OLJKWV ´ State v. Boyd 1' 1 : G > @ , EHOLHYH WKH PDMRULW\ VXEWO\ FKDQJHV WKH LQTXLU\ UDWKHU WKDQ FDUHIXOO\ IROORZ RXU FDVHV 7KH\ ZULWH ³7KH UHFRUG SURYLGHV QR LQGLFDWLRQ RI DQ\ REYLRXV VLJQ %ULGJHIRUG GLG QRW QHHG RU GHVLUH DVVLVWDQFH ´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³LW DSSHDUHG WKDW WKHUH ZDV D PDOH VOHHSLQJ LQVLGH RI WKH YHKLFOH´ DQG WKDW %ULGJHIRUG ³MXVW ORRNHG OLNH KH ZDV VOHHSLQJ ´ 7KHUHIRUH , UHVSHFWIXOO\ GLVVHQW IURP WKDW SDUW RI WKH PDMRULW\ RSLQLRQ KROGLQJ WKH RIILFHU¶V ZDUUDQWOHVV HQWU\ LQWR WKH DXWRPRELOH GLG QRW YLRODWH WKH )RXUWK $PHQGPHQW WR WKH 8QLWHG 6WDWHV &RQVWLWXWLRQ > @ 'DQLHO - &URWKHUV -HURG ( 7XIWH
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