From Casetext: Smarter Legal Research

Maryland v. Pringle

U.S.
Dec 15, 2003
540 U.S. 366 (2003)

Summary

holding that probable cause existed to arrest all of a vehicle's occupants after police discovered cocaine and money over which no occupant claimed possession

Summary of this case from United States v. Cloud

Opinion

No. 02-809.

CERTIORARI TO THE COURT OF APPEALS OF MARYLAND.

Argued November 3, 2003. Decided December 15, 2003.

A police officer stopped a car for speeding at 3:16 a.m.; searched the car, seizing $763 from the glove compartment and cocaine from behind the back-seat armrest; and arrested the car's three occupants after they denied ownership of the drugs and money. Respondent Pringle, the front-seat passenger, was convicted of possession with intent to distribute cocaine and possession of cocaine, and was sentenced to 10 years' incarceration without the possibility of parole. The Maryland Court of Special Appeals affirmed, but the State Court of Appeals reversed, holding that, absent specific facts tending to show Pringle's knowledge and dominion or control over the drugs, the mere finding of cocaine in the back armrest when Pringle was a front-seat passenger in a car being driven by its owner was insufficient to establish probable cause for an arrest for possession.

Held: Because the officer had probable cause to arrest Pringle, the arrest did not contravene the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments. Maryland law authorizes police officers to execute warrantless arrests, inter alia, where the officer has probable cause to believe that a felony has been committed or is being committed in the officer's presence. Here, it is uncontested that the officer, upon recovering the suspected cocaine, had probable cause to believe a felony had been committed; the question is whether he had probable cause to believe Pringle committed that crime. The "substance of all the definitions of probable cause is a reasonable ground for belief of guilt," Brinegar v. United States, 338 U. S. 160, 175, and that belief must be particularized with respect to the person to be searched or seized, Ybarra v. Illinois, 444 U. S. 85, 91. To determine whether an officer had probable cause to make an arrest, a court must examine the events leading up to the arrest, and then decide "whether these historical facts, viewed from the standpoint of an objectively reasonable police officer, amount to" probable cause. Ornelas v. United States, 517 U. S. 690, 696. As it is an entirely reasonable inference from the facts here that any or all of the car's occupants had knowledge of, and exercised dominion and control over, the cocaine, a reasonable officer could conclude that there was probable cause to believe Pringle committed the crime of possession of cocaine, either solely or jointly. Pringle's attempt to characterize this as a guilt-by-association case is unavailing. Ybarra v. Illinois, supra, and United States v. Di Re, 332 U. S. 581, distinguished. Pp. 369-374. 370 Md. 525, 805 A. 2d 1016, reversed and remanded.

REHNQUIST, C. J., delivered the opinion for a unanimous Court.

Gary E. Bair, Solicitor General of Maryland, argued the cause for petitioner. With him on the briefs were J. Joseph Curran, Jr., Attorney General, and Kathryn Grill Graeff and Shannon E. Avery, Assistant Attorneys General.

Sri Srinivasan argued the cause for the United States as amicus curiae urging reversal. With him on the brief were Solicitor General Olson, Assistant Attorney General Chertoff Deputy Solicitor General Dreeben, and Deborah Watson. Nancy S. Forster argued the cause for respondent. With her on the brief were Stephen E. Harris and Sherrie Glasser.

Briefs of amid curiae urging reversal were filed for the State of Ohio et al. by Jim Petro, Attorney General of Ohio, Douglas R. Cole, State Solicitor, Stephen P. Carney, Senior Deputy Solicitor, and Diane Richards Brey, Deputy Solicitor, and by the Attorneys General for their respective jurisdictions as follows: William H. Pryor, Jr., of Alabama, Gregg Renkes of Alaska, Christopher L. Morano of Connecticut, M. Jane Brady of Delaware, Mark J. Bennett of Hawaii, Lisa Madigan of Illinois, Richard P. Ieyoub of Louisiana, Michael A. Cox of Michigan, Jeremiah W. (Jay) Nixon of Missouri, Mike McGrath of Montana, Brian Sandoval of Nevada, Patricia A. Madrid of New Mexico, W. A. Drew Edmondson of Oklahoma, Anabelle Rodriguez of Puerto Rico, Henry Dargan McMaster of South Carolina, Larry Long of South Dakota, Greg Abbott of Texas, Mark L. Shurtleff of Utah, Jerry W. Kilgore of Virginia, and Darrell V. McGraw, Jr., of West Virginia; and for the Criminal Justice Legal Foundation by Kent S. Scheidegger and Charles L. Hobson. Steven R. Shapiro and Lisa Kemler filed a brief for the American Civil Liberties Union et al. as amici curiae urging affirmance.


In the early morning hours a passenger car occupied by three men was stopped for speeding by a police officer. The officer, upon searching the car, seized $763 of rolled-up cash from the glove compartment and five glassine baggies of cocaine from between the back-seat armrest and the back seat. After all three men denied ownership of the cocaine and money, the officer arrested each of them. We hold that the officer had probable cause to arrest Pringle — one of the three men.

At 3:16 a.m. on August 7, 1999, a Baltimore County Police officer stopped a Nissan Maxima for speeding. There were three occupants in the car: Donte Partlow, the driver and owner, respondent Pringle, the front-seat passenger, and Otis Smith, the back-seat passenger. The officer asked Partlow for his license and registration. When Partlow opened the glove compartment to retrieve the vehicle registration, the officer observed a large amount of rolled-up money in the glove compartment. The officer returned to his patrol car with Partlow's license and registration to check the computer system for outstanding violations. The computer check did not reveal any violations. The officer returned to the stopped car, had Partlow get out, and issued him an oral warning.

After a second patrol car arrived, the officer asked Partlow if he had any weapons or narcotics in the vehicle. Partlow indicated that he did not. Partlow then consented to a search of the vehicle. The search yielded $763 from the glove compartment and five plastic glassine baggies containing cocaine from behind the back-seat armrest. When the officer began the search the armrest was in the upright position flat against the rear seat. The officer pulled down the armrest and found the drugs, which had been placed between the armrest and the back seat of the car.

The officer questioned all three men about the ownership of the drugs and money, and told them that if no one admitted to ownership of the drugs he was going to arrest them all. The men offered no information regarding the ownership of the drugs or money. All three were placed under arrest and transported to the police station.

Later that morning, Pringle waived his rights under Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U. S. 436 (1966), and gave an oral and written confession in which he acknowledged that the cocaine belonged to him, that he and his friends were going to a party, and that he intended to sell the cocaine or "[u]se it for sex." App. 26. Pringle maintained that the other occupants of the car did not know about the drugs, and they were released.

The trial court denied Pringle's motion to suppress his confession as the fruit of an illegal arrest, holding that the officer had probable cause to arrest Pringle. A jury convicted Pringle of possession with intent to distribute cocaine and possession of cocaine. He was sentenced to 10 years' incarceration without the possibility of parole. The Court of Special Appeals of Maryland affirmed. 141 Md. App. 292, 785 A. 2d 790 (2001).

The Court of Appeals of Maryland, by divided vote, reversed, holding that, absent specific facts tending to show Pringle's knowledge and dominion or control over the drugs, "the mere finding of cocaine in the back armrest when [Pringle] was a front seat passenger in a car being driven by its owner is insufficient to establish probable cause for an arrest for possession." 370 Md. 525, 545, 805 A. 2d 1016, 1027 (2002). We granted certiorari, 538 U.S. 921 (2003), and now reverse.

Under the Fourth Amendment, made applicable to the States by the Fourteenth Amendment, Mapp v. Ohio, 367 U. S. 643 (1961), the people are "to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, . . . and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause. . . ." U.S. Const., Amdt. 4. Maryland law authorizes police officers to execute warrantless arrests, inter alia, for felonies committed in an officer's presence or where an officer has probable cause to believe that a felony has been committed or is being committed in the officer's presence. Md. Ann. Code, Art. 27, § 594B (1996) (repealed 2001). A warrantless arrest of an individual in a public place for a felony, or a misdemeanor committed in the officer's presence, is consistent with the Fourth Amendment if the arrest is supported by probable cause. United States v. Watson, 423 U. S. 411, 424 (1976); see Atwater v. Logo Vista, 532 U. S. 318, 354 (2001) (stating that "[i]f an officer has probable cause to believe that an individual has committed even a very minor criminal offense in his presence, he may, without violating the Fourth Amendment, arrest the offender").

It is uncontested in the present case that the officer, upon recovering the five plastic glassine baggies containing suspected cocaine, had probable cause to believe a felony had been committed. Md. Ann. Code, Art. 27, § 287 (1996) (repealed 2002) (prohibiting possession of controlled dangerous substances). The sole question is whether the officer had probable cause to believe that Pringle committed that crime.

Maryland law defines "possession" as "the exercise of actual or constructive dominion or control over a thing by one or more persons." Md. Ann. Code, Art. 27, § 277(s) (1996) (repealed 2002).

The long-prevailing standard of probable cause protects "citizens from rash and unreasonable interferences with privacy and from unfounded charges of crime," while giving "fair leeway for enforcing the law in the community's protection." Brinegar v. United States, 338 U. S. 160, 176 (1949). On many occasions, we have reiterated that the probable-cause standard is a "`practical, nontechnical conception'" that deals with "`the factual and practical considerations of everyday life on which reasonable and prudent men, not legal technicians, act.'" Illinois v. Gates, 462 U. S. 213, 231 (1983) (quoting Brinegar, supra, at 175-176); see, e. g., Ornelas v. United States, 517 U. S. 690, 695 (1996); United States v. Sokolow, 490 U. S. 1, 7-8 (1989). "[P]robable cause is a fluid concept — turning on the assessment of probabilities in particular factual contexts — not readily, or even usefully, reduced to a neat set of legal rules." Gates, 462 U. S., at 232.

The probable-cause standard is incapable of precise definition or quantification into percentages because it deals with probabilities and depends on the totality of the circumstances. See ibid.; Brinegar, 338 U. S., at 175. We have stated, however, that "[t]he substance of all the definitions of probable cause is a reasonable ground for belief of guilt," ibid, (internal quotation marks and citations omitted), and that the belief of guilt must be particularized with respect to the person to be searched or seized, Ybarra v. Illinois, 444 U. S. 85, 91 (1979). In Illinois v. Gates, we noted:

"As early as Locke v. United States, 7 Cranch 339, 348 (1813), Chief Justice Marshall observed, in a closely related context: `[T]he term "probable cause," according to its usual acceptation, means less than evidence which would justify condemnation. . . . It imports a seizure made under circumstances which warrant suspicion.' More recently, we said that `the quanta . . . of proof appropriate in ordinary judicial proceedings are inapplicable to the decision to issue a warrant. Brinegar, 338 U. S., at 173. Finely tuned standards such as proof beyond a reasonable doubt or by a preponderance of the evidence, useful in formal trials, have no place in the [probable-cause] decision." 462 U. S., at 235.

To determine whether an officer had probable cause to arrest an individual, we examine the events leading up to the arrest, and then decide "whether these historical facts, viewed from the standpoint of an objectively reasonable police officer, amount to" probable cause, Ornelas, supra, at 696.

In this case, Pringle was one of three men riding in a Nissan Maxima at 3:16 a.m. There was $763 of rolled-up cash in the glove compartment directly in front of Pringle. Five plastic glassine baggies of cocaine were behind the back-seat armrest and accessible to all three men. Upon questioning, the three men failed to offer any information with respect to the ownership of the cocaine or the money.

The Court of Appeals of Maryland dismissed the $763 seized from the glove compartment as a factor in the probable-cause determination, stating that "[m]oney, without more, is innocuous." 370 Md. 524, 546, 805 A. 2d 1016, 1028 (2002). The court's consideration of the money in isolation, rather than as a factor in the totality of the circumstances, is mistaken in light of our precedents. See, e. g., Illinois v. Gates, 462 U. S. 213, 230-231 (1983) (opining that the totality of the circumstances approach is consistent with our prior treatment of probable cause); Brinegar v. United States, 338 U. S. 160, 175-176 (1949) ("Probable cause exists where `the facts and circumstances within their [the officers'] knowledge and of which they had reasonably trustworthy information [are] sufficient in themselves to warrant a man of reasonable caution in the belief that' an offense has been or is being committed"). We think it is abundantly clear from the facts that this case involves more than money alone.

We think it an entirely reasonable inference from these facts that any or all three of the occupants had knowledge of, and exercised dominion and control over, the cocaine. Thus, a reasonable officer could conclude that there was probable cause to believe Pringle committed the crime of possession of cocaine, either solely or jointly.

Pringle's attempt to characterize this case as a guilt-by-association case is unavailing. His reliance on Ybarra v. Illinois, supra, and United States v. Di Re, 332 U. S. 581 (1948), is misplaced. In Ybarra, police officers obtained a warrant to search a tavern and its bartender for evidence of possession of a controlled substance. Upon entering the tavern, the officers conducted patdown searches of the customers present in the tavern, including Ybarra. Inside a cigarette pack retrieved from Ybarra's pocket, an officer found six tinfoil packets containing heroin. We stated:

"[A] person's mere propinquity to others independently suspected of criminal activity does not, without more, give rise to probable cause to search that person. Sibron v. New York, 392 U. S. 40, 62-63 (1968). Where the standard is probable cause, a search or seizure of a person must be supported by probable cause particularized with respect to that person. This requirement cannot be undercut or avoided by simply pointing to the fact that coincidentally there exists probable cause to search or seize another or to search the premises where the person may happen to be." 444 U. S., at 91.

We held that the search warrant did not permit body searches of all of the tavern's patrons and that the police could not pat down the patrons for weapons, absent individualized suspicion. Id., at 92.

This case is quite different from Ybarra. Pringle and his two companions were in a relatively small automobile, not a public tavern. In Wyoming v. Houghton, 526 U. S. 295 (1999), we noted that "a car passenger — unlike the unwitting tavern patron in Ybarra"will often be engaged in a common enterprise with the driver, and have the same interest in concealing the fruits or the evidence of their wrongdoing." Id., at 304-305. Here we think it was reasonable for the officer to infer a common enterprise among the three men. The quantity of drugs and cash in the car indicated the likelihood of drug dealing, an enterprise to which a dealer would be unlikely to admit an innocent person with the potential to furnish evidence against him. In Di Re, a federal investigator had been told by an informant, Reed, that he was to receive counterfeit gasoline ration coupons from a certain Buttitta at a particular place. The investigator went to the appointed place and saw Reed, the sole occupant of the rear seat of the car, holding gasoline ration coupons. There were two other occupants in the car: Buttitta in the driver's seat and Di Re in the front passenger's seat. Reed informed the investigator that Buttitta had given him counterfeit coupons. Thereupon, all three men were arrested and searched. After noting that the officers had no information implicating Di Re and no information pointing to Di Re's possession of coupons, unless presence in the car warranted that inference, we concluded that the officer lacked probable cause to believe that Di Re was involved in the crime. 332 U. S., at 592-594. We said "[a]ny inference that everyone on the scene of a crime is a party to it must disappear if the Government informer singles out the guilty person." Id., at 594. No such singling out occurred in this case; none of the three men provided information with respect to the ownership of the cocaine or money.

We hold that the officer had probable cause to believe that Pringle had committed the crime of possession of a controlled substance. Pringle's arrest therefore did not contravene the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments. Accordingly, the judgment of the Court of Appeals of Maryland is reversed, and the case is remanded for further proceedings not inconsistent with this opinion.

It is so ordered.


Summaries of

Maryland v. Pringle

U.S.
Dec 15, 2003
540 U.S. 366 (2003)

holding that probable cause existed to arrest all of a vehicle's occupants after police discovered cocaine and money over which no occupant claimed possession

Summary of this case from United States v. Cloud

holding that police officers had probable cause to arrest all three occupants of a vehicle where cocaine was accessible to all three

Summary of this case from Black v. Petitinato

holding that officers had probable cause to arrest an occupant of a car containing cocaine because it would have been "entirely reasonable" to infer that he "had knowledge of, and exercised dominion and control over, the cocaine"

Summary of this case from United States v. Rowe

holding that "the belief of guilt must be particularized with respect to the person to be searched or seized"

Summary of this case from Wolfe v. Perry

holding that the presence of cocaine and a roll of money in the passenger area of an automobile gave officers probable cause to believe that the automobile's occupants jointly committed the crime of possession of cocaine

Summary of this case from U.S. v. Humphries

holding that police officers had probable cause to arrest all three occupants of a vehicle where cocaine was accessible to all three

Summary of this case from Higgenbotham v. City of Trenton

holding that police officers had probable cause to arrest all three occupants of a vehicle where cocaine was accessible to all three

Summary of this case from Corradi v. N.J. State Parole Bd.

holding police officer had probable cause to believe the defendant, the front- seat passenger in the vehicle, possessed cocaine, either solely or jointly where paraphernalia was accessible to all three occupants

Summary of this case from Raj v. Dickson City Borough

holding there was probable cause to believe plaintiff had possessed a controlled substance where plaintiff was in a car with two others, rolled-up cash and plastic bags of cocaine were accessible to all three men, and none of the men gave information about who owned the money or the cocaine

Summary of this case from Washington v. Dewey

holding that probable cause existed to arrest all three occupants in a car containing hidden cocaine because it would have been reasonable to infer a common enterprise among the car's occupants

Summary of this case from United States v. Baez

holding that officers had probable cause to arrest an occupant of car containing cocaine because it would have been "entirely reasonable" to infer that he "had knowledge of, and exercised dominion and control over, the cocaine"

Summary of this case from United States v. Rowe

holding that officers had probable cause to arrest one of three occupants of a car, which was found to contain "$763 of rolled-up cash in the glove compartment" and five bags of cocaine "behind the back-seat armrests," because it was reasonable to infer from these facts alone that "any or all three of the occupants had knowledge of, and exercised dominion and control over, the cocaine"

Summary of this case from United States v. Oliver

holding that where a defendant was a passenger in a car containing bags of cocaine, it was "an entirely reasonable inference" to believe that he "had knowledge of . . . the cocaine"

Summary of this case from United States v. Oliver

holding in the absence of any of the car's occupants providing information as to the ownership of cocaine, that officer had probable cause to arrest defendant who was passenger in car containing $763 in glove compartment and cocaine behind the back-seat armrest that was "accessible" to all three occupants

Summary of this case from United States v. Jackson

holding that cocaine kept in passenger area of car was accessible to all three occupants, and any or all three could have knowledge of control over drugs, so reasonable officer could find probable cause to arrest any or all occupants

Summary of this case from United States v. Pecina

holding that "it was reasonable for the officer to infer a common enterprise" among vehicle occupants based on the facts of the case

Summary of this case from Turner v. Turner

holding that officers had probable cause to arrest driver and two passengers where cocaine and contraband were found in glove compartment and back-seat armrest of vehicle and none of the men offered any information regarding the ownership of the drugs and contraband on the ground that the drugs and contraband could have been in the possession of any one of the three vehicle occupants or all three of them jointly

Summary of this case from Lee v. City of South Charleston

holding that "the belief of guilt must be particularized with respect to the person to be searched or seized"

Summary of this case from U.S. v. Myers

holding that a common enterprise could be reasonably inferred among all occupants of the vehicle, thereby providing probable cause to believe that the front-seat passenger possessed drugs, solely or jointly

Summary of this case from State v. Johnson

holding that the police had probable cause to arrest all the occupants of the vehicle after finding $763.00 in the glove compartment and five baggies of cocaine behind the back-seat armrest because "a car passenger . . . will often be engaged in a common criminal enterprise with the driver, and have the same interest in concealing the fruits or the evidence of their wrongdoing"

Summary of this case from Williams v. State

holding an officer could infer a common illegal enterprise among all passengers in a vehicle where drugs and a large sum of cash were present

Summary of this case from State v. Culver

holding that large amount of drugs in vehicle provided probable cause to believe any of three men in vehicle had committed crime

Summary of this case from State v. Fallin

holding that officer could infer a common enterprise among a car's occupants and had probable cause to arrest those who exercised control over the drugs

Summary of this case from State v. Lee

holding there was probable cause to arrest a front seat passenger of a vehicle for possession of controlled substance found behind the rear seat because the quantity of drugs and cash in the vehicle indicated drug dealing and a reasonable inference of a common enterprise

Summary of this case from State v. Malunda

holding it was reasonable to infer that all three vehicle passengers had knowledge of, and exercised control over, the five baggies of cocaine found behind the backseat armrest to which they all had access

Summary of this case from Rodriguez v. State
Case details for

Maryland v. Pringle

Case Details

Full title:MARYLAND v. PRINGLE

Court:U.S.

Date published: Dec 15, 2003

Citations

540 U.S. 366 (2003)
124 S. Ct. 795

Citing Cases

People v. Long

"To determine whether an officer had probable cause to arrest an individual, we examine the events leading up…

J.J. v. State

But probable cause of joint, constructive possession can be based on the totality of the circumstances…