Case Studies
Chapter 4: Search and Seizure
Case 1
Someone had been stealing jewelry in Sometown. Both Zazzy Jewelers and Gorgeous Gems had reported thefts, and there had been several home invasions in recent weeks. The jewel thief was clever and left no fingerprints or other traces, but, as if to taunt the police, the thief left a blue-raspberry lollipop ring behind at each crime scene. The last incident had been about a month and a half before, and since no one could solve the case, the police chief assigned it to the best detective, Detective Krupke.
After looking over the evidence, Detective Krupke believed that Sometown’s jewel thief was none other than Sapphire Smith. Sapphire moved to Sometown a few months before the start of the incidents and associated Sometown’s criminal element. Detective Krupke decided to follow up on his hunch. Sooner or later, Sapphire was bound to slip.
Detective Krupke first sent an undercover officer to observe Sapphire’s comings and goings from a parked car across the street from the trendy warehouse loft she lived in at 319 Industrial Street. The officer also took a look through the trash left in the building’s dumpster. There, she found a bag for jewelry lollipops and reported it back to Detective Krupke. Encouraged, Detective Krupke decided to step up his search.
A month later, word traveled through the underworld that Sapphire was planning a New Year’s masquerade ball at her loft for some important guests. Detective Krupke thought that Sapphire might use this opportunity to sell some of her purloined gems. Getting into this party proved too be tricky. Sapphire was known for her security detail, and the guest list was a closely guarded secret. However, Detective Krupke had an informant in the Sometown underworld, and Maria Zayles got herself invited to the party. New Year’s Eve arrived, and Maria went, dressed as Marie Antoinette. As her date, she took along Officer MacGuyver, an undercover detective.
The party, Maria told Detective Krupke New Year’s Day, was dazzling. Sapphire had decked the place out with baubles galore, and she herself was dressed as a radiant blue goddess. She was draped in diamond and sapphire necklaces, but on her ring finger, she had a giant blue-raspberry lollipop. Maria had discretely taken a photo of Sapphire talking to guests, and one of the necklaces matched a description of a missing item from Gorgeous Gems.
“The best part was Sapphire’s found art display,” Maria said breathlessly. She had taken photographs of it. There, right in the center was the unicorn jewelry box reported missing by Sabrina Potter. “She had it wound up, so it played its little song.”
Officer MacGuyver had spent the party looking around the loft. Like everyone else, he admired the found art display. In addition to the unicorn jewelry box, he also noticed a tiny antique Moroccan jewelry case, just like the one Mrs. Hammersmith described as being stolen. He seized it. Just at the stroke of midnight, Officer MacGuyver approached Sapphire, and as everyone cheered, he placed her under arrest for the theft of the jewels of Sometown.
Questions
Case 2
Officer Simon and his partner Officer Bloom arrested Jimmy Green at his apartment in Sometown Heights on a burglary charge stemming from a break-in that happened two days beforehand. Tommy Doyle had called the police, saying that he had seen Green break into Grace Moon’s home and leave with her television. He then testified that he had seen Green sell the television in a back alley to Dora Copperfield. Police had arrested Copperfield the day before and found the stolen television. Copperfield had told police that she purchased the stolen television from Jimmy Green.
In addition to this testimony, Green had a record for burglary, and the police thought he was responsible for several unsolved burglaries. This one, however, was the only one they had enough evidence for to get an arrest warrant. The officers knocked and announced their presence before barging in. After subduing Green (who appeared to be under the influence of marijuana) and handcuffing him, Officer Simon patted him down. She found a joint in his shirt pocket and a knife in his boot.
Given the number of unsolved home invasions in Sometown that the police thought Jimmy Green was responsible for, Officer Bloom was convinced that Green was behind them. So he decided to have a look around the apartment. Sure enough, in the next room, Officer Bloom found three more television sets that appeared to be stolen, several sculptures, and in a desk drawer, a gun and a bag of marijuana. “You are going away for a long time now, Jimmy,” Officer Bloom said. “I think we’ve solved most of the burglaries of Sometown.”
Questions
Case 3
Officer Smithwick was out on patrol in Sometown Heights around 11:00 last Tuesday evening, an area where drug-related crime is on the rise. She spotted a white van, and thought to herself as she began to follow it, “Why on earth do people drive white vans through bad parts of town? Haven’t they seen the movies? It’s always the white van.” The van stopped at a red light on Broadway, and Officer Smithwick noted that the brake lights were out. She turned on her siren and pulled the van over. When she got to the driver’s side window to ask for license and registration, she noticed that the driver looked extremely agitated. She instructed the driver to step outside the vehicle.
“What seems to be the problem, Officer?” the driver asked.
“Your brake lights are out. Do you have any weapons on you or in the vehicle?”
“Of course not.” The driver, a middle-aged woman, was wearing a hooded sweater over jeans. She was fidgety and nervous, and kept looking down. She started to move her hands toward her jeans pockets. Officer Smithwick stopped her.
“Turn around, face the car and put your hands on the roof,” Officer Smithwick instructed the driver, who looked visibly shaken, but complied. Officer Smithwick performed a pat-down search on the driver and while she did not feel anything that could be a weapon, she felt something that she thought might possibly be a vial of cocaine in the pocket of the driver’s sweater. She couldn’t be sure, though. It could have also been lip balm. She continued to probe the object.
Officer Smithwick reached inside the pocket of the sweater anyway and pulled out a small vial. “What do we have here? I think you have drugs on you, too. I’m placing you under arrest.”
Questions
Case 4
Officer Webster was patrolling downtown Sometown late Saturday night. Primarily, she was on the lookout for drunk drivers after the bars closed, but violent incidents were on the rise in the area, so she was also looking for suspicious activity. She had just pulled over across the street from the Sometown Pub when a red sports car went speeding by. Officer Webster turned on her siren and pursued the sports car. The car pulled over, and Officer Webster approached the vehicle. When she got to the door, she noticed the driver shoving something under the front seat. She rapped on the window, and the driver, visibly angry, rolled it down.
“What?” he said.
Officer Webster told him to step out of the vehicle. The driver slammed the door and stepped toward Officer Webster. She then ordered him to turn around and place his hands on the roof of the vehicle. The man swore, but he complied. Officer Webster did a weapons pat-down and did not find a weapon.
“OK, Sir, now I need to see some identification.” When the man handed over his license, she saw that his name was Herman Knoxville. Before running his license, she shined her flashlight in the sports car. Sticking out from under the front seat, she saw a revolver. She seized it. In addition, she also saw a small bag containing a white powdery substance next to the revolver. She seized that as well.
“You should see what’s in the trunk” Knoxville asked menacingly.
Officer Webster just placed Herman Knoxville under arrest.
Questions
Case 5
Let’s revisit the case of Sapphire the Jewelry Thief. Instead of being handled by 10-year veteran Detective Krupke, the case was assigned to a rookie, Detective Doltish. Sometown’s residents and business owners were in an uproar. Editorials in the Sometown Journal demanded justice and expressed outrage that the Sometown Police Department had yet to solve the case.
The problem for Detective Doltish was that while he suspected Sapphire Smith, what with her arrival in town coinciding with the time of the robberies and the trademark blue-raspberry lollipop rings left at the crime scenes, the lack of fingerprint or other evidence left behind made it impossible for him to obtain a search warrant. Detective Doltish had been informed that he needed to crack this case, and soon.
Detective Doltish decided to gather evidence on Sapphire. He assigned an undercover officer to observe Sapphire’s comings and goings from a parked car across the street from the trendy warehouse loft she lived in at 319 Industrial Street. The officer also took a look through the trash left in the building’s dumpster. There, she found a bag for jewelry lollipops and reported it back to Detective Doltish.
“Aha!” Detective Doltish cried. “This is proof that Sapphire Smith is the thief!” Without further ado, he rushed to the warehouse and broke through her door. There, he discovered not only more blue-raspberry lollipop rings in a crystal bowl at the front door, but also the found art display made from jewelry boxes matching the descriptions of those stolen from Sometown residents. In tossing over Sapphire’s dresser, he also discovered necklaces stolen from the jewelry stores. He seized everything.
When Sapphire Smith returned home, he surprised her by placing her under arrest. “The residents of Sometown are going to think I’m a hero!” Detective Doltish said to himself, beaming.
Questions