On Point blog, page 46 of 214

Search of home — apparent authority to consent; scope of consent; plain view

State v. Royce Markel Wheeler, 2013 WI App 53; case activity

Police went to a duplex in response to domestic abuse complaint from what they believed was the lower unit, with the caller saying she had been assaulted and was bleeding. (¶¶2, 4-6). After officers spent some 20 minutes knocking on the duplex’s common front door and yelling, a woman named Bates opened the door, saying she lived in the upper unit.

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Miranda violation — interrogation by police; sentencing — erroneous exercise of discretion

State v. Antoine Leshawn Douglas, 2013 WI App 52; case activity

Miranda violation — interrogation by police

After a lawful arrest, but before being given Miranda warnings, Douglas initiated a conversation with the arresting officer in which he stated he wanted “to work” for the police by offering information about some marijuana dealers. After the officer declined that offer there was a “pause,” followed by Douglas changing the subject and volunteering information about a gun;

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South Milwaukee ordinance restricting residency of sex offenders upheld against ex post facto and double jeopardy challenges

City of South Milwaukee v. Todd J. Kester, 2013 WI App 50; case activity

Sex offender residency restrictions – constitutionality; ex post facto and double jeopardy

 South Milwaukee’s ordinance prohibiting persons convicted of certain child sex offenses from living within 1,000 feet of a school or other facility frequented by children does not violate the double jeopardy or ex post facto prohibitions of the state or federal constitution:

¶31      Kester fails to offer the “clearest proof”

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Ineffective assistance of counsel – failure to object to admission of, and expert opinion based on, autopsy reports prepared by another pathologist; failure to object to evidence of prior felony convictions

State v. Willie M. McDougle, 2013 WI App 43; case activity

Failure to object to admission of, and expert opinion based on, autopsy reports prepared by another pathologist

Trial counsel was not ineffective for failing to object on confrontation clause grounds to either the opinion testimony of the pathologist who did not conduct autopsy or the reports of pathologist who did conduct the autopsy because any failure to object was not prejudicial:

¶17      …[T]rial counsel’s decision not to object to Dr.

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Conflict of interest – dual representation of defendant and a defense witness facing perjury charges

State v. Jesus C. Villarreal, 2013 WI App 33; case activity

Trial counsel was ineffective because he had an actual conflict of interest arising from his dual representation of both Villareal and a defense witness who had testified at Villarreal’s first trial (which ended in a hung jury ) and who, before the second trial, was accused of committing perjury during the first trial.

The witness was Villarreal’s sister,

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Search and seizure – limitation on scope of consent to search; no duty for police to clarify ambiguous assertions of ownership or nonconsent

State v. Derik J. Wantland, 2013 WI App 36, petition for review granted 11/21/13; case activity

It was not unreasonable for the police to search a briefcase found in a vehicle during a traffic stop after the driver consented to a search of the car and the passenger did not unequivocally assert ownership of the briefcase and withhold consent to its search.

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OWI – collateral attack on prior uncounseled conviction; prima facie showing

State v. Scott B. Bohlinger, 2013 WI App 39; case activity

Bohlinger made a prima facie showing that two prior OWI convictions were invalid because he did not knowingly and intelligently waive the right to counsel due to his limited cognitive capabilities. The circuit court concluded he had not made such a showing because he did not allege any deficiency in the colloquies addressing the waiver of counsel in the earlier cases.

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Attempted possession of a firearm by a felon recognized as an offense under Wisconsin law

State v. Wyatt D. Henning, 2013 WI App 15; case activity

The crime of attempted possession of a firearm by a felon is recognized in Wisconsin, distinguishing State v. Briggs, 218 Wis. 2d 61, 579 N.W.2d 783 (Ct. App. 1998):

¶14      Turning to the particular language of the felon in possession of a firearm statute, and the case law further explaining the elements of that crime,

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Right to trial by impartial jury – seating of juror not actually summoned

State v. Jacob Turner, 2013 WI App 23;  case activity

Addressing an unusual set of facts, the court of appeals holds Turner’s constitutional rights to an impartial jury and due process were not violated by the seating of a juror who had not been summoned for service and who did not disclose that to the court.

A summons for jury duty was sent to “John P.

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Use of 1st OWI offense to enhance penalty; collateral attack on prior OWI

State v. Verhagen, State v. Nickles,  State v. Van Asten, and State v. Bell, 2013 WI App 16; consolidated court of appeals decision; case activity: Verhagen; Nickles; Van Asten; and Bell

OWI – Use of first offense to enhance penalty

In a prosecution for a second or subsequent OWI offense, New Jersey v. Apprendi,

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