State v. Lavender

*363WARREN, J.

Defendant was charged with possession of a controlled substance. ORS 475.992(4). The state appeals a pretrial order allowing defendant’s motion to suppress evidence seized from her purse. At issue is whether the search was justified as incident to defendant’s arrest.

On August 20, 1987, at about 1:00 a.m., an anonymous phone call to the Medford police department reported a woman screaming in a small park. Officer Newell, who was dispatched to investigate the report, saw a woman standing in the park, screaming. In response to Newell’s inquiry, the woman, defendant in this case, said…