State v. Archer

DeGenaro, Judge.

{¶ 1} Defendant-appellant, Taylor James Archer IV, appeals the decision of the Belmont County Court of Common Pleas denying his motion to suppress evidence seized from a storage unit on February 7, 2009. On appeal, Archer argues that the police violated his Fourth Amendment rights when they seized evidence without a warrant. Archer’s assignment of error is meritorious.

{¶ 2} The unlawful actions of private individuals in conducting illegal searches and seizures are not subject to constitutional protection. However, when a warrantless search is not exclusively a private…