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Case Summary: THE STATE v. McBRIDE et al., S90A1289 — Supreme Court of Georgia (Decided Feb. 18, 1991; Reconsideration denied Mar. 27, 1991)

Factual and Procedural Background

The three juvenile defendants — Chris McBride (16), Phillip McBride (15), and Alvin Jackson (17) — were arrested and charged in Richmond County with two counts of felony murder, aggravated assault, and conspiracy to commit armed robbery. A convenience store murder and attempted armed robbery occurred; an eyewitness described a single assailant as a small black male teenager wearing a dark blue handkerchief (bandanna) across his face. A nearby witness observed three black male teenagers shortly before the crimes; one ran toward the store and later said either "I got it" or "I did it," then the three ran toward the Fleming apartments where Chris McBride lived.

Police interviewed Chris at his high school after learning he owned a handgun. Chris initially denied, then admitted, possessing a gun and agreed to let an officer take it "to test" it. An assistant principal called Chris's mother; upon arrival the officer told her about the gun, and Mrs. McBride told the officer he could keep it. Both Chris and Mrs. McBride signed a property inventory receipt form with handwritten authorization for the officer to take the gun. Ballistics later showed that the gun was the weapon used in the murder.

Police went to the high school and arrested the three juveniles; the state conceded that an arrest warrant obtained from Juvenile Court for Chris was invalid and that no warrants were obtained for the other two defendants. Prior to Miranda warnings, Alvin allegedly made a spontaneous statement implicating Phillip. After Miranda warnings, Chris implicated Phillip; Phillip later confessed after receiving Miranda warnings.

In the Richmond Superior Court (Judge Pierce), the trial court granted the defendants' motion to suppress certain physical evidence (the gun) and the defendants' post-arrest statements. The State appealed, and the Supreme Court of Georgia issued the opinion summarized here, reversing the trial court's judgment.

Legal Issues Presented

  1. Whether the warrantless seizure of the gun was lawful because of valid consent by Chris McBride and/or his mother.
  2. Whether there was probable cause to arrest the three juveniles without warrants and whether the arrests (and resulting interrogations) were rendered unlawful by violations of the Juvenile Code.
  3. Whether the juveniles knowingly and intelligently waived their constitutional rights in making their post-arrest statements (i.e., voluntariness and waiver of Miranda rights).
  4. Whether the indictment's charging of two counts of felony murder (with different underlying felonies) and the charging of both aggravated assault and conspiracy to commit armed robbery required the State to elect between counts or whether the counts merge as a matter of law.

Arguments of the Parties

The opinion does not contain a detailed account of the parties' legal arguments.

Table of Precedents Cited

Precedent Rule or Principle Cited For Application by the Court
Dean v. State, 250 Ga. 77 (295 S.E.2d 306) (1982) Consent to search can eliminate need for warrant or probable cause; appellate deference to trial judge on certain suppression factual findings (as cited in concurrence). Used to support that valid consent by Chris and his mother eliminated need for warrant or probable cause to seize the gun; concurrence cites it for standard of deference to trial court factual findings.
State v. Sutton, 258 Ga. 382 (369 S.E.2d 249) (1988) Consent that may occur after officer seizes property does not necessarily render search invalid. Applied to hold that Mrs. McBride's statement that the officer could keep the gun—even if after seizure—did not invalidate the search.
Schneckloth v. Bustamonte, 412 U.S. 218, 229 (1973) Voluntariness of consent assessed by totality of the circumstances (factors listed include age, education, detention length, Miranda warnings, interrogation, physical/psychological coercion). Adopted as the standard to evaluate voluntariness of Chris McBride's consent; Court examined the enumerated factors and concluded consent was voluntary.
Dunaway v. New York, 442 U.S. 200 (1979) Illegal arrest may require exclusion of statements obtained as a result of the arrest (rationale for suppression). The trial court relied on Dunaway to exclude statements as fruits of alleged illegal arrests; the Supreme Court evaluated whether arrests were supported by probable cause and whether juvenile-code violations required per se exclusion.
Marshall v. State, 248 Ga. 227 (282 S.E.2d 301) (1981) Refusal to apply a per se exclusionary rule to incriminatory statements resulting from Juvenile Code violations; instead evaluate whether waiver was knowing and intelligent. Applied to reject per se exclusion for juvenile-code violations and to adopt a nine-factor inquiry into whether juveniles knowingly and intelligently waived rights.
Riley v. State, 237 Ga. 124, 128 (226 S.E.2d 922) (1976) Identified the nine-factor framework to determine whether a juvenile knowingly and intelligently waived constitutional rights. Court applied the Riley nine-factor analysis (age, education, knowledge of charge/rights, communication with relatives/attorney, timing of interrogation, interrogation methods, length, prior refusals, repudiation) in assessing voluntariness of Chris's and Phillip's waivers.
Williams v. State, 238 Ga. 298 (232 S.E.2d 535) (1977) Authority recognizing juveniles as young as 14 making admissible statements (context: age alone not determinative). Cited as precedent showing age alone does not preclude admissibility of juvenile statements.
C. R. T. v. State, 148 Ga. App. 628 (252 S.E.2d 58) (1979) Authority recognizing admissibility of statements from juveniles (example: 11 years old). Cited as supporting precedent for the proposition that age alone is not determinative of voluntariness.
Smith v. State, 258 Ga. 181 (366 S.E.2d 763) (1988) Defendant may not be sentenced for two murders when there is only one victim (limitation on cumulative sentencing). Quoted for the proposition that a defendant cannot be sentenced for two murders where only one victim exists; Court nevertheless held that multiple underlying felonies may be alleged and need not require election by the State.
United States v. Garcia, 890 F.2d 355 (11th Cir. 1989) Discusses issues pertaining to consents to search (as noted in concurrence). Cited in the concurrence as an "interesting review" on consents to search; used to illustrate appellate-law/fact distinctions.

Court's Reasoning and Analysis

The Court addressed discrete legal questions sequentially and explained how legal principles applied to the facts presented.

1. Validity of consent to search and seizure of the gun.

- The trial court had suppressed the gun, finding no probable cause and concluding there was no consent. The Supreme Court disagreed.

- The Court held that both Chris McBride and his mother gave valid consent, which eliminated the necessity of a warrant or probable cause (citing Dean v. State). The Court relied on the evidence that Mrs. McBride voluntarily told the officer he could keep the gun and that both Chris and Mrs. McBride signed a property inventory receipt with authorization for seizure.

- The Court applied the totality-of-the-circumstances standard from Schneckloth v. Bustamonte to assess voluntariness of Chris's consent, considering factors such as his age (almost 17, tenth grade), the short duration and number of interviews (three interviews in presence of assistant principal, each no longer than seven minutes), that he was not under arrest at the time, and absence of evidence of physical coercion or psychological impact. The Court concluded the record affirmatively showed voluntary consent.

2. Probable cause for arrests and juvenile-code violations.

- The trial court had found the warrantless arrests unlawful and excluded post-arrest statements under Dunaway. The Supreme Court analyzed probable cause and the effect of juvenile-code violations.

- Probable cause: The Court found probable cause to arrest Chris based on (a) eyewitness description of a blue handkerchief on the assailant, (b) discovery of a blue bandanna behind the store, (c) information that Chris commonly wore a blue bandanna, and (d) ballistics linking Chris's gun to the murder. The Court also found probable cause to arrest Phillip and Alvin because they had told police they were with Chris at the relevant time, and a witness had seen three youths and observed one run to the store and later say "I got it" or "I did it" before heading toward Chris's home.

- Juvenile-code violations: It was undisputed the juveniles were arrested at school without warrants and taken to police headquarters; the trial court found violations of OCGA § 15-11-19 (a)(4) (failure to take juveniles immediately before the superior court) and § 15-11-19 (c) (failure to contact parents), and that officers refused to allow a family member to speak with Phillip. The Supreme Court acknowledged disapproval of police tactics but declined to apply a per se exclusionary rule for such violations, citing Marshall v. State.

3. Voluntariness/knowing and intelligent waiver of statements by juveniles.

- Rather than excluding statements per se for juvenile-code violations, the Court followed Riley and Marshall to evaluate whether each juvenile knowingly and intelligently waived constitutional rights. The Court listed and applied the nine Riley factors (age, education, knowledge of charges/rights, consultation availability, timing of interrogation relative to formal charges, interrogation methods, length, prior refusals, repudiation).

- Applying the factors: Chris (16) and Phillip (15) were in tenth grade; the record indicated the substance of charges and rights were explained, both signed waiver-of-rights forms, and neither requested an attorney or relative during questioning (although a relative was not allowed to communicate with Phillip while he was at headquarters). A juvenile court officer was present during interrogations; no threats or promises were shown; interrogation lengths were under one hour for Chris and 32 minutes for Phillip; there was no evidence the juveniles had previously refused to give statements or later repudiated their statements. The trial court had found the waivers were not knowing and intelligent, but the Supreme Court disagreed and concluded the waivers were knowing, intelligent, and voluntary, and the statements admissible.

- For Alvin Jackson, the trial court made no findings regarding voluntariness of his statements, and the Supreme Court therefore did not address that issue.

4. Indictment structure, election, and merger of offenses.

- The indictment charged two counts of felony murder with different underlying felonies (aggravated assault; conspiracy to commit armed robbery), plus counts for aggravated assault and conspiracy to commit armed robbery.

- The trial court ordered the State to elect between the two felony murder counts and to elect between aggravated assault and conspiracy counts, finding duplication and merger. The Supreme Court disagreed on both points:

- Felony murder counts: While agreeing that a defendant may not be sentenced for two murders when there is only one victim (citing Smith v. State), the Court held that when multiple underlying felonies are alleged, the State is not required to elect between them. OCGA § 16-1-7 permits alleging multiple underlying felonies; the appropriate charging method is one count of felony murder that enumerates the multiple underlying felonies.

- Merger of aggravated assault and conspiracy to commit armed robbery: The Court found that, under the facts alleged, the elements and facts necessary to prove conspiracy (an agreement and proof that Chris gave the gun to Phillip to commit the robbery, OCGA § 16-4-8) are not the same as those necessary to prove aggravated assault (OCGA § 16-5-21). Therefore those offenses do not merge and no election is required.

Holding and Implications

Holding: The Supreme Court of Georgia reversed the trial court's suppression rulings and related orders. The judgment of the trial court was reversed.

Implications and direct effects:

  • The seizure of the gun was lawful because both Chris McBride and his mother validly consented, and the gun was therefore admissible; a warrant or probable cause was not required for that seizure as to the evidence presented.
  • The Court found probable cause supported the warrantless arrests of Chris McBride, Phillip McBride, and Alvin Jackson; the arrests did not automatically render subsequent statements inadmissible.
  • Juvenile-code procedural violations by police did not mandate a per se exclusion of incriminatory statements; instead, the Court applied a nine-factor Riley/Marshall analysis and concluded Chris and Phillip knowingly and intelligently waived their rights, making their post-arrest statements admissible. The Court did not resolve voluntariness regarding Alvin Jackson because the trial court made no findings on that point.
  • The State is not required to elect between multiple underlying felonies alleged in separate felony-murder counts; the preferred method is one count of felony murder enumerating multiple underlying felonies. Also, aggravated assault and conspiracy to commit armed robbery did not merge under the facts alleged.
  • No new rule displacing the Riley/Marshall approach was created; instead, the Court reaffirmed existing Georgia law on juvenile waivers and the non-automatic exclusion for juvenile-code violations.

Notable Concurrence

Justice Hunt filed a special concurrence agreeing with the result reversing the trial court but expressing concern about the majority's standard of appellate review. Hunt emphasized the distinction between legal conclusions (to which appellate courts owe no deference) and factual findings (to which trial court findings on disputed facts and credibility should be given deference unless clearly erroneous). He would hold expressly there was no legal barrier to admitting the gun and the statements, although he disagreed with the majority's approach to making certain factual findings on appeal.

Outcome: Judgment reversed. (Clarke, C.J.; Smith, P.J.; Bell; Benham; Fletcher, JJ.; Judge G. Mallon Faircloth concur; Hunt, J., concurs specially; Weltner, J., not participating.)

THE STATE v. McBRIDE et al.

CLARKE, Chief Justice.

The three defendants in this case were arrested and charged with two counts of felony murder, aggravated assault, and conspiracy to commit armed robbery. The trial court granted the defendants' motion to suppress certain physical evidence as well as the defendants' post-arrest statements, and the state appeals.

At the time of the crimes defendant Chris McBride was 16; defendant Phillip McBride was 15; and defendant Alvin Jackson was 17.

A murder and attempted armed robbery took place at a convenience store in Richmond County. An eyewitness to the crime described the sole assailant as a small, black, male teenager wearing a dark blue handkerchief across his face. On the evening of the crimes a witness who lived near the convenience store observed three black, male teenagers in her front yard. One of them ran off toward the convenience store, and came back a short time later stating to his two companions, either "I got it," or "I did it." The boys then ran in the direction of Fleming apartments where defendant Chris McBride lives. This witness did not recognize any of the three teenagers.

Police officers began making inquiries at the local high school the following day, and interviewed Chris McBride in the principal's office upon learning that he owned a handgun. Chris McBride initially denied owning a gun, but later admitted he had one at home which he kept concealed from his mother. The officer asked Chris if he could take the gun and "test" it to determine whether it had been "involved in any crimes." Chris agreed and an assistant principal telephoned Chris's mother to inform her that the officer was bringing Chris home. Upon their arrival the officer told Mrs. McBride about the gun, and stated that Chris had agreed to allow him to test the gun. Mrs. McBride became upset upon learning that her son owned a gun, and told the officer he could keep the gun because she did not want it in her home. Both Chris and Mrs. McBride then signed a property inventory receipt form on which there was handwritten authorization for the officer to take the gun.

While interviewing at the high school the officer spoke to defendants Phillip McBride and Alvin Jackson, both of whom stated that they were with Chris McBride at a local restaurant at the time the crimes were committed. All three defendants denied any involvement in the crimes. In another interview a student informed police that Chris McBride always wore a blue bandanna tied around his leg.

Ballistics tests indicated that the gun Chris McBride gave to police was the one used to kill the victim in question. Six police officers then went to the high school and arrested the three defendants. An arrest warrant had been obtained from the Juvenile Court for Chris McBride, but the state concedes that this warrant is invalid. No arrest warrants were obtained for the other two defendants.

Prior to receiving Miranda warnings defendant Alvin Jackson allegedly made a spontaneous statement that Phillip McBride, and not Chris McBride, had shot the victim. When confronted with this information, Chris McBride, who had received Miranda warnings, implicated Phillip in the crime. Phillip subsequently confessed to the crimes after receiving Miranda warnings.

1. The trial court granted Chris McBride's motion to suppress the gun, finding that there was no probable cause to execute the warrantless search. The trial court further concluded that there was no consent to the search.

However, we find that both Chris McBride and his mother did give valid consent to the search and seizure of the gun, thus eliminating the need for either a warrant or a showing of probable cause. Dean v. State, 250 Ga. 77 (2) (a) ( 295 S.E.2d 306) (1982). The record shows that Mrs. McBride voluntarily consented to allow the officer to take the gun, and even asked that he not return it. That her consent may have occurred after the officer seized the gun does not render this search invalid. State v. Sutton, 258 Ga. 382 ( 369 S.E.2d 249) (1988).

The courts determine the voluntariness of Chris McBride's consent by examining the "totality of the circumstances," including the age of the accused, his education and intelligence, the length of detention, whether he was advised of his constitutional rights, the prolonged nature of questioning, the use of physical punishment, and the psychological impact of these factors. Schneckloth v. Bustamonte, 412 U.S. 218, 229 ( 93 S.C. 2041, 36 L.Ed.2d 854) (1973); id. at 80. In this case Chris McBride was a few days away from his 17th birthday and was in the 10th grade of high school. He was interviewed by the officer in question three times in the presence of an assistant principal, with each interview lasting no longer than seven minutes. He was not under arrest at the time and was not advised of his constitutional rights. There is no evidence to show physical punishment and no evidence of any psychological impact of these factors. The only evidence in the record affirmatively shows that Chris voluntarily agreed to allow the officer to take his gun and test it. To hold otherwise is clearly erroneous.

2. The trial court concluded that the warrantless arrests of Chris McBride, age 16, Phillip McBride, age 15, and Alvin Jackson, age 17, were unlawful because there was no probable cause to support them. The trial court further found that certain violations of the Juvenile Code, OCGA § 15-11-17 et seq. rendered the arrests of Chris and Phillip unlawful. The trial court therefore concluded that all of the post-arrest statements made by the defendants must be excluded under the rationale of Dunaway v. New York, 442 U.S. 200 ( 99 S.C. 2248, 60 L.Ed.2d 824) (1979).

a) We hold that there was probable cause to arrest Chris McBride for the crimes in question. The assailant was described by an eyewitness as wearing a blue handkerchief across his face. A blue bandanna was subsequently found behind the convenience store where the crimes occurred. Another student informed police officers that Chris always wore a blue bandanna tied around his leg. Further, ballistics testing showed that the gun Chris gave to the police was the weapon used to shoot the victim. These facts provided sufficient probable cause to justify Chris's arrest.

We further hold that there was probable cause to arrest Phillip McBride and Alvin Jackson. In interviews with police prior to their arrests, both Phillip and Alvin stated they had been with Chris at a local restaurant at the time the crimes were committed. A witness told police that she observed three young black men, approximately the ages of the defendants in question, in her yard shortly before the shooting. One of them left the group and ran to the convenience store. He returned a short time later, stating either, "I've got it," or "I did it." The three then ran in the direction of Chris McBride's home. These facts, considered together, established probable cause to support the arrests of Alvin Jackson and Phillip McBride.

b) It is undisputed that the three defendants were arrested, without warrants, at the high school. Compare OCGA § 15-11-17 (a) (2) and (b). They were immediately taken to police headquarters and interrogated individually. Chris and Phillip were each interrogated in the presence of a juvenile court officer.

The trial court found that with regard to Chris McBride and Phillip McBride, the police violated OCGA § 15-11-19 (a) (4) in that they failed to take the juveniles immediately before the superior court. The trial court also found that the officers violated OCGA § 15-11-19 (c) in that they failed to contact the parents of the juveniles. Additionally, the undisputed evidence shows that the officers refused to allow Phillip McBride to speak to a family member who contacted the police station on Phillip's behalf.

While we do not approve of the police tactics in this case, this court has, in substantially similar circumstances, refused to apply a per se exclusionary rule to incriminatory statements for such violations of the Juvenile Code. Marshall v. State, 248 Ga. 227 ( 282 S.E.2d 301) (1981).

Rather, this court has held that the issue to be considered is whether there was a knowing and intelligent waiver by the juvenile of his constitutional rights in making the incriminating statements. Riley v. State, 237 Ga. 124, 128 ( 226 S.E.2d 922) (1976); Marshall, supra at 228. In determining this issue nine factors are to be considered. Id.

1) Age of the accused. At the time of questioning Chris McBride was 16 and Phillip McBride was 15. Age alone is not a determinative factor, and our courts have approved statements from defendants of even younger years. See Williams v. State, 238 Ga. 298 ( 232 S.E.2d 535) (1977) (14 years); C. R. T. v. State, 148 Ga. App. 628 ( 252 S.E.2d 58) (1979) (11 years) and Marshall v. State, supra, (14 years).

2) Education of the accused. The record shows only that both juveniles were in the 10th grade of high school.

3) Knowledge of the accused as to the substance of the charge and nature of his rights to consult with an attorney. The record indicates that the substance of the charges was adequately explained to both juveniles. Neither Chris nor Phillip testified at the hearing on the motion to suppress. The undisputed evidence presented at that hearing was that both were advised of the nature of the charges against them and understood their constitutional rights. Both juveniles signed waiver of rights forms.

4) Whether the accused was held incommunicado or allowed to consult with relatives or an attorney. The record indicates that neither juvenile requested the presence of an attorney or relative during questioning. However, it is also undisputed that a relative of Phillip McBride's was not allowed to communicate with him while he was at police headquarters.

5) Whether the accused was interrogated before or after formal charges had been filed. The record is not clear as to whether formal charges had been filed against the juveniles at the time of interrogation. However, it is not disputed that both were under arrest at the time of interrogation.

6) Methods used in interrogation. The transcripts of the interrogations show that a juvenile court officer was present during interrogation. No threats or promises were made to the juveniles. Both made incriminatory statements under normal questioning.

7) Length of interrogation. The interrogation of Chris McBride lasted less than one hour. The trial court found that the interrogation of Phillip McBride lasted 32 minutes.

8) Whether the accused refused to voluntarily give statements on prior occasions. There is no indication that either juvenile refused to give statements on prior occasions. In each previous statement, however, the juveniles denied participating in the crimes.

9) Whether the accused repudiated an extrajudicial statement at a later date. The trial court found that neither juvenile has repudiated any of the statements he made during his interrogation.

The trial court found that under the totality of these circumstances neither Chris McBride nor Phillip McBride made a knowing waiver of his rights. We do not agree. Rather, our review of the record before us leads us to conclude that the juveniles did knowingly and intelligently waive their constitutional rights, and voluntarily made the statements in question.

c) As the trial court made no findings with regard to the voluntariness of Alvin Jackson's statements, we do not reach this issue.

3. In court one the indictment charged the three defendants with felony murder, the underlying felony being aggravated assault. Count two charged them with felony murder, the underlying felony being conspiracy to commit armed robbery. Count three charged them with aggravated assault, while count four charged conspiracy to commit armed robbery.

a) The trial court ruled that where there is one murder victim and the indictment alleges two counts of felony murder with different underlying felonies, the cumulative effect of the indictment diminishes the presumption of innocence. The trial court ordered the state to elect between the two counts of felony murder.

While we agree with the trial court that a defendant may not be sentenced for two murders where there is only one victim, Smith v. State, 258 Ga. 181 (2) ( 366 S.E.2d 763) (1988), where there are multiple underlying felonies, the state is not required to elect between them when charging the defendant with felony murder. OCGA § 16-1-7. Where there is evidence that multiple crimes have been committed, it does not diminish the presumption of innocence to allege each of them in the indictment. The appropriate manner for charging felony murder in instances where more than one underlying felony is alleged is to indict for one count of felony murder, and enumerate the multiple underlying felonies.

b) The trial court also held that the offenses of aggravated assault and conspiracy to commit armed robbery, as alleged in the indictment, are the same as a matter of fact, and therefore merge. The trial court ordered the state to elect between these two counts before proceeding to trial.

We cannot agree with the trial court. Under the facts alleged in the indictment, the crime of conspiracy to commit armed robbery would be complete upon proof of an agreement and proof that Chris McBride gave the gun to Phillip to commit the crime. OCGA § 16-4-8. These are not the same facts necessary to prove the crime of aggravated assault, OCGA § 16-5-21, and therefore the crimes do not merge.

Judgment reversed. Clarke, C. J., Smith, P. J., Bell, Benham, Fletcher, JJ., and Judge G. Mallon Faircloth concur; Hunt, J., concurs specially; Weltner, J., not participating.

CLARKE, Chief Justice.

DECIDED FEBRUARY 18, 1991 — RECONSIDERATION DENIED MARCH 27, 1991.

HUNT, Justice, concurring specially.

I write separately with respect to Divisions 1, 2 and 3 because I question whether the majority has applied the appropriate standard of appellate review. On review, we do not, as implied by the majority, decide the factual components leading to the determination whether a defendant has voluntarily consented to a search or voluntarily made a statement. Granted, there are legal components of these decisions to which we owe the trial judge no deference and which we are free, on review, to decide. And to be sure, there is often confusion about what is law and what is fact. Our decisions nonetheless should strive to eliminate that confusion.

For an interesting review of this subject matter as it pertains to consents to search, see the case of United States v. Garcia, 890 F.2d 355 (11th Cir. 1989).

The trial judge did not base his suppression of the gun and ammunition on a factual determination that neither McBride nor his mother consented to the search. Rather, he suppressed this evidence because the officer did not explain the reasons for, and the consequences of the search, and did not advise McBride and his mother, in advance, of their Fourth Amendment rights, such as the right to require a search warrant. Thus, the trial judge reached a conclusion of law that the consent was involuntary. We owe no deference to this legal conclusion, and I would hold expressly that there was no legal barrier to the admission of this evidence. Accordingly, while I disagree with the majority that we are authorized to find any facts regarding whether consent was voluntary, I concur with the result, reversing the trial court's exclusion of the evidence.

Unless clearly erroneous, the trial court's ruling on disputed facts and credibility at a suppression hearing must be accepted on appeal. Dean v. State, 250 Ga. 77, 80 (2a) ( 295 S.E.2d 306) (1982).

Likewise, the trial court's decision to suppress the statements was not based on a factual determination that the statements were made involuntarily. Credibility was not an issue because the evidence was undisputed and the defendants offered no testimony. Rather, the trial court reached a conclusion of law that the statements were barred because they were the product of an illegal arrest and because of juvenile code violations. These, too, were erroneous conclusions, and the statements should have been admitted.

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STATE v. McBRIDE
(Feb 18, 1991)