State v. Verkerk, 229 N.C. App. 416 (Sept. 3, 2013)

(1) A seizure occurred when the defendant stopped her vehicle after a fire truck following behind her flashed its red lights and activated its siren. The fireman took this action after observing the defendant, among other things, weave out of her lane of traffic and almost hit a passing bus. (2) The court remanded to the trial court for findings of fact and conclusions of law regarding whether the fireman was acting as a state agent or a private person when the seizure occurred. (3) Whether the fireman lacked the statutory authority to stop the defendant’s vehicle is irrelevant to whether the stop violated the Fourth Amendment. The court noted that the US Supreme Court has consistently applied traditional standards of reasonableness to searches or seizures effectuated by government actors who lack state law authority to act as law enforcement officers. Thus, if on remand the trial court determines that the fireman was a government actor, it should then determine whether the stop was constitutionally permissible. (4) The trial court erred by holding that the fireman’s stop was justified under G.S. 15A-404, which allows for a citizen’s arrest when there is probable cause that certain crimes have been committed. Although reasonable suspicion may have supported a stop in this case, the evidence did not support a finding of probable cause. (5) If on remand the trial court finds that the stop was illegal, it should address whether evidence stemming from the defendant’s later arrest by the police is admissible under the inevitable discovery and independent source doctrines. One judge concurred in part and dissented in part. This judge concurred with the conclusion that that stop was a seizure and that the fireman was not authorized to stop the defendant under G.S. 15A-404. He dissented however because he found that the fireman was a state actor and that the stop violated the NC Constitution.