Bailey, J.
[2] On May 11, 2014, Officer Brian Erdmann of the Clermont Police Department received a report of a stolen vehicle. Approximately thirty minutes after the report, Officer Erdmann located the stolen vehicle at a gas station. D.M., the driver, and N.S., the back seat passenger, were placed under arrest.
[3] Officer Erdmann expected that the vehicle was “going to be impounded” and he initiated an inventory search. (Tr. 10.) According to Officer Erdmann, one of the reasons was “first of all you never know [when] there could be any illegal contraband.” (Tr. 13.) A backpack was found in the back seat. A search of its contents yielded a firearm and marijuana. The vehicle owner appeared, and the vehicle was released to him without completion of a formal inventory search or impoundment.
[4] The State alleged N.S. to be delinquent and a denial hearing was conducted on June 5 and June 9, 2014. N.S. challenged the admission into evidence of the firearm, marijuana, and any derivative testimony, on grounds that the search violated his Fourth Amendment and Indiana constitutional rights. The juvenile court initially granted N.S.’s motion to suppress, upon concluding that the backpack search was illegal. However, the juvenile court permitted D.M. to testify concerning N.S.’s possession of contraband and admitted the contraband into evidence during D.M.’s testimony, over N.S.’s continuing objection.
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[9] On the record before us, it is clear that the State obtained the physical evidence – the firearm and the marijuana – as a direct consequence of the illegal search of the backpack. These items were, consistent with our Indiana Supreme Court’s guidance in Pirtle, inadmissible. The State does not contend that the physical items were recovered from an independent source, but rather argues that D.M.’s testimony was admissible and any error in the admission of the physical exhibits was harmless.