Case Title: State v. Aias

Citation: 149 So. 2d 400, 243 La. 946

Docket Number: 

State: louisiana

Court: Louisiana Supreme Court

Date: 1963-01-14T00:00:00Z

Document:
149 So. 2d 400 (1963) 243 La. 946 STATE of Louisiana v. Norbert AIAS and Ann Aias. No. 46293. Supreme Court of Louisiana. January 14, 1963. Rehearing Denied February 18, 1963. George H. Fust, New Orleans, for defendants-appellants. Jack P. F. Gremillion, Atty. Gen., M. E. Culligan, Asst. Atty. Gen., Jim Garrison, Dist. Atty., Louise Korns, Asst. Dist. Atty., for appellee. HAMLIN, Justice. The defendants, Norbert Aias and Ann Aias[1] were charged by bill of information with a violation of LSA-R.S. 40:962, in that they did wilfully and unlawfully possess and have under their control a narcotic drug, to wit: Opium and Morphine, contrary to the form of the Statute of the State of Louisiana. They were tried by jury and convicted, and each was sentenced to serve five years in the Louisiana State Penitentiary at hard labor. On appeal to this court, defendants present for our consideration one bill of exceptions, which applies to a reservation made upon the overruling of a "Motion to Suppress Evidence," (hereinafter discussed), a reservation made during trial and a reservation made upon the overruling of a motion for a new trialthe subject matter of each ruling and reservation of a bill of exceptions being the same. The facts leading to the filing of the instant information, as deduced from the testimony attached to the bill of exceptions are to the effect that on March 2, 1961, Officers William Warner, Raymond Comstock and Larry Hand of the Narcotics *401 Squad of the New Orleans Police Department were notified by a New Orleans physician that a lady named Johnson residing in the 1400 block of Esplanade Avenue "continually bothered" him for paregoric prescriptions. The officers went to the Esplanade address where they were told by the landlord that defendants and a Miss Malone, who had also lived at the Esplanade address, had moved to Elysian Fields Avenue; he did not know the house number but told the officers where Miss Malone worked. The officers proceeded to the La Mour Lounge, in the 800 block of N. Rampart Street, where they questioned Evelyn Malone after telling her that they were on a narcotics investigation, and she cooperated with them. Evelyn Malone's testimony was to the effect that Ann Aias had told her that she was going to search for a larger house and that if she found one Evelyn could live with her and she would take care of Evelyn's baby while Evelyn was at work; that she and Ann found a place on Elysian Fields Avenue and the first half month's rent was paid by Ann in the name of Johnson; that she had paid rent to Ann and she and Ann rented together from the landlord; that she had a bedroom but the whole house was considered partly hers, her belongings being in the living-room, bathroom and kitchen. Miss Malone told the officers she was living with Lynn Johnson and Norbert Aias and gave them permission to search the residence (which bears Municipal Number 1235 Elysian Fields Avenue); her employer permitted her to leave her job, and she accompanied the officers to the premises. Officer Comstock testified[2] that upon their arrival at the house he and Officer Hand went to the rear entrance; that upon reaching the rear of the house, he could smell an odor of paregoric and assumed that it was being cooked or had just been cooked;[3] that he and Officer Hand then forced the rear door open, because he felt that evidence was being destroyed. He stated that upon entering the house, he found the following evidence in the kitchen: "On the table there was a hypodermic needle cleaner; a large glass containing a white liquid which I thought to be water; a China mug with a small piece of cotton in it; a hypodermic needle holder, a plastic affair; a roll of cotton, red cross cotton; on the mantel piece in the kitchen, some three feet from the table was a roll of Reynolds wrap encased in a box, a regular box. In the box, I found a medicine dropper and containing what appeared to be cooked paregoric." He further testified that he and Officer Hand passed through the kitchen, seeing what they determined to be narcotic paraphernalia spread out on the kitchen table, and continued to the front of the house where he came upon Norbert Aias standing in the second room from the front. Officer Comstock stated, "* * * as I got within about two feet of him, I saw him drop a hypodermic needle to the floor which I picked up immediately. The lady, Mrs. Johnson, was near the front door." While Officers Comstock and Hand were conducting their investigation in the rear, Officer Warner and Evelyn Malone were at the front door. Officer Warner testified that Miss Malone attempted to open the front door with her key, but that the door was locked with a safety lock from the inside and the key would not open the door; that Miss Malone knocked and the following events transpired: No search warrant was secured by the officers before they searched the premises, confiscated evidence, and arrested the defendants. A qualitative analysis made of the cooked down paregoric disclosed that it contained opium, which when separated into some of its component parts contained morphine and codeine. The present prosecution ensued. Before trial on the merits counsel for the defendants filed a "Motion to Suppress Evidence," alleging in part: The trial court denied the above motion and a bill of exceptions was reserved to its ruling. The matter proceeded to trial, and during its course another bill of exceptions was reserved when the trial judge refused to suppress the following evidence: S-1, one bottle from Bel Vue Drugstore; S-2, plastic bag together with contents; S-3, plastic envelope containing paper towel; S-4, brown envelope containing two needles; S-5, aluminum pot; S-6, glass; S-7, Red Cross cotton; S-8, large bottle medicine; S-9, small bottle of medicine; S-10, four empty bottles; S-11, 2 black books; S-12, empty bags; S-13, brown envelope containing tinfoil; S-16, cardboard containing names of drugstores; S-17, jax bag. In this Court defendants contend that the trial court's ruling on the Motion to Suppress Evidence and its other rulings should be overruled and reversed and the case against defendants dismissed because: "1. The enforcement officers had abundant opportunity to obtain a search warrant. (Said officers knew when they located Evelyn Malone that they were going to the home of Norbert Aias and Lynn Ann Johnson (also known as Lynn Ann Aias). They did not know what they might find there until they arrived on the scene.) "2. The evidence showed that Lynn Ann Johnson (also known as Lynn Ann Aias) was the one who rented the premises from the landlord, and was the one who paid the rent to the landlord and received a receipt in her name only. "3. Evelyn Malone was allowed to stay as a `roomer' in the home of Norbert Aias and Lynn Ann Johnson (also known as Lynn Ann Aias) under an agreement whereby she would contribute fifty per cent of the rent. She was not considered a tenant but was a sub-tenant from Lynn Ann Johnson. "4. When Officers Comstock and Hand walked into the alleyway of the premises on Elysian Fields Avenue, that in itself constituted an illegal search and seizure for the reason that they did not have probable cause at that time to make any arrest or seizure. "5. It is contended that even after Officers Comstock and Hand smelled what they thought was paregoric cooking, they would still have had time to secure a search warrant and be allowed in or break into the premises without any material change in the situation, except perhaps, that the residue of the cooked down paregoric might have been disposed of. "All of the other evidence in the case would have been intact, and could have been found after a reasonable search, and, in addition, the very fresh tract mark on the arm of Norbert Aias could have been easily seen by the arresting officers. "6. Evelyn Malone had no right or authority to allow anyone into or on the premises without the authorization of Lynn Ann Johnson or Norbert Aias. "7. After first contacting Evelyn Malone, anyone of the officers, knowing that they were going to the home of Norbert Aias and Lynn Ann Johnson (also known as Lynn Ann Aias) could have easily and speedily obtained a search warrant and met his fellow officers in the vicinity of the Aias home, and could have made a legal search and seizure, and a resulting legal arrest of both defendants." The State contends that the police officers entered the residence 1235 Elysian Fields Avenue legally; that they immediately arrested Ann and Norbert Aias; that the search which followed was permissible as incidental to a valid arrest; and that therefore under the decisions of the *404 United States Supreme Court the search was reasonable, and the fruits thereof are admissible in evidence. Posed for our determination, therefore, are the questions of whether the arrest of Ann Aias and Norbert Aias was lawful and whether the subsequent search and seizure was reasonable. Officers Comstock, Warner and Hand had no warrants for either the arrest or the seizure. LSA-R.S. 15:60 provides: LSA-R.S. 15:72 provides: The testimony is in conflict as to how the front door at 1235 Elysian Fields Avenue was opened. Ann Aias testified that she did not open the door, and that there was only one lock. Evelyn Malone said that the door was locked from the inside and she could not get into the house with her key; that she did not know whether there were two locks on the door. Officers Warner and Comstock testified that Mrs. Johnson opened the door. The testimony is replete to the effect that Norbert Aias and Ann Aias were narcotics suspects. In our opinion the testimony of record is to the effect that the arresting officers had reasonable cause to believe that a felony had been committed; they had reasonable cause to believe that a felony was being committed when they arrived at 1235 Elysian Fields Avenue; they had been alerted by a physician that Ann Aias "continually bothered" him for paregoric prescriptions. Officers Comstock and Hand smelled a suspicious odor as they walked to the back of the house; they were trained and could detect an odor of cooking paregoric. Their belief that opium was being manufactured from the paregoric was reasonable; their suspicions were correct. Officer Warner smelled the paregoric the moment he entered the house through the front door; he also had reasonable cause to believe that a felony had been committed at the premises or was being committed when he was denied entrance upon knocking at the door. We conclude that under the facts and circumstances in the instant case, the arresting officers had probable cause and reasonable grounds to believe that Norbert Aias and Ann Aias were violating LSA-R.S. 40:962 of the State of Louisiana, relating to narcotic drugs, at the time they were arrested. The arrest was therefore lawful. Amendment IV to the Constitution of the United States provides: Article I, Section 7, of the LSA-Constitution of 1921, provides: In Weeks v. United States, 232 U.S. 383, 34 S. Ct. 341, 58 L. Ed. 652, the United States Supreme Court held that, "The effect of the 4th Amendment is to put the courts of the United States and Federal officials, in the exercise of their power and authority, under limitations and restraints as to the exercise of such power and authority, and to forever secure the people, their persons, *406 houses, papers, and effects, against all unreasonable searches and seizures under the guise of law. This protection reaches all alike, whether accused of crime or not, and the duty of giving to it force and effect is obligatory upon all intrusted under our Federal system with the enforcement of the laws. The tendency of those who execute the criminal laws of the country to obtain conviction by means of unlawful seizures * * * should find no sanction in the judgments of the courts, which are charged at all times with the support of the Constitution, and to which people of all conditions have a right to appeal for the maintenance of such fundamental rights." This rule became known as the "Exclusionary Rule." In Mapp v. Ohio, 367 U.S. 643, 81 S. Ct. 1684, 6 L. Ed. 2d 1081 (decided June 19, 1961), the United States Supreme Court held that the "Exclusionary Rule" of the Weeks case, supra, is an essential part of both the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution. It held that the Fourth Amendment's right of privacy was enforceable against the States through the "Due Process Clause" of the Fourteenth Amendment, stating that it was enforceable against the States by the same sanction of exclusion as is used against the Federal Government. The Court concluded that evidence obtained by unconstitutional search was inadmissible in a State prosecution and vitiated conviction under the Fourteenth Amendment; it overruled Wolf v. Colorado, 1949, 338 U.S. 25, 69 S. Ct. 1359, 93 L. Ed. 1782. The Court did state: "* * * Because there can be no fixed formula, we are admittedly met with `recurring questions of the reasonableness of searches,' but less is not to be expected when dealing with a Constitution, and, at any rate, `[r]easonableness is in the first instance for the [trial court] to determine.' United States v. Rabinowitz, 1950, 339 U.S. 56, 63, 70 S. Ct. 430, 434, 94 L. Ed. 653." In the case of United States v. Rabinowitz, 339 U.S. 56, 70 S. Ct. 430, 94 L. Ed. 653, the defendant was charged with selling and possessing and concealing forged and altered obligations of the United States with intent to defraud. A search was made of defendant's premises after defendant had been validly arrested, the arresting officers being armed with a valid warrant for arrest. The officers found and seized 573 stamps on which it was later determined that overprints had been forged. The United States Supreme Court held that defendant's motion to suppress the evidence was properly denied by the district court. It stated: Counsel for the defendants herein contend that the Rabinowitz case, supra, has been overruled by the case of Chapman v. United States, 365 U.S. 610, 81 S. Ct. 776, 5 L. Ed. 2d 828 (decided April 3, 1961). In that case, state police officers, acting without a search warrant but with the consent of the landlord, entered Chapman's rented premises through an unlocked window during his absence; they found and seized an unregistered distillery and 1,300 gallons of mash. Chapman was later indicted for violations of the federal liquor laws. The trial court overruled defendant's motion to suppress evidence; the Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirmed. The United States Supreme Court, relying on the case of Johnson v. United States, 333 U.S. 10, 68 S. Ct. 367, 92 L. Ed. 436, held that the search was unlawful, and that since evidence obtained through the search was admitted at the trial, the judgment of the Court of Appeals must be reversed. It stated: Having concluded, as stated supra, that the arrest of Norbert Aias and Ann Aias was lawful, we deem it fitting to observe that we find no federal statute which would have controlled the arrest. Because the United States Supreme Court has held that the "Due Process Clause" of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution extends to the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution, we felt that it was necessary and incumbent upon us to set forth in detail the reasoning of the Court. Our analysis of the jurisprudence leads us to conclude that the United States Supreme Court has not as yet narrowed its interpretation of the law to hold that a search warrant is absolutely necessary before a search and seizure can be made and the evidence used at trial in prosecutions similar to the instant matter. Justice Clark delivered the opinion of the Court in the Mapp case, supra, 367 U.S. 643, 81 S. Ct. 1684, 6 L. Ed. 2d 1081 (decided June 19, 1961); Justices Harlan, Frankfurter and Whittaker dissented. Justice Whittaker delivered the opinion of the Court in the Draper case, supra, 358 U.S. 307, 79 S. Ct. 329, 3 L. Ed. 2d 327, and in the Chapman case, supra, 365 U.S. 610, 81 S. Ct. 776, 5 L. Ed. 2d 828 (decided April 3, 1961); Justice Clark dissented in the Chapman case, stating, "If Rabinowitz is no longer law the Court should say so. It is disastrous to law enforcement to leave at large the inconsistent rules laid down in these cases. It turns the well springs of democracylaw and orderinto a slough of frustration." The Johnson case, supra, was delivered by Justice Jackson and there were four dissents. In the instant case we find that the search of the premises 1235 Elysian Fields Avenue was a reasonable search, executed on probable cause; the seizure was likewise reasonable. The search and seizure were subsequent and incidental to the legal arrest; we conclude that under the circumstances *409 herein the search and seizure were valid. Under such findings, the evidence confiscated at the time of the search and seizure was legally admissible during trial. The rulings of the trial judge were correct. The bill of exceptions is without merit. For the reasons assigned, the conviction and sentences are affirmed. FOURNET, C. J., absent. [1] Ann Aias testified that her legal name was Ann Lynn Johnson. She further testified that she and Norbert Aias were married. In the brief of defendants she is designated as "Lynn Ann Johnson (also known as Lynn Ann Aias)." During argument it was conceded that she is the "common law" wife of Norbert Aias. [2] Officer Hand did not testify. [3] Paregoric becomes a narcotic when cooked.