Title: STATE EX REL GOULDING v DIST COU

State: montana

Issuer: Montana Supreme Court

Document:

No. 13061 I N T H E SUPREME C O U R T O F THE STATE O F M O N T A N A 1975 STATE O F M O N T A N A EX REL A L L A N LEE GOULDING, 111, P e t i t i o n e r , THE DISTRICT COURT O F THE THIRTEENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT O F T H E STATE O F M O N T A N A , and t h e H O N O R A B L E Me JAMES SORTE, a s pres iding JUDGE THEREOF, ORIGINAL PROCEEDING: Counsel of Record : For P e t i t i o n e r : Berger, Anderson, S i n c l a i r and Murphy, B i l l i n g s , Montana James J. S i n c l a i r argued, B i l l i n g s , Montana For Respondents: Hon. Robert L. Woodahl, Attorney General, Helena, Montana John F. North, Assistant Attorney General, appeared, Helena, Montana Harold F. Hanser, County Attorney, argued, B i l l i n g s , Montana For Amicus Curiae: Thomas C. Honzel, argued, Helena, Montana Submitted: June 24, 1975 I)ec ided : , ' ~ i l d 3 2 % 397% ,, , .:. : , 3'(& Filed : M r . J u s t i c e Wesley Castles delivered the Opinion of t h e Court. This is a p e t i t i o n f o r w r i t of supervisory control by a defendant charged by information with t h e crime of criminal s a l e of dangerous drugs. O n May 6, 1975, a hearing was had on a motion t o suppress evidence. D i s t r i c t Judge James Sorte, s i t t i n g i n Yellowstone County, denied t h e motion t o suppress and t h i s p e t i t i o n f o r a w r i t of supervisory control followed. W e issued an order s e t t i n g an adversary hearing t o determine whether t h i s Court should accept jurisdiction. The d i s t r i c t court appeared by b r i e f and o r a l argument, a s did the Montana County Attorneys Association, a f t e r leave by t h i s Court t o appear amicus. W e have the benefit of a f u l l t r a n s c r i p t of t h e hearing on the motion t o suppress. Here r e l a t o r ' s sole contention i s t h a t the search of h i s person was invalid because it was made pursuant t o an unlawful a r r e s t . The basis f o r t h i s assertion i s t h a t the o f f i c e r s who arrested without a warrant had no probable cause. Section 95-608, R.C.M. 1947, s t a t e s : I I A peace o f f i c e r may a r r e s t a person when: "* * 9: "(d) H e believes on reasonable grounds, t h a t t h e person i s committing an offense, o r t h a t the person has committed an offense and the existing circumstances require h i s immediate a r r e s t . 11 (Emphasis supplied). -Relator's a r r e s t on the night February Billings was the culmination of a s e r i e s of drug a r r e s t s by the Billings police i n an undercover operation with the assistance of o f f i c e r s from Missoula County. The i n i t i a l drug contact was with one Charles Bertram who resided i n the Fishtail-Nye area. Bertram agreed t o cooperate with the police officers. Missoula County Officer Lambert and Bertram went t o Tommy Allen a t F i s h t a i l and purchased ten pounds of marijuana. Allen agreed t o pick up an- other twenty pounds. Allen was paid $810 i n marked money from the Billings police department. A meeting f o r l a t e r i n t h e evening was s e t up a t Coulson Park, on the o u t s k i r t s of Billings. A s scheduled, a t 8:25 p.m. t h a t evening, Allen appeared a t Coulson Park and offered t o s e l l marijuana. He was arrested and searched. H e did not have the marked money but t o l d the o f f i c e r s t h a t he had obtained the marijuana from r e l a t o r ; had paid him with the money he had received from Bertram and Lambert; t h a t r e l a t o r had placed the money i n h i s boot; t h a t r e l a t o r had supplied him with the marijuana and took t h e money; t h a t t h e r e l a t o r had done t h i s a t a c e r t a i n apartment of r e l a t o r ' s g i r l f r i e n d o r a t another apart- ment where he would now be found. Within minutes t h e o f f i c e r s went t o the two apartments indicated by Allen and r e l a t o r was found, arrested, searched, and the marked money found i n r e l a t o r ' s boot. r el at or's position, a s s t a t e d heretofore, i s t h a t t h e a r r e s t was unlawful i n t h a t the informant Allen was not known t o the police and thus was not known t o be r e l i a b l e . The r e l i a b i l i t y and c r e d i b i l i t y of information is a f a c t question i n any given s i t u a t i o n . In a recent case, S t a t e v. Paschke, I4on t . , 527 P.2d 569, 31 St.Rep. 847, involving t h e question of probable cause f o r t h e issuance of a search warrant, t h i s Court discussed the r e l i a b i l i t y of information, independent of i t s source. W e c i t e d J u s t i c e White's concurring opinion i n S p i n e l l i v. United States, 393 U.S. 410, 89 S.Ct. 584, 21 L ed 2d 637, where it was pointed out t h a t admissions against i n t e r e s t a r e s u f f i c i e n t t o e s t a b l i s h probable cause, even though r e l a t e d through a hearsay source. Here t h e statements of Tommy Allen a r e d i r e c t l y against i n t e r e s t . See: United States v. Harris, 403 U.S. 573, 91 S.Ct. 2075, 29 L ed 2d 723. Here, Tommy Allen i s a co-conspirator o r even an accomplice. In State v. Thorsness, M o n t . , 528 P.2d 692,694, 31 St. Rep. 895, 897, i n discussing the sufficiency of an a f f i d a v i t t o support a search warrant t h i s Court said: "In t h i s case t h e establishment of probable cause s u f f i c i e n t t o authorize t h e issuance of a search warrant turns on the statement i n the a f f i d a v i t t h a t a 'source of known r e l i a b i l i t y ' t o l d police t h a t Thorsness would be traveling through Missoula with Cocaine and other drugs i n h i s possession on August 1, 1973. The quantum of information necessary t o permit the use of such hearsay i n establishing probable cause was s e t f o r t h i n Aguilar v. Texas, 378 U.S. 108, 114, 84 S.Ct. 1509, 1514, 12 L Ed.2d 723, 729: "'Although an a f f i d a v i t may be based on hearsay information and need not r e f l e c t t h e d i r e c t personal observations of the a f f i a n t , Jones v. United States, 362 U.S. 257, 80 S.Ct. 725, 4 L ed 2d 697 [78 A.L.R.2d 2331, the magistrate must be informed of some of the underlying circumstances from which the informant concluded t h a t t h e narcotics were where h e claimed they were, and some of the underlying c i r - cumstances from which the o f f i c e r concluded t h a t t h e informant, whose i d e n t i t y need not be disclosed [ c i t i n g case], was "credible" or h i s information "reliable. I I 9 : * *' [Emphasis supplied]. he a f f i d a v i t here contains no underlying circumstances upon which the informant based h i s conclusion t h a t Thorsness would be traveling through Missoula with cocaine or other drugs i n h i s possession on August 1. The a f f i d a v i t contains no statement a s t o how the informant received h i s information. It cannot be determined i f the informant came by h i s in- formation d i r e c t l y o r whether he merely r e l i e d upon rumor o r reputation. 11 The deficiency here i s similar t o t h a t found i n S p i n e l l i v. United States, 393 U.S. 410, 416, 89 S. C t . 584, 589, 21 L.Ed.2d 637, where the Court said: I f ' * 5 : * The t i p does not contain a s u f f i c i e n t statement of the underlying circumstances from which the informer concluded t h a t S p i n e l l i was running a bookmaking operation. W e a r e not t o l d how the FBI's source received h i s information--it i s not alleged t h a t t h e informant personally observed S p i n e l l i a t work o r t h a t he had ever placed a bet with him. Moreover, i f the informant came by the information i n d i r e c t l y , he did not explain why h i s sources were r e l i a b l e . [Citing case] I n the absence of a statement d e t a i l i n g the manner i n which the information was gathered, it i s especially important t h a t the t i p describe the accused's criminal a c t i v i t y i n s u f f i c i e n t d e t a i l t h a t the magistrate may know t h a t he i s relying on something more substantial than a casual rumor c i r c u l a t i n g i n the underworld o r an accusation based merely on an individual's general reputation. 1 1 1 With t h i s discussion of the law i n mind, we examine t h i s case. Here, Allen personally dealt with r e l a t o r . Allen was a co-conspirator. Allen's r e l i a b i l i t y was t h a t of an eyewitness and t o apply any exclusionary r u l e or a r t i f i c i a l standard f o r probable cause f l i e s i n the face of reasonable interpretation. Federal D i s t r i c t Judge Battin i n a memorandum and order dated April 11, 1975, i n In the Matter of t h e Petition of Jon William Paschke and John Arnold Mason, CV-74-101-BLG, -- U.S. D i s t r i c t Court, D. Mont., noted: ro rob able cause e x i s t s t o a r r e s t where the f a c t s and circumstances within the a r r e s t i n g o f f i c e r ' s knowledge and of which he has reasonably trustworthy information a r e s u f f i c i e n t t o warrant t h e o f f i c e r t o conclude t h a t an offense has been or i s being committed. Carroll v. United States, 267 U.S. 132, 162. I n short, probable cause i s a reasonable ground f o r b e l i e f of g u i l t . The question of proof f o r the establishment of probable cause i s c e r t a i n l y l e s s than t h a t required f o r conviction. 1 II W e find the circumstances under which the information was supplied support i t s r e l i a b i l i t y : ( I ) The information was given by Allen a f t e r h i s a r r e s t and a f t e r he had secured additional marijuana from a source of supply i n Billings. (2) Allen had been given marked money---$810-- and did not have it when arrested a r e l a t i v e l y short time l a t e r . (3) Allen kept h i s appointment f o r delivery of more marijuana. (4) A.llen admitted h i s own participation. (5) Allen indicated the location of the apartment where r e l a t o r could be found. Here, Judge Sorte was f u l l y informed of a l l the f a c t s upon which the o f f i c e r s acted. He c o r r e c t l y concluded t h e a r r e s t was lawful. Accordingly, t h e p e t i t i o n f o r w r i t of supervisory con- t r o l is denied. , ; /chief Justice