Title: Com. v. Corbin

State: pennsylvania

Issuer: Pennsylvania Supreme Court

Document:

322 Pa. Superior Ct. 271 (1983) 469 A.2d 615 COMMONWEALTH of Pennsylvania v. George A. CORBIN, Jr., Appellant. Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. Submitted April 13, 1982. Filed November 18, 1983. Petition for Allowance of Appeal Denied April 18, 1984. *272 William C. Kriner, Clearfield, for appellant. F. Cortez Bell, III, Assistant District Attorney, Clearfield, for Commonwealth, appellee. Before HESTER, JOHNSON and POPOVICH, JJ. POPOVICH, Judge: This is an appeal from the Order of the Court of Common Pleas of Clearfield County (per President Judge Reilly) denying, in part, appellant's, George A. Corbin's, ineffectiveness of counsel claim. See note 2, infra. We reverse and remand. We have reviewed all of appellant's claims and find that the only one meriting discussion concerns trial counsel's failure to file pre-trial motions. For the reasons that are *273 discussed infra, we maintain that trial counsel was ineffective for failing to file a motion to suppress the evidence obtained during the course of the police's examination of the glove compartment and trunk of a vehicle linked to the appellant if no warrant existed to sanction the search and seizure. Moreover, we find the cases of South Dakota v. Opperman, 428 U.S. 364, 96 S. Ct. 3092, 49 L. Ed. 2d 1000 (1976) and Cooper v. California, 386 U.S. 58, 87 S. Ct. 788, 17 L. Ed. 2d 730 (1967) to be distinguishable from the case at bar. There, the United States Supreme Court authorized the search of impounded vehicles by police, days after their seizure, for purposes of making an inventory of the contents so as to protect themselves and avoid the consequences of owner claims against the police over lost or stolen property. Instantly, unlike in Opperman and Cooper, the police were utilizing a national handbook to assist them in locating the vehicle's registration number when the incriminating evidence was discovered. The purpose of the police's conduct was not to inventory the vehicle as a precaution against possible claims by the true owner for loss of contents. Rather, the search conducted was for the specific purpose of locating potentially incriminating evidence against the driver-appellant, and, thus, "was a pretext concealing an investigatory police motive." South Dakota v. Opperman, supra, 428 U.S. at 376, 96 S. Ct. at 3100. This is supported by the facts, i.e., after the appellant presented the police with a driver's license inconsistent with the name of the vehicle's owner, as told to them by the appellant, the police observed through the windshield that the vehicle's identification number was "gone." Thereafter, the vehicle was impounded and the following day the vehicle was searched and the evidence complained of (checkwriting equipment, checks and a corporate seal) was seized from the glove compartment and trunk. To adhere to any other position would be to sanction an illegal search for incriminating evidence under the guise of an inventory search, especially given the facts available to *274 the police prior to the search which rendered the ownership of the vehicle suspect. In other words, the legal owner of the impounded vehicle was brought into question and the police's "protective procedures [were but] a subterfuge for criminal investigations." South Dakota v. Opperman, supra, 428 U.S. at 370 n. 5, 96 S. Ct. at 3097 n. 5. If we were to approve of such an activity by the authorities, henceforth the police could eschew the requirements of a warrant to search an impounded vehicle regardless of the object of their search. This goes far beyond what Opperman and Cooper envisioned. In light of the fact that the search conducted by the police was not for inventory purposes, appellant's trial counsel's action in failing to file a motion to suppress the evidence seized raises a question as to his stewardship, which was dealt with by the court below and raised by appellant on appeal. In evaluating this claim, we observe that we must make an independent review of the record and decide if the course of action counsel is charged with not pursuing had some reasonable basis. Commonwealth v. Byrd, 250 Pa.Super. 250, 378 A.2d 921 (1977). Only if the claim is ruled to be of arguable merit must we inquire into counsel's reasons for not pursuing it. Commonwealth v. Strader, 262 Pa.Super. 166, 396 A.2d 697 (1978). We find that the subject of the existence or non-existence of a warrant, which is pivotal to a determination of counsel's stewardship, is not ascertainable from the documents provided to this Court, and, thus, another remand is necessary. For example, at the evidentiary hearing conducted at this Court's direction, see Commonwealth v. Corbin, 268 Pa.Super. 526, 408 A.2d 1128 (1979), to evaluate appellant's various allegations of ineffectiveness attendant to his trials, one of which occurred on November 14-15, 1977 and is of concern to us here, counsel for appellant testified that he filed no pre-trial suppression motion or post-trial motions *275 regarding the evidence seized by the Warren police. On this subject, the following exchange took place: Appellant's trial counsel's belief that the filing of a motion to suppress would have been a useless gesture was reaffirmed during his cross-examination by the Commonwealth's attorney; viz.: Keeping the aforesaid in mind, we turn to the record which reveals that on November 14, 1977, the date appellant's second trial commenced, appellant also was scheduled for criminal court for a third trial charging similar offenses arising out of a separate incident (but using the same evidence seized in the November trial) which resulted in his conviction on January 23, 1978. Of interest here is the fact that on January 17, 1978 Attorney Blakley did file an "Omnibus Pre-Trial Motion For Suppression of Evidence" in which the following averments were made: (Emphasis added) (Record at page 23) On January 20, 1978, the date set for hearing appellant's Motion to Suppress, the court entered an Order granting the suppression of the evidence listed in the Motion because *279 "the District Attorney . . . indicated no opposition thereto[.]" (Record at page 25) It seems difficult for this Court to perceive that by appellant's third trial[1] counsel would be totally ignorant of the existence of a warrant, although such a conclusion can be drawn from a reading of Attorney Blakley's Motion to Suppress at Point 4, paragraphs (B) & (C). Thus, in light of the aforecited, it cannot be seriously argued that the record contains evidence to establish the absence of a warrant. Were we to hold trial counsel ineffective without assuring ourselves that a search warrant was not secured by the Warren police prior to the seizure of the incriminating evidence from the Cadillac Eldorado, such a procedure would assault the tenet that "counsel should be afforded the opportunity to explain his choice of strategy at an evidentiary hearing." Commonwealth v. Lambeth, 273 Pa.Super. 460, 462, 417 A.2d 739, 740 (1979). This requirement has not been satisfied by the hearing held on October 17-18, 1979, and, thus, the record is silent on the subject of ineffectiveness. In Commonwealth v. Robinson, 298 Pa.Super. 447, 444 A.2d 1260 (1982) a panel of this Court was confronted with an identical problem and handled it in the following manner: Id. 298 Pa.Super. at 453-54, 444 A.2d at 1263-64. In accordance with Robinson, this case will be remanded with directions to require the person in possession of the search warrant, if one does exist, to produce it and then have the trial court assess the probable cause section in accordance with accepted standards. On the other hand, if a warrant was not secured by the authorities, failure to raise in a pre-trial motion such an arguably meritorious claim cannot be said to have been a course of action designed to effectuate a client's interest. See Commonwealth v. Segers, 479 Pa. 108, 387 A.2d 858 (1978); cf. Commonwealth v. Byrd, 250 Pa.Super. 250, 256, 378 A.2d 921, 924 (1977) ("We can perceive no reasonable legal basis for an attorney to fail to object to a violation of his client's right to speedy trial under Pa.R.Crim.P. 1100." (Citation omitted)). This is especially so given the interpretation of the officers' actions (motive) in searching the vehicle. (N.T. 11/14-15/77 at 83-94) Consequently, if a remand establishes that the search was a warrantless one, it seems clear to us that counsel was ineffective. Appellant should be then afforded the opportunity to file a suppression motion nunc pro tunc, see Commonwealth v. Robinson, supra, and have the case proceed through the judicial process as any other matter, for it may be that the Commonwealth can secure a conviction in the absence of the seized evidence as occurred in appellant's January 23, 1978 trial. *281 Order reversed and case remanded.[2] Jurisdiction is relinquished. JOHNSON, J., concurs in the result. HESTER, J., files a concurring and dissenting opinion. HESTER, Judge, concurring and dissenting: While I concur with the majority opinion that the lower court correctly resolved the four allegations of ineffective assistance of counsel alleged by appellant against his trial counsel for failing to file certain motions concerning: 1) a delay in the preliminary arraignment; 2) a delay in the preliminary hearing; 3) holding a preliminary hearing without assistance of counsel for appellant; and 4) double jeopardy. I believe these issues merit discussion due to the complex factual nature of this case and errors contained in the lower court's reasoning regarding their resolution. Thus, I will first discuss the procedural history of this case to better elucidate the issues that are now before us. *282 Appellant was arrested and charged with three counts of forgery,[1] four counts of receiving stolen property,[2] and eight counts of criminal conspiracy.[3] The District Attorney's Office of Clearfield County decided to prosecute appellant in three separate trials. Appellant was tried and convicted on September 21, 1977, on charges of forgery and receiving stolen property. The second trial occurred on November 14 and 15, 1977, when appellant was again convicted of forgery, receiving stolen property, and criminal conspiracy. Appellant was tried for the third time on similar charges on January 23, 1978, and was similarly convicted on all counts. Appellant, through his counsel, filed an appeal with this Court alleging error with the first and the third trials. Appellant also filed a pro se brief claiming ineffective assistance of counsel in all three trials. In remanding the convictions stemming from the first two trials to the lower court, we ruled: Commonwealth v. Corbin, 268 Pa.Super. 526, 535, 408 A.2d 1128, 1132 (1979). A hearing was held in accordance with our Order on October 17-18, 1979, and on December 5, 1979. Following the hearing and the submission of briefs by both parties, the lower court granted a new trial as to the first trial but affirmed the convictions secured by the second trial. The present appeal is thus limited to appellant's claim of ineffective assistance of counsel at his second trial on November 14-15, 1977. First, I will address appellant's contention that neither his preliminary arraignment nor preliminary hearing was timely. In the case sub judice, appellant was arrested on June 22, 1977 on a parole violation. Appellant was not arrested on the charges for which he was tried on three separate occasions until July 12, 1977. On that same day, appellant was taken before District Magistrate Wesley J. Read in Dubois, Pennsylvania, for his preliminary arraignment. Thus, appellant's contention that his preliminary arraignment was untimely is meritless.[4] *284 At the time of his preliminary arraignment, appellant was advised of his right to be represented by a public defender. Appellant rejected legal representation, and instead, elected to hire his own counsel. However, on July 19, 1977, the day of his preliminary hearing, appellant still had not retained counsel; a one-week continuance was granted until July 26, 1977. On that date, appellant's counsel, Robert Garshak, and the attorney for the Commonwealth agreed to continue the hearing until August 5, 1977, at 9:00 a.m. However, on that date, Mr. Garshak arrived more than an hour after the hearing was to begin and indicated to Magistrate Read that he was withdrawing from the case. Appellant then requested, contrary to his previous declarations, that an attorney be appointed to represent him. The Commonwealth, fully prepared to proceed with the preliminary hearing, objected to any further delays. Magistrate Read granted the Commonwealth's motion to proceed and thereafter held appellant for trial on three counts of forgery, four counts of receiving stolen property, and eight counts of criminal conspiracy. I conclude that appellant's allegation that his preliminary hearing was untimely is without merit in that the first scheduled hearing was well within the prescribed time limits and the continuances were granted for good cause. Appellant next contends that his lack of representation at the August 5, 1977 preliminary hearing constituted reversible error, and that his court-appointed trial counsel was ineffective for not raising this issue. It is axiomatic that the preliminary hearing is a "critical stage" of a criminal proceeding at which appellant is entitled to the assistance of effective counsel. Coleman v. Alabama, 399 U.S. 1, 90 *285 S. Ct. 1999, 26 L. Ed. 2d 387 (1970); Commonwealth v. Carver, 292 Pa.Super. 177, 436 A.2d 1209 (1981); Commonwealth v. Rines, 247 Pa.Super. 429, 372 A.2d 901 (1977); Commonwealth v. Redshaw, 226 Pa.Super. 534, 323 A.2d 92 (1974). However, lack of representation at a preliminary hearing must result in specific prejudice to a defendant in order to constitute a basis for relief. Coleman v. Alabama, supra; Commonwealth v. Sawyer, 238 Pa.Super. 213, 357 A.2d 587 (1976); Commonwealth v. Redshaw, supra 226 Pa.Super. at 536, 323 A.2d at 93. "If appellant suffers no prejudice, he is entitled to no remedy." Commonwealth v. Rines, supra, 247 Pa.Super. at 432, 372 A.2d at 903 (citations omitted); Commonwealth v. Carver, supra 292 Pa.Super. at 179-180, 436 A.2d at 1211. Appellant has made no allegation of specific prejudice and the record reveals none, for appellant received a second preliminary hearing prior to his second trial. Furthermore, as noted by the district attorney at the evidentiary hearing, the Commonwealth had all of its witnesses present on both August 5, 1977, and July 26, 1977. Moreover, even though the hearing on July 26, 1977, was continued due to a conflict arising between the Commonwealth's and appellant's counsel, appellant's counsel stated that he would have not represented appellant at that hearing due to the fact that he had not received his fee. In addition, Mr. Garshak arrived an hour late for the August 5, 1977, hearing, and then withdrew his appearance as a result of not having been compensated. The Commonwealth's witnesses were so infuriated by the delays that one left, resulting in the Commonwealth being unable to proceed in one of its cases against appellant. The absence of counsel at the August 5, 1977, hearing was the fault of appellant and his counsel, Mr. Garshak. At his preliminary arraignment on July 12, 1977, appellant was advised of his right to have court-appointed counsel and he failed to exercise that right. The original preliminary hearing *286 had to be continued due to a fee dispute between appellant and his counsel. Furthermore, this fee dispute had not been resolved by August 5, 1977. Either appellant or Mr. Garshak should have informed the magistrate prior to that date of their conflict so that counsel could have been appointed for appellant. Therefore, appellant's trial counsel was not ineffective for failing to pursue this meritless issue. Appellant next raises the issue of whether he was subjected to double jeopardy. In Commonwealth v. Miller, 278 Pa.Super. 103, 106-107, 419 A.2d 1378, 1380 (1980), we stated the law to be applied in such instances: In the present case, the offenses faced by appellant in his second trial not only occurred at a different time than the offenses charged in the first trial as in Miller, supra, but also involved different locations and parties. I therefore conclude that appellant was not subjected to double jeopardy in the lower court proceeding, and thus, his trial counsel was not ineffective for failing to raise this issue.[5] Regarding appellant's final issue concerning appellant's allegation that his trial counsel was ineffective for not perserving for appellate review the issue involving the search of appellant's vehicle, I must respectfully dissent concerning this issue. The facts surrounding this search and seizure are as follows. On May 13, 1977, Sergeant Nearing of the Warren Borough Police Department observed a Cadillac automobile parked in a no parking zone *288 outside a tavern. Sergeant Nearing proceeded into the establishment and inquired as to the ownership of the vehicle. Appellant responded, "I am the owner", and/or "I am driving it." The officer then checked on the license plate number. Appellant produced a driver's license issued to John T. Krakowsky, one of his aliases. Sergeant Nearing was then informed by appellant that the car was owned by George Corbin. Failing to secure a record for the vehicle, Officer Moore, Sergeant Nearing's partner at the scene, checked through the windshield to view the vehicle I.D. number. Finding it to be missing, the officers subsequently impounded the vehicle. The next day, they procured a national auto theft book and searched the vehicle for an identification number. During this search, the officers followed the instructions in the book and opened the glove compartment. Although they did not find the missing number, they did discover the corporate seal of the Spruce Hill Equipment Corporation in plain view. Continuing their search for the vehicle identification number, the officers inspected the trunk of the vehicle where they observed in plain view a check-writing machine and a box of checks belonging to the Spruce Hill Equipment Corporation. These objects were subsequently used as evidence at appellant's second trial. The police officers quite properly impounded the car after learning that the license plate was not registered and that the dashboard vehicle identification number was absent. However, the record is devoid of any mention as to whether the officers who conducted the search of the entire vehicle, including the glove compartment and trunk, possessed a search warrant or whether appellant's counsel had knowledge of the existence of such a warrant. In South Dakota v. Opperman, 428 U.S. 364, 369, 96 S. Ct. 3092, 3097, 49 L. Ed. 2d 1000 (1976), the United States Supreme Court, in upholding the warrantless search of a motor vehicle, stated: And at 428 U.S. 367-68, 96 S. Ct. 3096, 1004 of 49 L.Ed.2d: And at 428 U.S. 371, 96 S. Ct. 3098, 1006 of 49 L.Ed.2d: And at 428 U.S. 372-73, 96 S. Ct. 3098-99, 1007 of 49 L.Ed.2d: In the present situation, the police were attempting to determine if the vehicle had been stolen since the dashboard vehicle I.D. number was missing. In continuing their attempt to locate the vehicle I.D. number, the police, following the instructions in the national auto theft book, opened the glove compartment and trunk and found the corporate seal, check-writing machine, and the box of checks which were admitted into evidence. Thus, the conduct of the police was not "unreasonable" under the Fourth Amendment, because the car was validly held. South Dakota v. Opperman, supra, and Cooper v. California, supra. Therefore, I submit that counsel was not ineffective for failing to raise this issue and thus I would affirm the judgment of the lower court. [1] We note that the charges lodged against the appellant were all the outgrowth of a check cashing scheme that occurred, as is evident from the criminal complaints filed by Trooper Ronald Amon, on June 13th May 5th and April 19th of 1977. Each of the fraudulent checks linked to the appellant resulted in separate trials of September 21, 1977, November 14-15, 1977 and January 23, 1978. As far as we can decipher from the record, since the transcript of the September trial is not included herein, at the November trial the evidence seized from the Cadillac Eldorado was introduced to buttress the Commonwealth's case against the appellant. Thus, it was a factor in his conviction. [2] Pursuant to this Court's directive, see Commonwealth v. Corbin, 268 Pa.Super. 526, 408 A.2d 1128 (1979), a hearing was conducted to evaluate appellant's various allegations of ineffectiveness attendant to his trials, one of which occurred on September 21, 1977 and the other on November 14-15, 1977. The hearing judge, after the proceedings were completed, held that "a new trial must be granted to the [appellant] for the September 21st trial." (Lower Court Opinion at 3) We see no reason, based on the claims made and the facts presented in regard thereto, to disturb this ruling. As an aside, we note that the Commonwealth filed a "Petition For Nolle Prosequi" on May 15, 1981; therein it stated: 8. That on January 22, 1981, by Order of your Honorable Court, the defendant was granted a new trial with regards [sic] to the first trial by jury which was held on September 21, 1977. 9. After remand by your Honorable Court, it was discovered that through no fault of the Clearfield County District Attorney's Office, evidence necessary to commence trial in this particular case had been destroyed and lost, despite diligent efforts by the District Attorney's Office to locate same. Therefore, we will be unable to proceed in this matter. (Record at page 76) The court entered an Order dated May 14, 1981 holding that a nolle prosequi be granted with regard to one count of forgery and receiving stolen property, of which the defendant was convicted on September 21, 1977. All other matters in connection with the case (77-610-CRA) were to remain the same. [1] 18 Pa.C.S.A. § 4101. [2] 18 Pa.C.S.A. § 3925. [3] 18 Pa.C.S.A. § 903. [4] Pa.R.Crim.P. 123(a)-(c) is as follows: "(a) Where the offense charged is bailable before an issuing authority and the defendant has been arrested in a county other than where the warrant of arrest was issued, the arresting person shall take the defendant to an issuing authority in the county of arrest for the purpose of posting bail. (b) Such issuing authority shall advise the defendant of his right to post or waive bail. Unless the right to post bail is waived, the defendant shall be admitted to bail conditioned upon his appearance for the preliminary arraignment before the issuing authority whose name appears on the warrant at a date certain not less than five (5) nor more than ten (10) days thereafter. (c) A defendant may post bail to appear at a preliminary hearing, or if the attorney for the Commonwealth does not object, he may waive preliminary hearing and post bail to appear in court. Where an objection is made to such waiver, the defendant may post bail only for his appearance at the preliminary hearing." In reaching this conclusion, I must disagree with the lower court which found that the preliminary arraignment was held twenty-one days after appellant was arrested. Appellant's arrest on June 12, 1977, was for a parole violation in Allegheny County, and thus has no relevance as to this issue. Also, if the lower court concluded, as it did, that appellant's preliminary arraignment and hearing were untimely, this would not only be grounds for granting a new trial as to the September 21, 1977 case but also for the November 14-15, 1977 trial which is at issue in this appeal, since appellant's preliminary arraignment and hearing encompassed not only the charges for the first trial but also the November 14-15, 1977 trial. [5] Appellant has also raised the issue of whether the lower court erred in not recusing itself from the evidentiary hearing in that the rulings alleged to be prejudicial involving appellant's first trial which was reversed by the lower court, I find appellant's contention to be groundless.