Title: State v. Verrue

State: arizona

Issuer: Arizona Supreme Court

Document:

106 Ariz. 325 (1970) 475 P.2d 939 The STATE of Arizona, Appellee, v. Benjamin B. VERRUE, Appellant. No. 2052. Supreme Court of Arizona, In Division. October 28, 1970. *326 Gary K. Nelson, Atty. Gen. by Carl Waag, Asst. Atty. Gen., Phoenix, for appellee. Ross P. Lee, Public Defender by Anne Kappes, Deputy Public Defender, Phoenix, for appellant. McFARLAND, Justice. Benjamin B. Verrue, hereinafter referred to as defendant, was tried and convicted of the possession of a narcotic, and sentenced to serve a term in the Arizona Penitentiary for from three to four years. From his conviction and sentence he appeals. On August 23, 1968, James Moody an officer in the Arizona State Narcotic Division appeared before Justice of the Peace Ida Westfall and filed an affidavit for a search warrant and also gave testimony supporting the affidavit. The search warrant was issued. He then proceeded to the address set forth in the warrant and with another officer approached the front door while two other officers went to the rear of the house which was a single family dwelling. The screen door was closed and the front door was open, and after announcing that they were police and had a search warrant, officer Moody heard a noise of a movement from within the house. The officers entered the house and proceeded in the direction of the noise and observed the defendant and four others, either seated or in the process of rising from the kitchen table. One of the occupants of the room, Terry Saiz, fled through the back door and was apprehended by an officer at the rear of the house. His case is the subject of a separate appeal now before this court. Moody removed a syringe full of brown liquid, a burnt spoon and an eyedropper from the kitchen table. Another syringe and needle was under the table, as well as two rubber prophylactics containing white powder, all in close proximity to the defendant. All five were placed under arrest. In searching the defendant, Moody found 26 tinfoil packets in his pocket believed to contain heroin. At a joint trial such evidence was admitted over objection and the jury returned a guilty verdict against the defendant, Terry Saiz, and Trinidad Castro. A mistrial was declared as to Manuel Morales and Eloy Baca. On appeal defendant first questions the denial of his motion to suppress the evidence obtained by means of the search warrant which he maintains was a violation of his constitutional rights. He contends In State v. Watling, 104 Ariz. 354, 453 P.2d 500, we discussed the leading United States Supreme Court decisions on information necessary for the issuing of a search warrant, including those cited by the defendant. Following the principles outlined therein we held: The defendant contends that the affidavit and the testimony did not meet the test set forth in Watling, supra. With this we do not agree. The affidavit for the search warrant reads as follows: Like Watling, supra, there was no transcript of the proceedings. However, Magistrate Westfall testified that she swore officer Moody and that he testified as to the truthfulness of the statements in the affidavit and that she asked him questions in regard to how they knew that there "might be something there they were searching for." Also in regard to the address and such questions in regard to the informant and his reliability in the past. While she was not able to set forth in detail this testimony officer Moody testified: The information contained in the affidavit together with that contained in the testimony of officer Moody meets the test set forth in Watling, supra. Underlying facts and circumstances from which the informant concluded that articles sought would be found was shown. The information furnished was sufficient to enable the magistrate to judge independently on the validity of the informant's conclusions and *328 as to why the officer believed the informant was credible and his information reliable. Defendant next contends that there was a misjoinder of defendants by reason of the admission into evidence of the packets of narcotics found in his pocket. He maintains that he was charged with two acts of possession. Defendant along with his four companions were all charged with the single act of possession of a narcotic drug in violation of A.R.S. § 36-1002, as amended. These were the items containing or having traces of heroin which were found on or near the kitchen table. The table was located in this defendant's home. No evidence was presented which would give rise to the belief that the narcotic drug found in defendant's pocket was separate and unrelated to the narcotic in use at the time of the arrest. In State v. Villavicencio, 95 Ariz. 199, 388 P.2d 245, this court held: This court has also held that evidence of a commission of another crime is admissible to show identity, intent, motive and common scheme. State v. Tisnado, 105 Ariz. 23, 458 P.2d 957; State v. Vallejos, 89 Ariz. 76, 358 P.2d 178, and Dorsey v. State, 25 Ariz. 139, 213 P. 1011. This case can easily be distinguished from State v. Hunt, 91 Ariz. 149, 370 P.2d 642, as well as other cases cited by the defendant, in that the evidence disclosed that all defendants were in fact jointly charged with the same offense, provable by the same evidence. The cases were properly joined in accordance with 17 A.R.S., Rule 254, Rules of Criminal Procedure. The defendant next contends that the state failed to establish by the evidence constructive possession of the narcotic in that dominion and control was not proven. This was not a case of "constructive possession". In Carroll v. State, 90 Ariz. 411, 368 P.2d 649, this court held: And in State v. Hunt, supra, we held that "exclusive possession is not required as two or more persons may have joint possession." In the instant case the officers found all five occupants at the table in the same kitchen and all exhibits exposed on or near the table, except for the packets in defendant's pocket. The evidence was sufficient to submit the question of knowledge, dominion and control to the jury. Some of the jurors apparently believed that two of the co-defendants were merely present or that some element of the crime was missing as to such co-defendants and failed to arrive at a verdict causing a mistrial as to such co-defendants. Defendant maintains that the trial court committed error by not granting his motion for a mistrial when under cross-examination the police chemist admitted that he had not opened and tested each of the 26 packets found in defendant's pocket, but rather had at random tested and weighed only three. The trial court ordered the removal from evidence the 23 unopened packets. The jury was fully informed of this action. The presence of three packets were as damaging to the defense as would be any greater number. Possession of only one packet in his pocket would convey the inference that defendant had the necessary criminal intent and knowledge of the narcotics which he was charged with being in joint possession. These were matters that go to the weight of the evidence which is a question for the jury. State v. Crawford, 106 Ariz. 322, 475 P.2d 936. Judgment affirmed. UDALL and HAYS, JJ., concur.