Case Name: JAMES RAYMOND WATSON and NAYSI HARRIS v. STATE OF MARYLAND
Court: Court of Special Appeals of Maryland
Jurisdiction: Maryland
Decision Date: 1973-07-03
Citations: 18 Md. App. 184
Docket Number: No. 305
Parties: JAMES RAYMOND WATSON and NAYSI HARRIS v. STATE OF MARYLAND
Judges: The cause was argued before Thompson, Moylan and Davidson, JJ.
Reporter: Maryland Appellate Reports
Volume: 18
Pages: 184–219

Head Matter:
JAMES RAYMOND WATSON and NAYSI HARRIS v. STATE OF MARYLAND
[No. 305,
September Term, 1972.]
Decided July 3, 1973.
The cause was argued before Thompson, Moylan and Davidson, JJ.
Phillip Leventhal and Gary R. Alexander, with whom were Giordano, Alexander, Haas & Mahoney on the brief, for appellants.
Gary Melick, Assistant Attorney General, with whom were Francis B. Burch, Attorney General, Arthur A. Marshall, Jr., State’s Attorney for Prince George’s County, and Edward P. Neal, Assistant State’s Attorney for Prince George’s County, on the brief, for appellee.

Opinion:
Moylan, J.,
delivered the opinion of the Court. Davidson, J., dissents and filed a dissenting opinion at page 198 infra.
The appellants, James Raymond Watson and Naysi Harris, were both convicted in the Circuit Court for Prince George's County by a jury, presided over by Judge Robert B. Mathias, of possession of marihuana and of receiving a stolen television set belonging to the Colony 7 Motor Inn. Watson was, in addition, convicted of a combined burglary and armed robbery perpetrated against Mr. and Mrs. Robert Reed Wallace. Harris was convicted of receiving stolen goods taken from the Wallaces. Watson, upon this appeal, contends:
(1) That he was subjected to an unconstitutional search and seizure;
(2) That he was subjected to an unconstitutional arrest in the District of Columbia; and
(3) That the evidence was legally insufficient to sustain the charges of possession of marihuana and of receiving the stolen goods taken from the Colony 7 Motel.
Harris joins in contentions 1 and 3.
The Search and Seizure
At approximately 12:30 a.m. on Sunday, February 14, 1971, a combination burglary and armed robbery was committed by two persons at the apartment of Mr. and Mrs. Robert R. Wallace, Jr., in Suitland, Maryland. A 16-year-old son, Robert R. Wallace, III, was at home and was the victim of the robbery. On February 24, 1971, Detective Vincent Raubaugh of the Prince George's County Police Department was issued a search warrant for apartment 202, 5200 Livingston Terrace, Oxon Hill, Maryland. The supporting affidavit of Detective Raubaugh read as follows:
"I, Vincent Ronald Raubaugh, am a Detective of the Prince George's County Maryland Police Department. I am assigned to the Criminal Investigation Division, Robbery Squad, and am assigned to the Seat Pleasant Station. On this date I have personally interviewed Robert Reed Wallace, Jr., and his statement to me has been reduced to affidavit form. His affidavit has been attached hereto, and is made a part hereof by reference.
I have contacted the Metropolitan Police of the District of Columbia and have determined that D.C. tag 811-432 is listed to James Raymond Watson, Jr., and is listed for a 1967 Thunderbird. From the same source I have determined that D.C. license #753-528 is listed to a 1969 Lincoln Mark III owned by James Raymond Watson, Jr.
Based on this information I believe that the property stolen from Mr. Wallace is now located at the premises for which this warrant is sought."
The supporting affidavit of Robert R. Wallace, Jr., read as follows:
"I, Robert Reed Wallace, Jr., live at 4248 Suitland Road, Suitland, Prince George's County, Maryland, apartment 201. On February 13, 1971, at about midnight, I left my apartment with my wife and went out, leaving the apartment in the care of my son, Robert Reed Wallace, III. My son is sixteen years old. At about one A.M. on the morning of February 14, 1971,1 was summoned to return to my home. Upon my return, I talked to my son. He told me that he answered a knock at the door. When he did, he was faced by a man who forced his way in, produced a gun, and asked where the money and jewelry were. He said he would 'burn' him if he didn't tell. He took him to the bedroom, tied him, then took him to the bathroom and put a pillowcase over his head. The man then called a second man into the apartment.
My son stated to me that he had overheard the conversation and thought he recognized the voice of the second man as being someone he had heard me talk to. My son stated that when he heard the men leave, he got loose and ran and locked the front door. He then ran to the window and saw a 1967 light green Thunderbird. He stated to me that he recognized the car as 'Inkydink's' Thunderbird. 'Inkydink' is a nickname for James Watson, Jr. My son has been in the presence of James Watson on numerous occasions and would recognize the voice. Goods valued at approximately eight thousand dollars were taken, this being my property and that of my wife. Among other things taken were a portable color television, an RCA model EL 418, serial 6546; a red coat; a Polaroid camera; a diamond faced Omega watch. The television was valued at approximately 329.00 dollars.
On February 18, 1971, a cousin of my wife, who lives in the area, called me to tell me that a man had offered to sell her a coat. The description was similar to that of the one stolen, and she had become suspicious. I told her to proceed with the sale, and my wife and I were present when the sale was to be made. My wife recognized the coat as being hers. I talked with the man who was attempting to sell the coat. He stated to me that he had gotten the coat from 'Inkydink' at 'Inkydink's' apartment. He told me that he had been inside and had seen this coat there, that he had seen two color television sets, a gray coat, and a diamond watch of the same description as the one stolen from me.
Acting on this information, I went to 5200 Livingston Terrace, apartment 202, Oxon Hill, Prince George's County, Maryland. I know this to be the address of 'Inkydink' because I have visited him there. Although the name Harris appears on the door, I know from personal experience that this apartment is occupied by James Raymond Watson, Jr. At that time, I saw a green 1967 Thunderbird parked in front. I took that license number, D.C. 811-432 and have given it to Detective Raubaugh. I know Mr. Watson owns a 1969 Lincoln, and saw that vehicle parked in front of 5200 Livingston Terrace, Oxon Hill, Maryland. I took that license number, D.C. 753-528 and gave it to Detective Raubaugh.
The aforegoing is true to the best of my knowledge and belief, and is given in support of the application of Detective Raubaugh for a search warrant."
Items seized from the apartment when the warrant was executed tied Watson in with the burglary-robbery and formed the basis for the receiving convictions against both appellants. The appellants filed a pretrial Motion to Suppress the evidence as unconstitutionally seized. Their motion was denied. The issue before us is whether the warrant application, establishes good probable cause for the search of the apartment and the seizure of goods therefrom.
It is axiomatic that in analyzing the probable cause for the issuance of a search warrant, we are confined to the four corners of the affidavit itself. Smith v. State, 191 Md. 329, 335, 62 A. 2d 287; Sessoms v. State, 3 Md. App. 293, 296-297, 239 A. 2d 118; Dawson v. State, 11 Md. App. 694, 714-715, 276 A. 2d 680.
Aside from determining that two license tags in question were listed to automobiles owned by Watson, the affidavit of Detective Raubaugh was simply formal in nature. The probable cause must be sought in the affidavit of Robert Wallace, Jr. With respect to Wallace, there was no credibility problem since the oath served as the guarantee of credibility. The great bulk of the substance contained in Wallace's affidavit, however, came to him from a number of secondary sources — 1) his son, 2) his wife, 3) a cousin of his wife, and 4) an anonymous man who had attempted to peddle his wife's stolen coat. Before we can accept the information passed on from those secondary sources, we must subject those sources, not themselves under oath, to the two-pronged test mandated by Aguilar v. Texas, 378 U. S. 108, 84 S. Ct. 1509, 12 L.Ed.2d 723, in order to determine whether 1) they were "credible" or their information otherwise "reliable" and 2) whether there was a sound "basis of knowledge" for their conclusions.
The Aguilarian adequacy of the cousin's hearsay report is irrelevant, since what she passed on, as a mere conduit from the unnamed coat peddler, was later repeated by the peddler to the affiant Wallace himself. The cousin's earlier version, in scantier detail, became a redundancy.
The second-hand information from the wife consisted simply of the wife's recognition of her own recently stolen coat as it was offered for sale by the unnamed peddler. Her "basis of knowledge" under Aguilar is not to be doubted as she observed directly the coat she knew to be her own. Her very status — wife of the affiant and victim of the theft — and her being named — Mrs. Robert Wallace, Jr. (by necessary implication) — establishes her "credibility" under Aguilar. King v. State, 16 Md. App. 546, 298 A. 2d 446; Thompson v. State, 16 Md. App. 560, 298 A. 2d 458; Dawson v. State, 14 Md. App. 18, 33-34, 284 A. 2d 861.
The 16-year-old son similarly surmounts Aguilar's "credibility" hurdle — as Robert Reed Wallace, III, witness and victim of armed robbery. Nor is there any doubt that the son had a sound "basis of knowledge" — passing on only those things which he himself saw with his own eyes and heard with his own ears. Our first real analytical problem is to determine what can properly be made of the son's observations in terms of probable cause.
In making that determination, we are animated by the philosophy permeating the opinions of the Supreme Court on the spirit in which applications for warrants must be reviewed. As that Court said in United States v. Ventresca, 380 U. S. 102, at 108, 85 S. Ct. 741, at 746, 13 L.Ed.2d 684:
"These decisions reflect the recognition that the Fourth Amendment's commands, like all constitutional requirements, are practical and not abstract. If the teachings of the Court's cases are to be followed and the constitutional policy served, affidavits for search warrants, such as the one involved here, must be tested and interpreted by magistrates and courts in a commonsense and realistic fashion. They are normally drafted by nonlawyers in the midst and haste of a criminal investigation. Technical requirements of elaborate specificity once exacted under common law pleadings have no proper place in this area. A grudging or negative attitude by reviewing courts toward warrants will tend to discourage police officers from submitting their evidence to a judicial officer before acting."
In Aguilar v. Texas, 378 U. S. 108, 84 S. Ct. 1509, 12 L.Ed.2d 723, the Supreme Court pointed out that the preference for warrants is so marked, that less persuasive evidence will justify the issuance of a warrant than would justify a warrantless search or warrantless arrest. As the Court there said, at 378 U. S. 111:
"Thus, when a search is based upon a magistrate's, rather than a police officer's, determination of probable cause, the reviewing courts will accept evidence of a less 'judicially competent or persuasive character than would have justified an officer in acting on his own without a warrant,' ibid., and will sustain the judicial determination so long as 'there was substantial basis for [the magistrate] to conclude that narcotics were probably present. . .
This preference was reiterated in Ventresca, 380 U. S. at 109:
"However, where these circumstances are detailed, where reason for crediting the source of the information is given, and when a magistrate has found probable cause, the courts should not invalidate the warrant by interpreting the affidavit in a hypertechnical, rather than a commonsense manner. Although in a particular case it may not be easy to determine when an affidavit demonstrates the existence of probable cause, the resolution of doubtful or marginal cases in this area should be largely determined by the preference to be accorded to warrants. Jones v. United States, supra, 362 U. S. [257], at 270, [80 S. Ct. 725, at 735, 4 L.Ed.2d 697, at 707, 78 A.L.R.2d 233]."
See also Henderson v. State, 243 Md. 342, 221 A. 2d 76; Tucker v. State, 244 Md. 488, 224 A. 2d 111; Scott v. State, 4 Md. App. 482, 243 A. 2d 609; Hall v. State, 5 Md. App. 394, 247 A. 2d 548; Johnson v. State, 8 Md. App. 187, 259 A. 2d 97; State v. Swales, 12 Md. App. 69, 73-74, 277 A. 2d 449.
In that spirit, we look at the observations of the son as recited by his affiant father. The son answered a knock at the door and was met by an armed stranger who asked him where the money and jewelry were (thereby suggesting that the robbers had some familiarity with the Wallaces and their worldly goods). The son was threatened with "burning" if he did not reveal the hiding place, was bound, and was put in the bathroom with a pillowcase over his head (strongly suggesting that the confederate yet to enter the apartment feared being recognized, since the stranger who led the interference had taken no steps to conceal his own appearance). The second man then entered the apartment.
The son could overhear the conversation that ensued and he thought that he recognized the voice of the second man as that of someone he had heard his father talk to. (The affiant father recited that his son had, on numerous occasions, been in the presence of the appellant Watson in company with the father, and would recognize Watson's voice.) When the son heard the robbers leave, he immediately got loose and ran to the window. He saw a 1967 light green Thunderbird. (The affiant father confirmed that the appellant Watson owned a 1967 green Thunderbird. Detective Raubaugh independently confirmed that Wa,tson owned a 1967 Thunderbird.) The son recognized the car as " 'Inkydink's' Thunderbird." (The father established that the appellant Watson was nicknamed "Inkydink" and was so known to his son.)
Even without looking ahead to the story of the unnamed peddler that items stolen in the course of this robbery were within four days observed in Watson's apartment, but remembering that probable cause "means less than evidence which would justify" conviction, Locke v. United States, 11 U. S. 339, 348, 3 L. Ed. 364, we believe, upon our constitutionally mandated review, that the observations of the son establish a reasonable probability that the appellant Watson was the second robber.
We look finally to the unnamed coat peddler. We know nothing about him — his track record or his reputation for truth speaking, his very identity or his status. His "credibility" under Aguilar is absolute zero. Nor is there anything in the circumstances of his confrontation with the affiant Wallace which would reasonably insure trustworthiness — which might show informational "reliability" even absent demonstrated "credibility." See Thompson v. State, supra. His situation was defensive as he faced an actual or potential accuser. He could well have had a natural inclination to deflect blame away from himself. He abjectly failed to measure up against Aguilar's "veracity" prong in either of its alternative aspects.
That initial failure, however, does not end the inquiry. Spinelli v. United States, 393 U. S. 410, 89 S. Ct. 584, 21 L.Ed.2d 637, points out an alternative route to the establishment of "credibility" or "veracity" in an informant. Even where, under traditional Aguilarian analysis, the internal evidence about the informant himself, or about the circumstances under which the information was furnished, fails to establish intrinsically either personal "credibility" or informational "reliability," external evidence, contained elsewhere in the application, may be examined to see what buttressing it provides. Independent observation may tend to verify — to corroborate — the story as told by the informant. A showing that some of the story has been verified as true lends credence to the remaining unverified portions of the story. Hignut v. State, 17 Md. App. 399, 303 A. 2d 173; Dawson v. State, 14 Md. App. 18, 41-42, 284 A. 2d 861. Spinelli described the buttressing process, at 393 U. S. 415:
"If the tip is found inadequate under Aguilar, the other allegations which corroborate the information contained in the hearsay report should then be considered. At this stage as well, however, the standards enunciated in Aguilar must inform the magistrate's decision. He must ask: Can it fairly be said that the tip, even when certain parts of it have been corroborated by independent sources, is as trustworthy as a tip which would pass Aguilar's tests without independent corroboration? "
We now turn the lens of Spinelli upon the story of the unnamed peddler. The peddler claimed that he had gotten Mrs. Wallace's stolen coat from "Inkydink" at "Inkydink's" apartment. He said that he had seen there, among other things, a color television set and a diamond watch. The affiant Wallace confirmed that a color television set and a diamond watch, matching the description given by the peddler, had been taken in the same robbery that saw the loss of Mrs. Wallace's coat. The son, at the very least, placed "Inkydink's" 1967 Thunderbird at the robbery scene. The son may well have established, in addition, the voice of the second robber as that of "Inkydink." Independent information established that "Inkydink" was familiar enough with the Wallaces to direct the criminal effort toward specific, more valuable chattels. Independent information established that "Inkydink" would have had need to delay his entrance onto the crime stage until the confederate had hooded the victim who might otherwise have recognized him. We think the unnamed peddler's identification of "Inkydink" as the holder of the stolen goods was sufficiently "corroborated by independent sources," with respect to "certain parts" of his story, so as to be "as trustworthy as a tip which would pass Aguilar's tests without independent corroboration." Spinelli, at 393 U. S. 415. As to the unnamed peddler's "basis of knowledge," it is clear that he spoke from first-hand observation.
Looking at the warrant application as a whole, we are persuaded that it established probable cause to believe that fruits and other evidence of the crime would be found in the appellant Watson's apartment. The warrant, therefore, properly issued.
The Arrest of Watson
The appellant Watson claims that he was subjected to an unconstitutional arrest in the District of Columbia by Maryland officers who were not "in fresh pursuit." We do not need to rely upon Maryland Rule 1085 and to point out that the issue was not raised below and is not, therefore, preserved for appellate review. Since no fruits flowed from that arrest, the manner of its execution is palpably immaterial. Matthews v. State, 237 Md. 384, 387-388, 206 A. 2d 714; Parker v. State, 5 Md. App. 422, 247 A. 2d 552; King v. State, supra, 16 Md. App. at 548; Soles v. State, 16 Md. App. 656, 669, 299 A. 2d 502.
The Legal Sufficiency of the Evidence
Possession of Marihuana
A. Failure of the State to Offer the Marihuana Itself
Both appellants complain that the marihuana which was recovered by the police was not physically introduced into evidence. They contend that this makes the evidence against them legally insufficient. Their theory of evidence seems to be: "That is the way it is usually done; therefore, that is the way it must be done." Proof of the element of possession, as proof of any other fact, may be by testimonial evidence as well as by real evidence. Proving the corpus delicti in a possession case no more requires the physical introduction of the thing possessed, as a sine qua non, than proving the corpus delicti in an automobile theft case requires the physical introduction into evidence of the automobile itself or proving the corpus delicti in a murder case requires the physical offering of the corpse itself. Detective Wright recovered a brown paper bag full of suspected marihuana. He turned it over to Detective Snow who performed a field test on the spot which confirmed that the substance was, indeed, marihuana. The substance was later forwarded to the United States chemist, whose fuller analysis confirmed that it was, indeed, five ounces of marihuana. From those facts, the jury could fairly be convinced, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the substance recovered was marihuana. Under the circumstances, the trial judge properly denied the motion for a judgment of acquittal and properly submitted the issue to the jury. Williams v. State, 5 Md. App. 450, 459, 247 A. 2d 731; Metz v. State, 9 Md. App. 15, 23, 262 A. 2d 331. That Detective Snow subsequently used up the marihuana for training purposes at the Police Academy, though an unusual wrinkle in a possession case, does not erode the legal sufficiency of the inculpatory evidence.
B. Possession as to Harris
When the police proceeded to apartment 202, 5200 Livingston Terrace, Oxon Hill, to execute the search warrant at 8:40 p.m. on February 24, 1971, the appellant Harris was alone in the apartment. The police rapped upon the door and announced themselves as police officers. They were denied entrance. They heard a scurry of activity within the apartment. Detective Raubaugh had had the foresight to station several officers to the rear of the building to cut off possible escape of the suspects. Detective Wright heard a window being opened, looked up and saw the appellant Harris throw out a brown paper bag. He did not so much seize it as catch it in self-defense, as it descended toward his head. The bag contained the five ounces of marihuana. Harris posits the unusual theory that the fleeting control necessary to drop the bag from the window does not constitute "possession" within the contemplation of the law. We cannot subscribe to her theory. She resided in the apartment whence the marihuana was thrown. She was alone in that apartment at the time it was thrown. She was the one to throw it. Any claim of belief in the innocuousness of the jettisoned bag would render her behavior, in the frantic moments before the police came through the front door, inexplicably bizarre. Guilty knowledge permeated her effort to dispose of the contraband. She may no more disclaim prior possession in the jettisoned marihuana than Tinker could have disclaimed erstwhile possession of the ball he passed on to Evers and Chance.
C. Possession as to Watson
The appellant Watson was not present at the apartment at the time it was searched. His efforts to disassociate himself from its contents are, nevertheless, unavailing. There was evidence that he maintained two apartments — the one in question and another in the District of Columbia. There was evidence that he had been living at the Livingston Terrace apartment with the appellant Harris for between six months and one year. Watson admitted that he kept clothing and shoes at the apartment. This was substantiated by Harris. Watson admitted paying part of the rent. He admitted to Detective Raubaugh that he "stayed" at the apartment. Photographs of both appellants were found in the apartment. Robert Wallace, Jr., testified, moreover, that he and the appellant Watson had been associated in the business of selling narcotics just prior to the crimes in question. There was further testimony that the appellant Watson had offered to give Wallace narcotics if Wallace would refrain from testifying against him at the trial now under review. Under all of the circumstances, we think the evidence permitted a finding that the appellant Watson had a possessory interest in the apartment and that he was in joint exclusive control of the contraband marihuana. See Folk v. State, 11 Md. App. 508, 275 A. 2d 184.
The Legal Sufficiency of the Evidence
Receiving Stolen Goods
The only question raised by both appellants as to the legal sufficiency of the evidence to sustain the conviction for receiving the television set stolen from the Colony 7 Motor Inn goes to the proof of value. The appellants were convicted and sentenced for receiving stolen goods of the value of $100 and upwards. William Pritcher, the manager of the Colony 7 Motor Inn in Laurel, testified that on January 4, 1971, a GE color television was stolen from room 510 of the motel. A check of the serial number confirmed that the GE color television set recovered from the appellants' apartment was that stolen on January 4.
There is some confusion as to the value of the stolen television set, confusion attributable in no small measure to the dogged unwillingness of counsel to let the witness tell his story. With every half line of testimony interrupted by half a page of lawyerly harangue, it was exceedingly difficult for the witness to develop his thesis and the search for truth was well nigh lost in the process. Enough information filtered through, however, to permit the jury to infer that the present market value was $100 or more. At one point, the following questions and answers slipped through the procedural lines:
"Q. What was the value of that television set?
A. Three hundred fifty dollars.
Q. And was that the price you paid for it?
A. That is right."
At a later point, another but equally legally sufficient version got into evidence:
"Q. What was the price you paid per unit for the group of GE television sets?
THE WITNESS: I cannot state exactly how much these sets cost us because at the time it was an arrangement on a rental basis. We have since purchased all these television sets.
Q. And on that rental basis what was the value of the set, this television set?
THE WITNESS: I would say approximately — I can't give you the exact value — $245 a set, I believe."
It was clearly inferable that the witness was testifying as to purchase price. The confusion stemmed from a somewhat involved rental-purchase plan, which the witness was never permitted to explain. He did point out, however, that the sets had been "just installed throughout the motel." Even though purchase price is not the ultimate standard, we think it clear, under Vucci v. State, 13 Md. App. 694, 700-702, 284 A. 2d 646, that the jury could rationally infer that a recently installed television had not depreciated from either a $350 or a $245 starting point, as the case may have been, to a market value of less than $100. We find the evidence legally sufficient to sustain the convictions.
Judgments affirmed.
. The definition of "probable cause" remains a constant, of course, applying alike to searches and to arrests, with warrants or without warrants. The "preference" is rather a rule of construction for the resolution of "doubtful or marginal cases."