Case Name: MILLER v. THE STATE
Court: Court of Appeals of Georgia
Jurisdiction: Georgia
Decision Date: 1987-06-18
Citations: 183 Ga. App. 702
Docket Number: 74019
Parties: MILLER v. THE STATE.
Judges: Birdsong, C. J., Deen, P. J., McMurray, P. J., Pope and Beasley, JJ., concur. Benham, J., concurs specially. Banke, P. J., and Sognier, J., dissent.
Reporter: Georgia Appeals Reports
Volume: 183
Pages: 702–706

Head Matter:
74019.
MILLER v. THE STATE.
(359 SE2d 683)

Opinion:
Carley, Judge.
Appellant was indicted for trafficking in cocaine. After a bench trial, he was found guilty. Appellant appeals from the judgment of conviction and sentence entered on the trial court's finding of guilt.
In related enumerations, appellant's sole contention on appeal is that his motion to suppress was erroneously denied by the trial court. The search of appellant was conducted pursuant to his arrest at Hartsfield International Airport. The evidence adduced at the hearing on appellant's motion to suppress authorized a finding of the existence of factual circumstances which are very similar to those which existed in Reid v. State, 179 Ga. App. 144 (345 SE2d 635) (1986). In that case, we held that the arrest and the search incident thereto were valid. Of course, there are some factual differences between the case sub judice and Reid, and, indeed, rarely do we have two cases on all fours factually. Thus, the issue for resolution in this case is whether those factual differences are such as to require a different legal result from that which was reached in Reid.
Here, as in Reid, it is undisputed that appellant exhibited suspicious "leg bulges" when he exited the plane from Miami, a known source city for the distribution of drugs. As in Reid, appellant's suspicious "leg bulges" attracted the immediate attention of two agents of the Federal Drug Enforcement Administration, Agents Markonni and Johnson. As was likewise true in Reid, appellant was placed under surveillance by both agents and was subsequently confronted, questioned, arrested and searched by Agent Markonni. However, unlike Reid, Agent Markonni did not testify at the hearing on appellant's motion to suppress. Only Agent Johnson, who had observed and overheard all that transpired between Agent Markonni and appellant, testified. Agent Johnson testified that his own personal experience with the investigation of suspicious "leg bulges" like those exhibited by appellant was such that 95% resulted in the discovery of illegal drugs. Accordingly, unlike Reid, there is no evidence in this case that Agent Markonni had similar personal experiences with the investigation of suspicious "leg bulges" and, therefore, the experience of Agent Markonni is not a factor which enters into the existence of probable cause for the arrest of appellant. But, for purposes of comparison only, see Reid v. State, supra and the numerous "Markonni" federal cases cited therein. However, it is undisputed that Agent Johnson, whose personal experience is of record in this case, discussed appellant's suspicious "leg bulges" with Agent Markonni prior to the initial confrontation and subsequent arrest. "Information obtained by police officers engaged in an investigation may be used by another officer common to that investigation as a reliable basis for the establishment of probable cause. [Cits.]" Parker v. State, 161 Ga. App. 37, 39 (3) (288 SE2d 852) (1982). Accordingly, it strains credibility to opine that it was not a fact within Agent Markonni's knowledge at the time of the arrest that the probable explanation for appellant's suspicious "leg bulges" was that they constituted two illegal caches of drugs. " '[T]he unusual size and shape of the bulge [s] and, given [their] unusual size and shape, [their] abnormal position on [appellant's] person alone provided not only reasonable suspicion but also probable cause for [his] arrest.' [Cit.]" Reid v. State, supra at 146-147.
It is also true that, unlike in Reid, appellant did not voluntarily lift his trouser legs. However, in this case, the agents immediately noticed that appellant had abnormally large bulges in both boots, as opposed to just one in Reid. Furthermore, as in Reid, the appellant answered Agent Markonni's question in the negative when asked if he had anything in his boots other than his feet and socks. Based upon the agents' observations, this answer was obviously untrue. Under Reid, probable cause existed for the arrest of appellant and, therefore, the search incident to his arrest was valid. Appellant's "false response to the inquiry about the object[s] in his [boots], coupled with [the agents'] observation and experience, provided the probable cause required for [appellant's] warrantless arrest. Accordingly, the search incident to that arrest was not violative of the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments and the fruits of that search were properly considered by the trial court in rendering its decision." Reid v. State, supra at 148.
Judgment affirmed.
Birdsong, C. J., Deen, P. J., McMurray, P. J., Pope and Beasley, JJ., concur. Benham, J., concurs specially. Banke, P. J., and Sognier, J., dissent.