Case Name: Damien FERNANDES, Appellant, v. STATE of Florida, Appellee
Court: Florida District Court of Appeal
Jurisdiction: Florida
Decision Date: 2009-07-02
Citations: 12 So. 3d 321
Docket Number: No. 5D08-3622
Parties: Damien FERNANDES, Appellant, v. STATE of Florida, Appellee.
Judges: GRIFFIN, TORPY and LAWSON, JJ., concur.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Third Series
Volume: 12
Pages: 321–322

Head Matter:
Damien FERNANDES, Appellant, v. STATE of Florida, Appellee.
No. 5D08-3622.
District Court of Appeal of Florida, Fifth District.
July 2, 2009.
James S. Purdy, Public Defender, and Leonard R. Ross, Assistant Public Defender, Daytona Beach, for Appellant.
Bill McCollum, Attorney General, Tallahassee, and L. Charlene Matthews, Assistant Attorney General, Daytona Beach, for Appellee.

Opinion:
PER CURIAM.
Appellant, Damien Fernandes ["Appellant"], appeals the trial court's order denying his motion to suppress a search warrant after entering a plea of no contest.
At the suppression hearing, Appellant's counsel argued that the search warrant was not valid because it was not based on probable cause. Defense counsel argued that the search warrant was issued solely based on information obtained from Appellant's co-perpetrator, James Devine ["De-vine"], and was not corroborated in any way. It appears that Devine's statement against penal interest, as well as the other facts recited in the affidavit of the law enforcement officer, provided sufficient corroboration to permit a finding of probable cause. Even if the warrant were not based on a sufficient affidavit, the good faith exception articulated in United States v. Leon, 468 U.S. 897, 104 S.Ct. 3405, 82 L.Ed.2d 677 (1984) applies.
AFFIRMED.
GRIFFIN, TORPY and LAWSON, JJ., concur.