Case Name: STATE of Louisiana v. Thomas POREE
Court: Louisiana Supreme Court
Jurisdiction: Louisiana
Decision Date: 1981-09-08
Citations: 406 So. 2d 546
Docket Number: No. 81-KA-0198
Parties: STATE of Louisiana v. Thomas POREE.
Judges: CALOGERO, J., concurs in part, dissents in part and assigns reasons.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 406
Pages: 546–549

Head Matter:
STATE of Louisiana v. Thomas POREE.
No. 81-KA-0198.
Supreme Court of Louisiana.
Sept. 8, 1981.
Concurring in Part and Dissenting in Part Oct. 1, 1981.
Rehearing Denied Oct. 9, 1981.
William J. Guste, Jr., Atty. Gen., Barbara Rutledge, Asst. Atty. Gen., Harry F. Con-nick, Dist. Atty., Robert Myers, Louise Korns, Asst. Dist. Attys., for plaintiff-ap-pellee.
Matthew B. Collins and Calvin Johnson of Collins, Johnson & Volk, New Orleans, for defendant-appellant.

Opinion:
WATSON, Justice.
Defendant, Thomas Poree, was convicted of armed robbery in violation of LSA-R.S. 14:64, by a ten to two jury vote. He was adjudged a second offender and sentenced to 198 years at hard labor. LSA-R.S. 15:529.1(A)(1). The issue on appeal is whether the trial court erred in denying Poree's motion to suppress evidence seized pursuant to a search warrant.
The warrant, dated June 21, 1979, authorizes a search of 639 N. Galvez Street in New Orleans and the seizure of: "$400 in U.S. Currency in various amounts or denominations; (1) 'First National Bank of Commerce' zipper money pouch color brown; (1) pr. of brown short pants; (1) unknown cal. grey colored revolver." The affidavit by a New Orleans police officer recites the following:
"At about 8:50 AM on 6-21-79 an Armed Robbery occurred at the 'International Electrical Worker's Union Hall' located at 1806 Canal St. in Orleans Parish in which about $400.00 in U.S. Currency was taken at gunpoint from the cashier. This money was placed into a money bag described above and taken by the perpetrator a NM about 25 years old with a white jumpsuit. After the perpetrator fled, the jumpsuit was abandoned in the 200 block of S. Prieur St. in an attempt to change clothing. In addition he was sighted by a witness who saw him remove the jumpsuit before fleeing. The officers recovered the jumpsuit in which a checkstub was found in the pocket, apparently forgotten, by the name 'Thomas Poree' which gave the officers a clue to the identity of the suspect. After obtaining personal records from the company involved the officers traced the stub to Thomas Poree who lived in the Lafitte Project at N. 639 Galvez St. and 615 N. Miro St. (N/M DOB 4-15-55. Offs. Johnson and P. Perrien then began searching for Poree finally spotting him within three hours of the robbery at the intersection of Orleans and N. Prieur Sts. Poree was taken into custody and brought back to the scene where he was positivly (sic) identified by the victim. Later two additional witnesses also posi-tivly (sic) identified Poree as the perpetrator. The arrested subject was then charged at CIU with RS 14 Art. 64 Rel. to Armed Robbery $400.00.
"Through a conversation with Poree prior to booking, the officers believe the stolen money and change of clothing along with the weapon are stored in Poree's Project apt. It is respectivly (sic) requested that a search be warranted of Poree's residence in order that any and all evidence and stolen property may be recovered to aid in the prosecution of Thomas Poree for Armed Robbery."
The shorts and loaded revolver were found in the bedroom at 639 N. Galvez Street, approximately two blocks from the place Poree was arrested, and eight to ten blocks from the scene of the crime. Just over two hours elapsed between the robbery and Poree's arrest. The money was never recovered.
Poree contends correctly that the allusion in the affidavit to a conversation between him and the police is insufficient to establish probable cause to search his residence. The facts establishing probable cause for a search warrant must be contained within the four corners of the affidavit. LSA-C.Cr.P. art. 162; State v. Wells, 253 La. 925, 221 So.2d 50 (La., 1969); State v. Daniel, 373 So.2d 149 (La., 1979); Aguilar v. Texas, 378 U.S. 108, 84 S.Ct. 1509, 12 L.Ed.2d 723 (1964). Since the contents of the officers' conversation with Poree are not contained in the affidavit, that conversation cannot provide probable cause. However, the remaining facts in the affidavit support a reasonable belief that the items might be found at Poree's residence.
Probable cause exists when facts and circumstances, within the affiant's knowledge and of which he has reasonably trustworthy information, are sufficient to support a reasonable belief that an offense has been committed and that evidence or contraband may be found at the place to be searched. State v. Turnipseed, 362 So.2d 486 (La., 1978); United States v. Chester, 537 F.2d 173 (5th Cir. 1976); United States v. Damitz, 495 F.2d 50 (9th Cir. 1974).
The affidavit must show a sufficient nexus between the items to be seized and the place to be searched. Without direct observation, the appropriate connection may be manifested by the type of crime, the nature of the items sought, the extent of opportunity for concealment, and normal inferences as to where a criminal would be likely to hide the instrumentalities and fruits of the crime. United States v. Lucarz, 430 F.2d 1051 (9th Cir. 1970).
The items sought — a handgun, clothing, money, and a money bag — are objects which one might' expect to find at a person's residence. Poree's residence is close to the sites of the crime and his arrest; there was ample opportunity for him to return home after the crime, change clothes, and hide these items. United States v. Morris. The affidavit, taken as a whole, contains sufficient facts to support a reasonable determination that probable cause existed to search defendant's residence. See State v. Baker, 389 So.2d 1289 (La., 1980); State v. Guidry, 388 So.2d 797 (La., 1980); United States v. Bowers, 534 F.2d 186 (9th Cir. 1976).
Although the affidavit for the warrant lists two separate residences for Poree, the record contains only one search warrant and it is for the Galvez Street address. The testimony taken at trial also does not indicate that any other search warrants were issued or that the Miro Street residence mentioned in the warrant was searched. However, in oral argument before this court and in supplemental briefs, it was suggested that a separate search warrant had been issued for the Miro residence. Defendant presented the additional argument that separate search warrants can not issue on the basis of one affidavit.
If there is adequate probable cause for the search of each place, and the places to be searched and the things to be seized are adequately described, the general rule in the United States is that a single warrant may authorize the search of two or more places which are owned by or under the control of the same person, even if they are not physically adjacent to one another. Williams v. State, 95 Okl.Crim. 131, 240 P.2d 1132 (1952); Brown v. State, 239 Ind. 358, 157 N.E.2d 174 (1959); State v. Ferrari, 80 N.M. 714, 460 P.2d 244 (1969). A "separate warrant for each suspected place to be searched is not called for either by the letter or the spirit of the constitution, nor requisite for the protection of the public peace, or individual security. To require it would occasion useless delay and expense, and tend to defeat the salutary objects of the law." 2 W. Lafave, "Search and Seizure: A Treatise on the Fourth Amendment", Section 4.5(c), p. 83 (1978), quoting Williams v. State, supra. See also United States v. Olt, 492 F.2d 910 (6th Cir. 1974). If one affidavit is sufficient to search several places under one warrant, certainly one affidavit is sufficient for a search of several places under separate warrants. Even if there had been authorization to search both residences and it was later determined that probable cause existed only as to one, the warrant could be upheld as to the residence for which probable cause existed. People v. Hansen, 38 N.Y.2d 17, 377 N.Y.S.2d 461, 339 N.E.2d 873 (1975).
There was probable cause to search defendant's residence for evidence of the armed robbery; the single affidavit could support a search of both residences, under one or separate warrants. Appellant has requested that we review the record for errors patent; there are none.
For the foregoing reasons, the conviction and sentence of Thomas Poree are affirmed.
AFFIRMED.
CALOGERO, J., concurs in part, dissents in part and assigns reasons.
DENNIS, J., concurs in part with reasons and dissents in part for reasons assigned by CALOGERO, J.
Judges Frederick Stephen Ellis, Morris A. Lot-tinger, Jr., and Eleven E. Ponder of the Court of Appeal, First Circuit, participated in this decision as Associate Justices Ad Hoc joined by Justices Calogero, Dennis, Watson and Lem-mon.
. A search of defendant's residence for a handgun, clothing and money — evidence of an armed robbery — was upheld in United States v. Morris, 491 F.Supp. 222 (S.D.Ga., 1980), where defendant's residence was near the crime site.
. See LSA-C.Cr.P. art. 162; LSA-Const. art. I § 5.