Case Name: Edelmira CHACON, Henry Longval and Pressley McFadden, Appellants, v. STATE of Florida, Appellee
Court: Florida Supreme Court
Jurisdiction: Florida
Decision Date: 1957-06-19
Citations: 102 So. 2d 578
Docket Number: 
Parties: Edelmira CHACON, Henry Longval and Pressley McFadden, Appellants, v. STATE of Florida, Appellee.
Judges: TERRELL, C. J., and ROBERTS and O’CONNELL, JJ., concur.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 102
Pages: 578–593

Head Matter:
Edelmira CHACON, Henry Longval and Pressley McFadden, Appellants, v. STATE of Florida, Appellee.
Supreme Court of Florida, Special Division A.
June 19, 1957.
On Rehearing April 16, 1958.
William T. Fussell, John A. R. Grimaldi, and Frank Regano, Tampa, for appellants.
Richard W. Ervin, Atty. Gen., and David U. Tumin, Asst. Atty. Gen., for appellee.

Opinion:
WELCH, Associate Justice.
There is little dispute, if any, between the parties as to the facts shown by the record in this case, which are substantially as follows:
An information was filed on the 19th day of November, 1954, in Four Counts, charging appellants with violating the State Lottery Statutes, F.S.A. § 849.01 et seq. The First Count charged that they did unlawfully aid and assist in the setting up, promoting or conducting of a lottery for money; the Second Count charged that they did unlawfully have in their possession certain tickets in a lottery for money; the Third Count charged that they did unlawfully have in their possession certain implements and devices for conducting a lottery; the Fourth Count charged that they did unlawfully sell or offer for sale shares and interests in a lottery for money.
Thereafter, on the 4th day of February, 1955, the appellant, Edelmira Chacon, filed a Pre-Trial sworn Motion to Quash a Search Warrant, suppress evidence obtained thereunder and return of property illegally taken (R; 105); on February 4, 1955, the appellant, Henry Longval, filed a Pre-Trial sworn Motion to Suppress Evidence obtained under illegal arrest and return of property illegally taken (R. 11-13) and Motion for Severance (R. 14-15), and these Motions were denied (R. 105-106); and on February 4, 1955, the appellant, Pressley McFadden, filed a Pre-Trial sworn Motion to Suppress Evidence obtained under illegal arrest and return of property illegally taken (R. 16-18) and Motion for Severance (R. 19-20) and these Motions were denied (R. 106). On February 10, 1955, in advance of .trial, the aforesaid Motions were heard and the Arresting Officers testified at length and the Judge presiding at the hearing denied said Motions, as aforesaid (R. 105-106).
Thereafter, on March 3, 1955, the appellants, having entered a plea of not guilty, the case came on for trial before a Jury and the presiding Judge (R. 107); during the progress of said trial the evidence which had been seized by the Arresting Officers, and which appellants had filed Motions to Suppress, was offered in evidence, to the introduction of which appellants duly objected, but all of said objections were over-ruled by the Trial Judge, and all of said exhibits were admitted in evidence over said objections by the Trial Judge, as follows:
"Yes. Now all of the evidence is admissible, all of the exhibits are admissible against all defendants under Counts 1 and 3. Exhibit 8 is inadmissible against McFadden, is against Longval. I had better put it this way: That the only Bolita Ticket Exhibits which are admissible against Longval are those embraced in Exhibit 8, if any; and the only ones admissible against McFadden under the Second Count .are those if any, embraced in Exhibit 9. Now, the Fourth Count, the same thing will be true as to Exhibits 8 and 9, respectively, on Longvai and McFadden. Everything is admissible against Chacon on every count." (R. 266)
Thereafter, at the conclusion of the testimony on behalf of the State, all of the defendants duly moved the Court for a directed verdict of not g'uilty as to all the defendants on all counts, which Motion the Court denied (R. 267); thereafter, on March 3, 1955, the Jury returned with verdicts finding the Defendant, Edelmira Chacon, guilty as charged in the Information; the defendants, Henry Longvai and Pressley McFadden, guilty as charged in the First, Third and Fourth Counts of the of the Information; the Court, on oral Motion of appellants did, on March 3, 1955, enter an Order extending the time for filing' Motion for New Trial. (R. 286); thereafter, the appellants, on March 11, 1955, and within the time fixed by said Special Order, did file their separate Motion for a new trial (R. 290-291); thereafter, the Court did on March 28, 1955, enter an Order over-ruling and denying all the said Motions for New Trial (R. 293); thereafter, the Court did impose Final Judgment and Sentence.
On April 11, 1955, the appellants filed their Notice of Appeal to the Supreme Court (R. 296) and on April 17,1956, within the time fixed by Special Order, the defendants filed their separate Assignments of Error and grounds for Appeal (R. 297-305), and on April 17, 1956, the defendants filed their written directions to the Clerk (R. 306-307), thereby perfecting their Appeal to this Court.
At a hearing on the Motion to Suppress and Motion to Severance held on February 10, 1955, before the presiding Judge of the lower Court, the witnesses, Clinton Burgess, Ellis Clifton and Malcolm Beard, all Deputy Sheriffs of Hillsbor-ough County, Florida, testified that on November 13, 1955, the said Officers, armed with a Search Warrant (R. 287) entered that certain dwelling house located at 948 11th Avenue, Tampa, Hillsborough County, Florida, and searched the said dwelling house for lottery law violation. That while searching the said dwelling house the witness, Clinton Burgess, testified that he found an Adding Machine, introduced in evidence as State's Exhibit No. 3 (R. 118) in the bedroom of Edelmira Chacon; assorted papers, introduced in evidence as State's Exhibit No. 4 (R. 120), on the bed of the defendant, Edelmira Chacon; yellow and pink pads, introduced in evidence as State's Exhibit No. 5 (R. 121) in the bedroom of Edelmira Chacon; Adding Machine paper rolls introduced in evidence as State's Exhibit No. 6 (R. 122), and two slips of yellow paper introduced in evidence as State's Exhibit No. 10 (R. 110) in the bedroom of Edelmira Chacon. The witness, Ellis Clifton, testified that while the search was in progress the Telephone in the dwelling house rang and various unknown persons called in lottery bets and that a person unknown to him and identified only as "Joe" called and said on one occasion that "Henry was coming over" and that on another incoming call, he recognized the same voice that told him that "he" (caller) "was sending a new boy by to pick up the stuff." That after these Telephone conversations, a White man walked up to the house and was invited in by Ellis Clifton and while Ellis Clifton was talking to him at the front door, Malcolm Beard, who had not heard the conversation between Ellis Clifton and the White man, came up and arrested the White man who had just come to the door. This White man was identified as being Henry Longvai. All three of the Officers testified that they had never seen or heard of Henry Longvai prior to his walking up to the house. After the arrest of Henry Longvai, a Colored man walked up to the front porch of the dwelling house, while the search was still in progress, and he was invited into the house by Ellis Clifton. The aforesaid Colored man was identified as the defendant, Pressley McFadden. Immediately after Pressley McFadden was invited into the house, he was engaged in a very short conversation with Ellis Clifton. Malcolm Beard, who had not overheard the conversation, but had been standing in the hallway watching Pressley McFadden walk up the front walk, into the house and speak to Ellis Clifton, arrested the said Pressley McFadden and took him into the kitchen where he was searched and alleged Bolita Tickets found on him, were introduced in evidence as State's Exhibit No. 9.
Appellants pose many questions on this Appeal. Question number One, is as follows:
"Do the following allegations of the Affidavit for Search Warrant meet and comply with the necessary legal requirements of probable cause for the issuance of a valid Search Warrant for a dwelling house?
"That the Affiant, on October 30, 1954, in the dwelling of Ross Anderson, Deputy Sheriff of Hillsborough County, Florida, personally observed a confidential informant dial a certain Telephone number, to wit: 25-4251, said Telephone number being the same number listed in the August, 1954, issue of the Telephone Directory for Tampa, Florida, under the name of Ursina Gonzalez, of 948 11th Avenue, Tampa, and thereupon, while listening on an extension of said Telephone, Affiant heard said confidential informant talk to a woman and purchase from said woman over the Telephone an interest in a lottery, commonly known as Bolita or Cuba, and that Affiant believes and has reason to believe that unlawful gambling and a lottery for money are actually being operated within said building."
This Court held in Cooper v. State, 106 Fla. 254, 143 So. 217, that an Affidavit for a liquor Search Warrant not stating facts on which Affiant's belief was based, and where Affidavit recited, in substance, that belief of Affiant was based on information furnished Affiant by parties who had knowledge of sale and possession of liquor and whom Affiant believed to be truthful and' reliable, but there was no statement of any fact on which Affiant's belief was based and nothing on which Affiant could be held accountable for false swearing or perjury was insufficient. Also that persons making Affidavit for liquor Search Warrant must set forth facts on which belief is based, so that Affiant may be held responsible for falsity thereof and where Affidavit constituting basis for liquor Search Warrant was insufficient, evidence procured thereunder was inadmissible. In the body of the opinion in that case, 143 So. at page 217, this Court took occasion to say that Section 22 of the Declaration of Rights was not placed in the organic law of this State as an idle gesture; and at page 21& of 143 So., said, in reference to the Affidavit upon which the Search Warrant in that case issued,
"The affidavit upon which the search warrant issued in this case does not meet the requirements of the statute."
Here the attempted compliance with this portion of the Statute was in the following language "that the aforesaid belief of Affi-ant is based upon the following facts; upon information furnished Affiant by parties who had knowledge of such sale and possession and whom Affiant believes to be truthful and reliable." It will be observed that this language does not state any fact on which such reason or belief is based, but is "equivalent only to an allegation Affiant has reason to believe and does believe, on information and belief." There is no allegation in this Affidavit on which Affiant could be held accountable for false swearing or perjury. Neither is there any allegation of fact which may be traversed. If an Affidavit of this sort may be held to be sufficient basis for the issuance of a Search Warrant authorizing the search of a dwelling, then those provisions of the Constitution, both State and Federal, above referred to, amount to nothing, and any man's home may be invaded at any time by designing and unscrupulous persons without the form of an Affidavit being filed, the falsity of which is susceptible to proof. We take it that the provisions quoted from Section 8518, C.G.L., F.S.A. § 933.18, supra, mean that the person making the Affidavit must therein swear that he, or she, has reason to believe that the dwelling is being used unlawfully, as stated in the Affidavit, and must then set forth specifically the facts upon which the reason or belief is based, and those facts must be so set forth that the existence or non-existence thereof may be made definite proof so that the Affi-ant may be held responsible for the truth or falsity of his statements in that regard.
We hold that the same rules of procedure that apply to liquor Search Warrants also apply to Bolita Search Warrants. In the case of De Lancy v. City of Miami, Fla., 43 So.2d 856, 14 A.L.R.2d 602, this Court cited the Cooper case supra, with approval. The first Headnote in the De Lancy case being as follows:
"Affidavits for search warrants showing that affiant placed his belief that gambling was being conducted in certain building upon what he had learned from investigation by someone whose name he did not disclose was insufficient."
In the case at bar we are dealing with a Search Warrant issued upon an Affidavit made by an Officer to the effect that he, the Officer, saw a confidential informer, whose name he did not disclose, dial a certain number on the Telephone and thereafter said Officer, while listening on an extension Telephone, heard said unknown person talk to another unknown person and purchase an interest in a lottery. The name of the confidential informer was never disclosed, neither the name or identity of the alleged unknown woman was disclosed. These statements of alleged "facts" are not set forth in such manner that the existence or non-existence of the same may be made a matter of definite proof so that the Affiant may be held responsible for the truth or falsity of his statements in that regard. The defendants in this cause could not traverse the allegations in the Affidavit for Search Warrant to the effect that the Deputy Sheriff heard a confidential informer carry on a conversation with an unknown and unidentified woman over the Telephone, for the simple reason that the name of the confidential informer was not disclosed, neither was the name and identity of the alleged unknown woman disclosed. These are not "facts" as would enable the defendants to test the truth or falsity thereof, or to hold the Affiant accountable in any manner, or to sustain a charge of perjury or false swearing against him.
In a recent case in the Supreme Court of the United States, Roviaro v. United States of America, 353 U.S. 53, 77 S.Ct. 623, 627, 1 L.Ed.2d 639, that Court, among other things, stated:
"What is usually referred to as the informer's privilege is in reality the Government's privilege to withhold from disclosure the identity of persons who furnish information of violations of law to officers charged with enforcement of that law. The purpose of the privilege is the furtherance and protection of the public interest in effective law enforcement. The privilege recognizes the obligation of citizens to communicate their knowledge of the commission of crimes to law-enforcement officials and, by preserving their anonymity, encourages them to perform that obligation.
"The scope of the privilege is limited by its underlying purpose.
"A further limitation on the applicability of the privilege arises from the fundamental requirements of fairness. Where the disclosure of an informer's identity, or of the contents of his com munication, is relevant and helpful to the defense of an accused, or is essential to a fair determination of a cause, the privilege must give way. In these situations the trial court may require disclosure and, if the Government withholds the information, dismiss the action. Most of the federal cases involving this limitation on the scope of the informer's privilege have arisen where the legality of a search without a warrant is in issue and the communications of an informer are claimed to establish probable cause. In these cases the Government has been required to disclose the identity of the informant unless there was sufficient evidence apart from his confidential communication.
"Three recent cases in the Courts of Appeals have involved the identical problem raised here — the Government's right to withhold the identity of an informer who helped to set up the commission of the crime and who was present at its occurrence. In each case it was stated that the identity of such an informer must be disclosed whenever the informer's testimony may be relevant and helpful to accused's defense."
In the case at bar the defendants had no way of knowing or discovering whether or not the testimony of the confidential informer or the unknown and unidentified woman would be relevant or helpful to their defense.
There are no allegations in this Affidavit stating facts that could be traversed; and undisclosed confidential informer carrying on a conversation over the Telephone with an unknown woman in which the informer claims to have purchased an interest in a lottery ticket is the basis upon which this Search Warrant was issued.
We hold that this does not comply with the requirements of law in reference to the issuance of Search Warrants, and therefore the Search Warrant was void; and thé lower Court erred in denying the Motion to Suppress the evidence obtained thereunder.
The defendants question number VI, is as follows:
"In light of the evidence offered by the State, did the Trial Court err in failing to grant Defendants Henry Longval and Pressley McFadden's Motion for Directed Verdict and Motion for new trial which were based upon the grounds that the evidence adduced would not and did not sustain a verdict of conviction under the First, Third and Fourth Counts of the Information?"
The only evidence offered by the State against all defendants were the pieces of paper seized on their person, or in their possession, which were identified by a so-called expert as lottery tickets. There was never any testimony introduced to show the setting up of a lottery, the possession of implements and devices, or the sale of a share in a lottery by any of these defendants. The burden of proof rested upon the State to prove the charge contained in the Information that is, that the defendants did aid and assist in setting up, conducting or promoting, or were interested in, or were connected with a lottery in Hillsborough County, by evidence which would convince a Jury beyond a reasonable doubt that the charge was true and that the defendants were guilty. We hold that the evidence was insufficient and that the lower Court erred in not granting the Motion for a Directed Verdict.
The defendants question number VII, is as follows:
"Where a Deputy Sheriff while in á dwelling being searched by other Officers, arrested a person then unknown to him, who merely walks up to the front door of said dwelling house and answeres to the name of Henry, the sole and only basis for arresting such person being that he was told by another Deputy while said dwelling was being searched by other Deputies, that Telephone calls were being received regarding alleged lottery bets from un-designated third person or persons, and on one of the Telephone calls an unknown person, who called himself Joe, said that 'Henry would be over in a bit', and did not otherwise describe himself or say why Henry was going over there and that on other Telephone calls, an unknown person who called himself Joe had inquired about lottery bets, does such communication to the arresting Officer of such hearsay statements of such undisclosed third person or persons constitute reasonable ground justifying such Officer, to arrest without a Warrant of any kind under the power granted a Peace Officer in Section 901.15 Florida Statutes, 1953?"
The defendants question number VIII, is as follows:
"Where a Deputy Sheriff while in a dwelling being searched by other Officers, arrest a person then unknown to him who merely walks up to the front door of said dwelling house and states on being questioned by the Officer, that he is Pressley, that Joe sent him, the sole and only basis for arresting such person being that while other Officers were in the process of searching the dwelling house, Telephone calls were received by him regarding alleged lottery bets from undesignated person or persons and among them a call from an unknown person who called himself Joe, and who said that a new man was coming over to pick up the stuff and did not otherwise describe himself, and that on other Telephone calls an unknown person who called himself Joe had inquired about lottery bets, does such communication to the arresting Officer of such hearsay statements by said undisclosed person or persons constitute reasonable ground justifying such Officer to arrest without a Warrant of any kind under the power granted a Peace Officer in Section 901.15 Florida Statutes, 1953?"
Section 901.15, Florida Statutes 1953, F. S.A., sets out the circumstances under which a Peace Officer may arrest a person without a Warrant:
(1) When the person arrested has committed a felony or misdemeanor, or violated a Municipal Ordinance.
(2) When a felony has in fact been committed, and he has reasonable ground to believe that the person being arrested has committed it.
(3) When he has reasonable ground to believe that a felony has been or is being committed and reasonable ground to believe that the person to be arrested has committed it or is committing it.
(4) When a Warrant has been issued charging any criminal offense and has been placed in the hands of any Peace Officer for execution.
There is in the record in this cause no contention on the part of the State that the Officers who arrested these defendants had a Warrant for their arrest; there is nothing in the record to show that these defendants had committed any crime or offense in the presence of the Officers; there is nothing in this record to show that the Officer who made the arrest in this case had any knowledge that a felony had been committed and that the persons arrested had committed it; there is nothing in this record to show that the Officer who made the arrests had any knowledge that a felony was being committed and that the persons arrested were committing it; there is nothing in this record to show that a Warrant had been issued charging these defendants with any crime or offense, and placed in the hands of any Peace Officer for execution. The most that the record discloses is that Plenry Longval and Press-ley McFadden, separately and at different times, approached a house that was being searched for lottery law violations; that they were each unknown to the Officer who made the arrest; that each of them, upon identifying themselves, one as Henry and the other as Pressley, were promptly placed under arrest by Officer Malcolm Beard, and who testified at the Pre-Trial Hearing on the Motion to Suppress, that "I tell you, anybody that would come to that house that morning and walk up on the front porch and in that hall I would have suspected." (R. 96-100). This whole record is permeated with testimony that shows that the defendants, Henry Longval and Pressley McFadden, were arrested by the Officer upon nothing more than a suspicion by the Officer that they were guilty of some crime.
We hold that the arrest in each instance was made by the Officer on suspicion that the defendants were guilty of some crime and that said arrests were unwarranted from the facts and circumstances known to the Officer at the time and were therefore unlawful arrests and that any evidence secured from the defendants after such unlawful arrest was inadmissible in evidence.
The defendants have posed many other questions on this Appeal, among which was the action of the lower Court in refusing to grant the Motion for Severance. If this case was to be reversed for a new trial this writer is of the opinion that a severance should be granted, upon timely Motion; but having reached the conclusion that the Search Warrant under which the dwelling was searched was void and that the arrests of Henry Longval and Pressley McFadden were unlawful arrests and that the evidence secured by the Officers making the search and making the arrests was inadmissible in evidence, we see no useful purpose in discussing the remaining questions posed by the appellants.
The case is reversed with directions to the lower Court to discharge the defendants.
Reversed.
TERRELL, C. J., and ROBERTS and O'CONNELL, JJ., concur.