Opinion ID: 665588
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Informant

Text: 3 We reject Morton's argument that the affidavit in support of the search warrants was facially deficient because it lacked any information to support the allegation that the informant was reliable. The mere fact that Mrs. Ware had not previously been a police informant does not, in and of itself, lead to the conclusion that she is unreliable. As for Morton's contention that the informant's statements had to be independently corroborated, the assertion that the Wares were criminal participants relies solely on facts as alleged by Morton. 4 Moreover, the informant's statements were in fact corroborated by the police. Detective Thayer's affidavit states that the police were contacted by a confidential informant who informed them that Morton was storing items of property with the Wares in which illegal drugs were concealed, that the Wares were not involved with the illegal drugs, and that Morton had been recently released from prison where he was serving a sentence for drug violations. The affidavit goes on to state that the police went to the Wares's home, that they were shown illegal drugs concealed in Morton's items of property, that the Wares expressed surprise at the discovery of the illegal drugs, and that the police later verified the fact that Morton had been in prison for drug violations.