Opinion ID: 1967035
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: blair

Text: Appellant Blair was tried before Judge Smith, sitting without a jury. The government's evidence consisted of the testimony of two members of the Metropolitan Police: Officer Glen Heilizer, a two-year member of the force, and Detective Wally Papaj, who testified as an expert witness. Officer Heilizer testified that on the evening of May 28, 1985, from a hidden observation post, he watched appellant Blair for almost an hour as she stood on the corner of 14th Street and Rhode Island Avenue, N.W., an area notorious for prostitution activity. [5] For most of this period Heilizer maintained his surveillance from a hidden observation post about sixty feet from Blair and twenty-five to thirty feet above the ground, from which he had an unobstructed view of her activities. [6] She was wearing a long-sleeved pink and white blouse, white slacks, and white tennis shoes. As Heilizer watched, Blair waved to nineteen vehicles that drove past on the street mostly cars and pickup trucks, as well as one vanall of which were occupied by adult males, usually alone (except for the van, in which there were several men). She also approached five or six groups of male pedestrians and engaged them in conversation. Officer Heilizer testified that Blair did not wave to three taxicabs that drove by. Whenever a vehicle stopped, Blair engaged in a brief conversation with the driver. Officer Heilizer jotted down a description of each vehicle, the conversation (if any) that he overheard, and whether each car slowed down, stopped, or passed without stopping. Twice Blair left the area with male motorists, once for eleven minutes and once for four minutes, then returned to the same location. Heilizer said that while standing on the sidewalk Blair would rotate her hips back and forth in a provocative fashion, which he demonstrated to the court. He also stated that she uttered various phrases to passing motorists such as Come here, Hey, babe, Yoo hoo, Hey, honey, Come back, and Don't leave. After watching Blair for almost an hour, Officer Heilizer left his observation post and placed her under arrest. Detective Wally Papaj, a fifteen-year veteran of the Morals Division, was accepted by the court (over defense objection) as an expert in the area of prostitution and solicitation. After describing his background and experience, Detective Papaj was asked the significance of conduct like that in which Blair had engagedstanding, waving at cars, and using words like `hey, babe' and `hey, honey' as the cars came up.... He replied that such activity would be prostitution-related. Q. [by the prosecutor]: And what do you mean by that? A. That they are trying to get a date, trying to get the guy to pull over so they can have a talk with them and see if they want a date. Q. And what do you mean by a date? A. Have sex for money. The defense evidence consisted of Blair's testimony that she was not soliciting for the purpose of prostitution, but was trying to hitch a ride home to Hyattsville, Maryland, because she had no money for bus fare. She testified that she worked as a baby-sitter for her sister during the day-time and evenings, but on that particular day she had been visiting friends in town. Blair acknowledged that near where she stood were two other women who were working prostitutes. She knew many people from that area because she had lived in the District of Columbia for thirteen years and had been a prostitute in the area for years. She said she knew the drivers of several of the cars she flagged down, but only by their first names, some of which she tried to recall. She specifically denied saying Hey, honey, Yoo hoo or Come back, come back, and also denied swinging her hips back and forth. The court credited the testimony of Officer Heilizer, noting that Blair's own testimony was almost identical. After considering all the evidence, the court said it was very simple to find that Blair was guilty of soliciting for prostitution.