Opinion ID: 835638
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Search of Defendant's Car

Text: Defendant next contends that the February 28, 1998, search of his black Acura was unlawful. He advances several arguments, only one of which merits discussion. Defendant argues, in fact, that the search warrant affidavit improperly relies on hearsay statements by certain unnamed informants, (identified only as persons living in the Fraser household) without establishing the informants' reliability or basis of knowledge, as ORS 133.545(4) requires. [8] The short answer to defendant's concern is that the statements at issue were not vital for establishing probable cause. Defendant also questions the reliability of certain other statements reported in the affidavitspecifically, those of Fraser's friend, Tate. Tate's statements were necessary to establish probable cause to believe that defendant was involved in Fraser's death: She reported that defendant was an older guy who always was hitting on Fraser, that Marty gave Fraser fake ID and alcohol and took her to nightclubs, and that Fraser believed that Marty had raped her after giving her some pills that knocked her out. Defendant contends that, because many of Tate's statements were double hearsay (she reported statements made to her by Fraser), her statements should not be considered reliable. Again, we disagree. The reliability of Tate's statements can be inferred from the fact that Tate was a citizen informant who was willing to have her name used and who had no apparent motive to falsely accuse defendant. Moreover, her statements were based either on her own personal observation and knowledge or statements made to her by Fraser about matters that would have been within Fraser's personal observation and knowledge. There is no statutory or constitutional requirement that the affidavit contain any more particular proof of the reliability of Tate's statements. See, e.g., State v. Farrar, 309 Or. 132, 144-45, 786 P.2d 161 (1990) (indicating that constitutional standards for determining sufficiency of warrant based on information supplied by unnamed informant set out in Aguilar v. Texas, 378 U.S. 108, 84 S.Ct. 1509, 12 L.Ed.2d 723 (1964), overruled by, Illinois v. Gates, 462 U.S. 213, 103 S.Ct. 2317, 76 L.Ed.2d 527 (1983), and Spinelli v. United States, 393 U.S. 410, 89 S.Ct. 584, 21 L.Ed.2d 637 (1969), overruled by, Illinois v. Gates, 462 U.S. 213, 103 S.Ct. 2317, 76 L.Ed.2d 527 (1983), and codified at ORS 133.545(4) are inapplicable when information contained in an affidavit is provided by a named informant and that, in such cases, court construes affidavit in common sense and realistic fashion to determine if there is probable cause).