Opinion ID: 2223913
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: whether there was probable cause

Text: In the instant case, the defendant initially contends that the trial court erred in not suppressing the evidence arising from defendant's warrantless arrest made in his motel room because the intrusion and arrest were effected without probable cause under the Michigan Constitution. [2] The defendant states that the basis of the prosecutor's assertion that the police had probable cause was information provided by an individual who was a suspect in the felonies committed by the defendant. While the defendant admits that independent corroboration of otherwise insufficiently trustworthy information can provide police with probable cause, he believes that the quantum of corroboration required should be especially great where, as here, the source of the information is    a suspected perpetrator of the crime. We believe, however, that the legal standards traditionally employed by appellate courts indicate that the information acted upon by the police met the requirements under the Michigan Constitution. The first rule in determining whether an officer had probable cause to make an arrest is whether there are any facts which would lead a reasonable person to believe that the suspected person has committed a felony. E.g., People v Ward, 226 Mich 45; 196 NW 971 (1924). Secondly, a police officer's belief that a defendant has committed a felony must be based on facts which are present at the moment of the arrest. E.g., People v Stewart, 232 Mich 670; 206 NW 337 (1925). [3] Thus, this Court laid down the following standard to be employed by Michigan appellate courts when applying these two rules: Therefore, in reviewing a claim that a police officer lacked probable cause to arrest, the reviewing court must determine whether facts available to the officer at the moment of arrest would justify a fair-minded person of average intelligence in believing that the suspected person had committed a felony. Each case must be analyzed in light of the particular facts confronting the arresting officer. People v Harper, 365 Mich 494; 113 NW2d 808 (1962). [4] In undertaking this factual review, it is important to note that information indicating probable cause for an arrest must be comprised of sufficient facts to permit an independent determination that the person supplying the information is reliable and that the information is based on something more substantial than casual rumor. United States v Haynie, 637 F2d 227, 232-233 (CA 4, 1980). In deciding that the officers had probable cause to arrest, the Court of Appeals wrote the following: On appeal, defendant claims that the trial court erred in denying his motion to suppress. However, review of the record convinces us that the arresting officers were provided with sufficient probable cause to effect defendant's warrantless arrest. The testimony of the arresting officers indicated that they had received trustworthy information concerning Mrs. Mallard's description of the incident and of defendant; that officers Cornish and Chopps traced a set of footprints from complainant's home to the Willow Acres Motel; that the proprietor of a nearby market reported three persons buying merchandise with exceptional amounts of coins and two-dollar bills; and that the driver of the automobile with the license plate number reported by Mr. Jankowski, the storekeeper, told officers that the person who was spending the two-dollar bills and coins was at room 10 of the Willow Acres Motel. This information was sufficient to warrant a prudent person in believing that defendant had committed a felony. MCL 764.15; MSA 28.874; People v Flores, 92 Mich App 130; 284 NW2d 510 (1979); People v Langston, 57 Mich App 666, 671-673; 226 NW2d 686 (1975). Thus, we hold that the officers had probable cause to arrest the defendant under article 1, § 11 of the Michigan Constitution. [5]