Opinion ID: 538915
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Absence of a Deliberately or Recklessly False Affidavit

Text: 21 There is no showing here that the state municipal judge issued the warrant in reliance on a deliberately or recklessly false affidavit. Franks v. Delaware, 438 U.S. 154, 155-56, 98 S.Ct. 2674, 2676-77, 57 L.Ed.2d 667 (1978). Under the Supreme Court's decision in Franks, when a defendant makes a substantial preliminary showing that intentionally or recklessly false statements are included in an affidavit supporting a search warrant and that the affidavit without the false statements is insufficient to support a finding of probable cause, the defendant is entitled to a hearing on the matter. Id. at 171, 98 S.Ct. at 2684. At the hearing the defendant must establish knowing or reckless falsity by a preponderance of the evidence before he may obtain suppression of the evidence obtained from the search. Id. An affiant's negligence or innocent mistake resulting in false statements in the affidavit is not enough to satisfy a defendant's burden. Id. at 171, 98 S.Ct. at 2684; United States v. Orr, 864 F.2d 1505, 1508 (10th Cir.1988). In the instant case, it is unclear whether Corral even requested a Franks hearing before the district court. [See Record, Vol. I at doc. 57, pp. 1-4, Defendant's Proposed Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law, which lists 27 separate issues arising out of the suppression hearing, none of which pertain to Franks ]. Although Corral made allegations of false statements at the suppression hearing, the Franks issue is mentioned only in the most cursory fashion in the papers before us, 2 and the district court made no Franks findings in its suppression order. 22 In finding an absence of probable cause in the affidavit, however, the district court relied heavily on Sergeant Kohler's apparent lack of knowledge that 110 Northstar Drive was Corral's address: 23 In the affidavit for search warrant, Sgt. Kohler erroneously stated that [a]t the time of his arrest suspect Rene Corral gave his address as 110 Northstar Drive Pittsburg, California. No one now contends that Corral made this statement. At the time the affidavit was filled out, police knew only that 110 Northstar Drive was the address listed on Corral's driver's license. 24 Corral, 702 F.Supp. at 1548 (emphasis added). This error does not rise to the level of a deliberate falsehood under Franks. Moreover, the district court made no findings that the affidavit information regarding Corral's address was either deliberately or recklessly false. Finally, a careful review of the record reveals that no such findings could be made. 25 In the context of a Franks challenge, the focus is the credibility of the affiant. 438 U.S. at 171, 98 S.Ct. at 2684. Here, Kohler's affidavit clearly indicates that he was not present at the scene of Corral's arrest in Wyoming. Instead, Kohler received the information regarding the Wyoming arrest and the location of Corral's residence from investigator Tony Hinton. [Record, Affidavit at 3-5]. There is nothing in this record to suggest that Kohler deliberately falsified the information he received from Hinton. At best, Corral has shown nothing more than either a miscommunication error by Hinton or an innocent error by Kohler, both of which are insufficient to satisfy his burden under Franks and its progeny. 3 United States v. Page, 808 F.2d 723, 729 (10th Cir.), cert. denied, 482 U.S. 918, 107 S.Ct. 3195, 96 L.Ed.2d 683, later proceeding, 828 F.2d 1476, cert. denied, 484 U.S. 989, 108 S.Ct. 510, 98 L.Ed.2d 508 (1987); United States v. Carlson, 697 F.2d 231, 238 (8th Cir.1983). 26 But whether Corral actually stated his address to authorities as 110 Northstar Drive, or authorities knew only that 110 Northstar Drive was the address listed on his driver's license, is of little significance. Under Section 14600 of the California Vehicle Code, law enforcement officials are entitled to presume that the address listed on the driver's license of a California resident is the individual's residence. 4 Thus, Sergeant Kohler was entitled to presume that 110 Northstar Drive was Corral's residence. That the affidavit in support of the warrant may have incorrectly noted the source of this information is of no consequence. As the Supreme Court explained in Illinois v. Gates, 462 U.S. at 235, 103 S.Ct. at 2330: affidavits 'are normally drafted by nonlawyers in the midst and haste of a criminal investigation. Technical requirements of elaborate specificity once exacted under common law pleadings have no proper place in this area.'  (quoting Ventresca, 380 U.S. at 108, 85 S.Ct. at 746); accord United States v. McCoy, 781 F.2d 168, 172 (10th Cir.1985) (warrant is not to be read in such a restrictive manner as will discourage officer from seeking warrant before conducting search). 27