Opinion ID: 2622125
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Facial Sufficiency of Search Warrant

Text: ¶ 54 Wood claims that the search warrant is invalid on its face even assuming the State did not recklessly or intentionally omit material information. [22] Wood argues that Parker's criminal drug conviction precludes an inference that he is a reliable citizen informant. In her view, the magistrate could not reasonably credit the tip in the absence of independent police corroboration. Wood relies primarily on State v. Bittner, 66 Wash.App. 541, 832 P.2d 529 (1992) for her contention. In Bittner, a police affiant characterized a confidential informant as a `concerned citizen' who had never previously contacted the police department. Id. at 542, 832 P.2d 529. The officer further stated that a `thorough criminal records check' yielded negative results, failing to inform the magistrate that the informant was recently under investigation for impersonating a police officer. Id. After concluding the warrant affidavit was facially insufficient, the Court of Appeals reversed the conviction without determining whether the officer's omission invalidated the warrant. Nevertheless, the court expressed its disapproval of the officer's conduct, noting that he should have disclosed that the informant was under suspicion of a crime since such information is pertinent to assessing the informant's reliability. Bittner, 66 Wash.App. at 548, 832 P.2d 529. Wood asserts that Bittner stands for the proposition that the mere suspicion of an informant's past criminal activity negates an inference that the informant is a reliable citizen. ¶ 55 Wood's reliance on Bittner is misplaced. Unlike in Bittner, here there is no showing that the police affiant knew more about Parker's criminal involvement than was disclosed during the warrant application. Also, here the police affiant did not gloss over the informant's identity by characterizing him as a concerned citizen but disclosed his name and known criminal history. Further, Bittner states only that an informant's suspected criminal activity should be disclosed because it is pertinent to a veracity determination; it does not suggest that an informant's criminal history is dispositive or necessarily precludes an inference of reliability that may be raised by the nature of the tip and the disclosure of the informant's identity. See State v. Northness, 20 Wash.App. 551, 558, 582 P.2d 546 (1978). Here, Parker's criminal conviction was a factor that the magistrate could take into account in determining whether to credit his information. ¶ 56 More significantly, whether Parker fits neatly in the category of citizen informant is beside the point in this case because the probable cause determination did not rest solely on the presumed inherent reliability of a citizen informant. Even when an informant is not shown to be inherently reliable, other indicia of reliability may establish that the informant was reliable on the particular occasion. State v. Lair, 95 Wash.2d 706, 711, 630 P.2d 427 (1981); Charles W. Johnson, Survey of Washington Search and Seizure Law: 2005 Update, 28 SEATTLE U.L.REV. 467, 530 (1988). ¶ 57 Here, several facts and circumstances are relevant to Parker's veracity. An informant's willingness to come forward and identify himself is a strong indicator of reliability. Such a person may be held accountable for false accusations. Although merely providing a name to police is not sufficient to credit an informant (since a person could easily give a false name), in this case Parker not only provided a name and address but also agreed to come to the police station for an interview. See State v. Duncan, 81 Wash.App. 70, 78, 912 P.2d 1090 (1996); State v. Rodriguez, 53 Wash.App. 571, 576, 769 P.2d 309 (1989). ¶ 58 Parker made statements against his penal interest when he told King that he helped Chenoweth make methamphetamine and used the drug with him during earlier visits to the house. Statements against penal interest are intrinsically reliable because a person is unlikely to make a self-incriminating admission unless it is true. Lair, 95 Wash.2d at 711, 630 P.2d 427 (Since one who admits criminal activity to a police officer faces possible prosecution, it is generally held to be a reasonable inference that a statement raising such a possibility is a credible one.); see 2 LaFave, supra, § 3.3(c), at 131-32. ¶ 59 King supplied the magistrate with additional facts and circumstances relevant to the commissioner's assessment of Parker's veracity. The fact that Parker had a dispute with Chenoweth over his car provides a plausible explanation for why he had gone to the property that morning and why he decided to contact the police afterward. When read as a whole, the telephonic warrant affidavit provides sufficient information to support the commissioner's decision to credit Parker's tip. Parker's willingness to identify himself and to appear at the police station for an interview, his statements against penal interest, together with the detailed nature of his tip and other facts and circumstances that explain his reasons for being at the scene and for contacting the police, provide an adequate basis for crediting his information. Accordingly, we hold that the search warrant is valid on its face.