Opinion ID: 382937
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Reasonable Belief or Probable Cause for the Execution of the Arrest Warrant.

Text: 20 Citing what appears to them as laxity in the investigative work which led the agents to 191 Berry Hill Court, appellants argue, in essence, that there existed insufficient probable cause to believe that the fugitive was to be found within. They note that four months elapsed between receipt of the original, purportedly reliable information from the confidential informant concerning Warren's patronage of Haug Motors and Agent Kobyra's appearance there. Appellants further note that the investigators never procured an accurate physical description of their quarry, although this information was available from their own files or those of other law enforcement organizations, and argue that had an accurate description been obtained, the agents would have instantly realized their mistake when they first confronted Williams. Moreover, they charge that the agents could not have reasonably relied upon the recognition of Warren's photograph by the two neighbors since those individuals had had little or no contact with the occupant of No. 191 and were unable to discern distinguishing traits or features among blacks. 21 The law in this Circuit now holds that police may enter a dwelling to execute an arrest warrant for a person other than its owner or tenant where there exists reasonable belief that the party sought will be found therein. United States v. Arboleda, 633 F.2d 985, 990 n.6 (2d Cir. 1980) (Friendly, J.); see also United States v. Cravero, 545 F.2d 406, 421 (5th Cir. 1976), cert. denied, 429 U.S. 1100, 97 S.Ct. 1123, 51 L.Ed.2d 549 (1977). It would appear that the reasonable belief standard, as it has been applied in this jurisdiction, may require less justification than the more familiar probable cause test. But see United States v. Arboleda, supra, 633 F.2d at 992 (Oakes, J., dissenting); United States v. Hammond, 585 F.2d 26, 28 (2d Cir. 1978). In the instant case, of course, the agents believed they were entering the residence of the person for whom an arrest warrant had been issued. Putting aside, however, the question of whether for present purposes 191 Berry Hill Court could be deemed the residence of someone other than the fugitive such that the agents would be required to demonstrate some measure of certainty regarding the presence there of the party sought before attempting to execute the warrant within the house, we need not base our disposition of the issue on adherence to the reasonable belief standard as opposed to a probable cause standard. A cursory review of the relevant facts establishes that the agents had ample justification, well beyond that which would be required to satisfy the potentially more stringent probable cause standard, in concluding that the elusive Warren would be found within 191 Berry Hill Court. Warren was known to utilize the alias Williams. An employee of a Manhattan car dealership had identified a photograph of Warren as a picture of a customer who owned a Rolls Royce, used the name Williams, and lived at 191 Berry Hill Court. Warren was reportedly in the United States, and was believed to have previously directed criminal activities centered on Long Island. The confusion between Williams and Warren was understandably exacerbated by the fact that they had similar lifestyles, were both described as of Jamaican ancestry and had certain physical likenesses, albeit upon closer inspection, they were different in appearance. Perhaps most compelling, three citizens had made positive identifications of Williams as the fugitive being sought from the photograph of Warren displayed by Agent Kobyra, and one of the neighbors later called DEA headquarters to say that the individual was currently at home. See United States v. Arboleda, supra, 633 F.2d at 990 n.6. As the agents approached, appellant hastily retreated to the interior of his house where he briefly attempted to barricade himself. In light of the foregoing, the agents were fully justified in attempting to execute their arrest warrant. While appellant was, as it later developed, the victim of circumstance, those circumstances were no less real or compelling to the agents because they ultimately turned out to be remarkable coincidences. Cf. Hill v. California, 401 U.S. 797, 91 S.Ct. 1106, 28 L.Ed.2d 484 (1971); United States v. Rosario, 543 F.2d 6, 8 (2d Cir. 1976). 22 Adoption of appellants' position would require that the execution of an arrest warrant on the premises of a third party, or at least in a residence whose right to occupancy was in question, be accompanied by something approaching a certainty of success. Such a position, of course, must be rejected. The Supreme Court long ago observed that In dealing with probable cause . . . we deal with probabilities, Brinegar v. United States, 338 U.S. 160, 175, 69 S.Ct. 1302, 1310, 93 L.Ed. 1879 (1949). It is therefore of no consequence that a more thorough or more probing investigation might have cast doubt upon the lead Agent Kobyra was following. As we recently noted in a factually different but theoretically analogous context, 23 The essence of probable cause is a reasonable, objective basis for belief in a suspect's guilt, although not necessarily proof of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. 24 (W)hile the rule of probable cause does impose a requirement on police to act with more than mere suspicion of wrongdoing, the rule also gives police a permit to act with less than absolute certainty of guilt. 25 United States v. Webb, 623 F.2d 758, 761 (2d Cir. 1980) (emphasis in original). 26 Appellants' further assertion that the attempted execution of the warrant was attributable to the agents' desire to search an innocent person's home is equally without factual foundation. Arguably, Williams could have avoided the entry of the law enforcement officers into his home had he permitted them to question him as he lingered on his front landing. By fleeing to the interior of his home after the agents had announced their identities and intentions, Williams himself created an exigent circumstance which plainly justified the forcible entry into his home and the subsequent security check of the premises. United States v. Gomez, 633 F.2d 999, 1007-1008 (2d Cir. 1980); United States v. Soyka, 394 F.2d 443, 453-54 (2d Cir. 1968) (en banc, per Friendly, J.), cert. denied, 393 U.S. 1095, 89 S.Ct. 883, 21 L.Ed.2d 705 (1969). 27 Our review of the facts leads us to conclude that the agents, at a minimum, possessed probable cause to seek to execute the arrest warrant at 191 Berry Hill Court, and perforce, they had a reasonable belief in Warren's presence there. Indeed, given the resources and evasiveness of the fugitive, they would have been remiss in their duties had they not acted expeditiously on the information Agent Kobyra had developed. 28