Opinion ID: 484885
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: The Search of Bales' Automobile

Text: 25 Bales contends that a warrant issued on May 12, 1986, which authorized the search of his Ford LTD, lacked probable cause, and that any reliance on this warrant was unreasonable. Bales' arguments are unpersuasive in light of the relevant circumstances surrounding the search. 26 The key events spanned a four-day period. On May 9, 1986, FBI Special Agent Carroll arrested Bales for bank fraud. Carroll obtained Bales' consent to search his car in his presence. In a partial search, Carroll uncovered several financial documents. The following day, this agent filed an application for a warrant, with accompanying affidavits, pursuant to Fed.R.Crim.P. 5(a). These affidavits satisfied the totality of the circumstances test set out in Illinois v. Gates, 462 U.S. 213, 103 S.Ct. 2317, 76 L.Ed.2d 527 (1983). Carroll stated that he had previous knowledge of Bales' transactions with Central Fidelity. He also described his discovery of financial documents in Bales' car and a typewriter in the trunk. The affidavits established that Carroll had probable cause to believe the documents in Bales' car were linked to his crime of bank fraud. Thus, the search warrant issued by the magistrate was valid. 27 In view of the strong showing of probable cause, we need not address Bales' contention that, if the warrant was defective, the government had not met the good faith standard articulated in United States v. Leon, 468 U.S. 897, 104 S.Ct. 3405, 82 L.Ed.2d 677 (1984), which establishes that a law enforcement officer's good faith belief that probable cause exists excuses reliance upon a defective warrant. We note in passing, however, that Agent Carroll must certainly have believed that probable cause existed, since he had searched Bales' car himself with Bales' consent, and turned up the suspicious documents prior to obtaining the warrant. The affiant's personal knowledge of evidence indicating a crime strongly supports a probable cause determination. See United States v. Gallo, 599 F.Supp. 241 (W.D.N.Y.1984). 28