Opinion ID: 2611058
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 9

Heading: Lack of specific description of the address and areas to be searched.

Text: The requirement that a warrant particularly describe the place to be searched originated from a desire to prevent the abusive use of general warrants. See generally State v. Anspach, 298 Or. 375, 378, 692 P.2d 602 (1984); State v. Atkinson, 298 Or. 1, 15-16, 688 P.2d 832 (1984). As stated in State v. Cortman, 251 Or. 566, 569, 446 P.2d 681 (1968), cert. den. 394 U.S. 951, 22 L.Ed.2d 487 (1969), this requirement was designed to narrow the scope of the search to those premises for which a magistrate has found probable cause to authorize to search. Contrary to defendant's contention that the description of the Marion County Jail required the police to search the entire jail to locate defendant, the warrant authorized a search of defendant, not of the jail. Furthermore, the law enforcement officials presumably could ascertain in which cell defendant was housed before beginning their search. This warrant posed no threat of an overbroad search and no evidence was seized in the jail other than by a search of defendant. Defendant's challenges to the second and third search warrants, authorizing searches of his apartment and his girlfriend's car, raise similar claims and are discussed together. Defendant contends that a more detailed description of the exterior details of the apartment (such as the color of the building and doors) and the car (such as its color or vehicle identification number) was required, and that the warrants should not have allowed searches of the entire apartment and car but should have been restricted to specific areas inside them. These contentions also are meritless. The warrants accurately and adequately described the areas to be searched. The second search warrant states: YOU ARE THEREFORE COMMANDED to make immediate search of: 1164 Pine Street NE, Salem, Marion County, Oregon which is an apartment in The Pine apartment complex, and the residence of Stephen Lewis Farrar, aka Timothy Michael House, and is located in the east building of a two building apartment complex in the southern half of the second floor. The apartment complex is located on the southeast corner of Cherry Avenue NE and Pine Street NE, Salem, Oregon. TO SEARCH FOR: White cloth bag, black athletic bag, TV, VCR, long underwear, cigarette butts, Floor sweepings, Nike shoes, clothing of Stephen Lewis Farrar, .380 Remington Peters semi automatic ammunition, casing, and any and all gun cleaning equipment; A diamond ring, necklaces, bracelets or other jewelry belonging to Murial Lucile Bentson; Ski mask and leather gloves; Any records pertaining to ammo or gun purchases and any other physical evidence of the aggravated murder of Muriel Bentson   . The third search warrant states: YOU ARE THEREFORE COMMANDED to make immediate search of: A 1968 Oldsmobile Toranado automobile, Oregon license No. AMN878 which is presently parked on the south side of The Pine apartment Complex hear the east building located near 1164 Pine Street NE, Salem, Marion County, Oregon. You are also commanded to tow the 1968 Oldsmobile to the Oregon State Police Crime Detection Laboratory automobile processing facility in Springfield, Oregon for searching and processing of the Oldsmobile. TO SEARCH FOR: cigarette butts, Floor sweepings, Nike shoes, clothing of Stephen Lewis Farrar. .380 Remington Peters semi automatic ammunition, casings, and any and all gun cleaning equipment; A diamond ring; necklaces, bracelets or other jewelry belonging to Muriel Lucile Bentson; Ski mask and leather gloves; Any records pertaining to ammunition or gun purchases and any other physical evidence of the aggravated murder of Muriel Bentson   . The detailed description of defendant's apartment, listing its street address and its location within the apartment complex, was sufficient to meet the standards under State v. Cortman, supra , and our recent case of State v. Devine, 307 Or. 341, 768 P.2d 913 (1989). Similarly, the description of the car by license plate number and by location also was sufficient to assure that the proper car was towed and searched. The search of the car and the apartment was justified by the warrants.