Opinion ID: 1477667
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Officers had Probable Cause

Text: [¶ 18] Probable cause exist when the officers' personal knowledge of facts and circumstances, in combination with any reasonably trustworthy information conveyed to them, would warrant a prudent person to believe that there is evidence of a crime. State v. Kirby, 2005 ME 92, ¶ 11 n. 3, 878 A.2d 499, 502 (quotation marks omitted); see also, State v. Michael M., 2001 ME 92, ¶ 6, 772 A.2d 1179, 1182. [¶ 19] At the time of the warrantless search of the chicken barn, officers had probable cause to believe they would find evidence of a crime. The officers gained information through two informants, Harmon and Labonte, both of whom had detailed knowledge of Bilynsky's involvement in the manufacturing of methamphetamine. Furthermore, both Harmon and Labonte independently stated that they had personally observed Bilynsky cook methamphetamine three months prior to the search. The cooking process resulted in a drug that produced effects consistent with the use of methamphetamine. Although Harmon and Labonte were under investigation for the manufacturing of methamphetamine, and had an incentive to cooperate with the investigating officers and provide information that would take the investigation away from them, as aspiring manufacturers, they also had a basis of knowledge on which to rest their conclusions. [¶ 20] Harmon and Labonte also provided specific information detailing the location of Bilynsky's residence and the means by which he transported his manufacturing paraphernalia. The officers corroborated both the location of the chicken barn and the presence of the red van that Harmon and Labonte described. [¶ 21] Upon arrival at the chicken barn, Kelly observed evidence that confirmed Harmon's and Labonte's statements that Bilynsky was involved in the manufacturing of methamphetamine. Kelly smelled an odor consistent with odors produced in the manufacturing process; he noticed an air conditioner turned on high, despite a cool ambient temperature; and he observed an individual not wearing a gas mask heating a container. [¶ 22] The officers were justified in relying upon Harmon's and Labonte's three-month-old information in determining probable cause. We have considered the following circumstances in determining whether evidence sought is likely to remain in place at the time of a search: (1) the character of the criminal activity under investigation, i.e., discrete crime or regenerating conspiracy; (2) the character of the accused, i.e., nomadic or entrenched; (3) the character of the thing to be seized, i.e., whether it is perishable or easily transferable; and (4) the place to be searched, i.e., forum of convenience or operational base. State v. Wright, 2006 ME 13, ¶ 9 n. 3, 890 A.2d 703, 706. [¶ 23] The statements given to the officers indicated that Bilynsky was not involved in a single, isolated, criminal incident, but a complex and continuing criminal enterprise. The laboratory equipment, though apparently portable, was likely to be in existence as long as the manufacturing of methamphetamine continued, and the chicken barn was described as a permanent headquarters for Bilynsky's operation, not a temporary outpost. Indeed, the information provided did not describe a fleeting operation, but an entrenched clandestine laboratory. These circumstances suggested that, in all likelihood, Bilynsky's methamphetamine manufacturing continued for the three months since his last encounter with Labonte. [¶ 24] Additionally, to the extent that the information supplied by Harmon and Labonte was stale, Kelly's personal observations, which corroborated their statements, freshened the old information. See id. ¶ 11, 890 A.2d at 706. [¶ 25] The combination of the statements conveyed to the officers by Harmon and Labonte and the officers' personal observations before they entered the chicken barn would warrant a prudent person to believe that the premises contained evidence of the manufacturing of methamphetamine.