Opinion ID: 2263096
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 10

Heading: Admission of Fruits of the Car Search

Text: Appellant perceives reversible error in the trial court's admission of the fruits of the search of Appellant's car because the warrant for the search was not supported by probable cause. Police sought the warrant to search Appellant's car after Detective Rabbit, of the Missing Persons Unit, questioned Appellant. Detective Rabbit offered the following averments in the affidavit in support of the search warrant: On December 3, 2002 your affiant received a call for a missing person from Officer Petryseak [sic], 4C21. The missing child is identified as Marciano [sic] Monia [sic] Ringo (F/B/8 date of birth 5/2/1994). Your affiant's investigation under Baltimore Police Department Central Complain Number 02-4L01748, revealed that Marciano Monia Ringo was last seen in front of her school, which is located at 5201 Loch Raven Boulevard at 0735 hours (07:35 a.m.) this date. The missing child's mother, Milagro Wight [sic] (F/B/5/1977) advised that Jamal [sic] Abeakuto [sic] (M/B/ 12/1979) last saw the child, who left her apartment building to walk to school, Northwood Elementary School 5201 Loch Raven Boulevard. Milagro Wight advised that she contacted the school principal, who advised that Marciano Monia Ringo did not attend school on this date. Your affiant was advised by Officer Petryseak that he spoke with the missing child's father, Marc Ringo. He advised Officer Petryseak that he went to 5300 Leith Road Apartment C to pick his son up and while at the location he asked Jamal Abeakuto about the location of Marciano Monia Ringo. Marc Ringo advised that Jamal Abeakuto told him that she walked to school. Jamal Abeakuto advised Officer Petryseak that the child walked to school at 0735 hours and returned home at 0740 hours to get her homework signed. Jamal Abeakuto stated that he signed the homework and noticed that there was a note on the page concerning a filed trip to Port Discovery. Jamal Abeakuto stated that he drove Marciano Monia Ringo in his car back to Northwood Elementary School and dropped her off in front of the school by the front doors. Jamal Abeakuto advised that there was a yellow school bus with children and teachers around them. Jamal Abeakuto advised that he did not see Marciano Monia Ringo enter the school because he drove through the alley in the odd side of the 5200 block of Loch Raven Boulevard. Milagro Wight advised that when she spoke to the school principal, she was advised that Marciano Monia Ringo was not scheduled to go on a field trip today but rather on December 4, 2002. The apartment building and surrounding areas were canvassed for Marciano Monia Ringo; however, she could not be located. Marciano Monia Ringo was last seen wearing a pink Barbie fur coat, a white shirt, blue jeans and white and blue tennis shoes. Police thereafter executed the warrant and searched the car, recovering several items that were later introduced in evidence at trial and sentencing, including the gun, which was introduced in the sentencing phase and the Wal-mart receipt, which was introduced in the State's case-in-chief at trial. Appellant argues that the only support for the issuance of the search warrant was the fact that Appellant was the last person to have seen Marciana and that the situation presented by the averments in the affidavits an ordinary, everyday scenario  not suspicious circumstances that would constitute probable cause to search Appellant's vehicle. Although Appellant did not attack the warrant at the suppression hearing, the suppression court, sua sponte, found that the judge who issued the warrant had plenty of probable cause to issue this warrant. The State argues the issue was not preserved, contending that the validity of the search warrant was not presented to the suppression court by Appellant. Even if the issue were preserved, the State argues that the affidavit supported the issuing court's finding of probable cause. We conclude that the issue was preserved for appellant review, despite Appellant's failure to object at the suppression hearing, because the trial court made a finding, albeit gratuitously so, that the judge who issued the warrant had plenty of probable cause. Based upon the averments submitted by Detective Rabbit in the affidavit, we determine that the issuing judge had probable cause to issue the warrant to search Appellant's car. The applicable standard of review of a probable cause determination is: so long as the magistrate had a substantial basis for [] concluding that a search would uncover evidence of wrongdoing, the Fourth Amendment [of the U.S. Constitution] requires no more. Potts v. State, 300 Md. 567, 571, 479 A.2d 1335, 1337-38 (1984) (Internal quotations and citations omitted). The finding of probable cause must ordinarily be shown within the four corners of the affidavit supporting it. Valdez v. State, 300 Md. 160, 168, 476 A.2d 1162, 1166 (1984). The affidavit supporting the warrant to search Appellant's car indicated that the last place Marciana had been seen was in Appellant's car and that Appellant had dropped Marciana off at school. The affidavit also indicated that Marciana did not attend school that day. The affidavit notes another inconsistency in Appellant's statements that raised suspicion: Appellant had told the detective that he had seen a note for a field trip scheduled to take place that day (3 December 2002), but Ms. White told the detective that the school principal had told her that the field trip was scheduled for 4 December. We therefore conclude that the suppression court committed no error by admitting the fruits of the car search.