Opinion ID: 1762922
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: admission into evidence of defendant's tennis shoes

Text: The defendant argues that the trial court erred in failing to suppress the introduction of the defendant's tennis shoes. The shoes were seized pursuant to a search warrant issued on June 13th, on the basis of an affidavit which defendant alleges was defective. In particular, it is claimed that the affidavit failed to set forth information from which it could be determined that the proffered probable cause was contemporaneous with the application. It is well established that information contained in an affidavit must be sufficiently recent so as to justify a finding of probable cause at the time of the issuance of the search warrant. Sgro v. United States, 287 U.S. 206, 53 S.Ct. 138, 77 L.Ed.2d 260 (1932); State v. Humble, 309 So.2d 138 (La.1975). In State v. Boudreaux, 304 So.2d 343 (La. 1974) this Court recognized that an affidavit is adequate if a common-sense construction of the face of the affidavit tends to establish that the information contained therein is correct. See also State v. Turner, 337 So.2d 1090 (La.1976). In the present case the affidavit provided in pertinent part: The probable cause is based on the following: After interrogating one DAVID LINER, white male subject who was picked up in the connection with the ROXANNA BARRILLEAUX, homicide we were advised by LINER that the shoes which had left blood marks within the trailer of the victim and also on the front steps belonged to him (LINER) and that they were presently located in the storage closet at his residence in Baldwin. Subject further advised that he was at the residence around midnight of the homicide, (Friday, May 19, 1978) Liner was picked up after investigation showed that the fingerprints found in the trailer near the body of the deceased belonged to him (DAVID LINER) Liner had also given officers an alibi as to his whereabouts on the night of the murder which when checked out by officers, found to be false. PERMISSION IS GRANTED TO CONDUCT THIS SEARCH IN THE DAYTIME, NIGHT TIME SUNDAYS AND HOLIDAYS. Additional info: David Liner further advised that the shoes are hidden in a suitcase, which was placed on the rack of the storage closet (closet located near his mothers bedroom). Defendant points out that all of the foregoing facts are spelled out in the past tense and that the only date given is May 19, 1978, the date of the homicide. This affidavit was presented to the issuing magistrate on June 13, 1978; therefore it is apparent from the face of the affidavit that the information contained therein must have been received during the preceding twenty-five days after the crime was committed. This affidavit is distinguishable from the contested affidavits in most other cases, because in this case the defendant himself was the source of the information concerning the location, in his own closet, of the tennis shoes. This is not a case, then, in which the information is received from third parties, and often involves rapidly consumable contraband, outside the control of the informant, and therefore unlikely to remain in a designated location for any extended period of time. See, State v. Huff, 392 So.2d 1046 (La.1980); State v. Ogden and Geraghty, 391 So.2d 434 (La. 1980). On these facts it was reasonable for the magistrate to have believed that the evidence had not been disposed of but rather remained at the place to be searched at the time of the proposed search. See, State v. Lewis, 385 So.2d 226 (La.1980). This assignment of error lacks merit.