Opinion ID: 1861263
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Sufficiency of facts asserted in affidavit for search warrant.

Text: Prior to the omnibus hearing, defense counsel moved to suppress evidence obtained pursuant to the search warrant issued on December 22, 1976, on the ground that the affidavit in support of the application for the warrant failed to state facts sufficient to establish probable cause for issuance. The trial court denied the motion, finding the affidavit sufficient, and ruled that all evidence seized pursuant to the warrant, except that not described in the inventory and return, was admissible. Defendant argues on appeal that the affidavit failed to allege facts sufficient to establish probable cause and that it failed to establish that information obtained from unidentified informants was reliable. Both the Federal and Minnesota constitutions require that no warrant shall be issued absent a showing of probable cause for search. U.S.Const. Amend. IV; Minn.Const. art. 1, § 10. Three requirements are necessary for a search warrant to comply with constitutional standards: (1) a neutral and detached magistrate, not the police officer engaged in ferreting out crime, is to determine whether probable cause authorizing a search exists, Johnson v. United States, 333 U.S. 10, 14, 68 S.Ct. 367, 369, 92 L.Ed. 436, 440 (1948); (2) in making that determination, the magistrate is to consider only the information presented at the time of the application for the search warrant, Aguilar v. Texas, 378 U.S. 108, 84 S.Ct. 1509, 12 L.Ed.2d 723 (1964); and (3) the affidavits for the search warrant must be tested and interpreted by [the magistrate]    in a commonsense and realistic fashion. United States v. Ventresca, 380 U.S. 102, 108, 85 S.Ct. 741, 746, 13 L.Ed.2d 684, 689 (1965). State v. LaBarre, supra, 292 Minn. at 233, 195 N.W.2d at 439. It is the adequacy of the affidavit that is at issue here. The facts alleged in the affidavit included the following: the body of the victim was found in the fruit cellar of her home; the home had not been disturbed; efforts had been made to conceal the blood; defendant was a tenant of the upstairs portion of the victim's home; the victim had not been seen for several days prior to the discovery of her body; defendant had been seen at the house during that period. The first three facts were based on the officer's personal observations; the last three were learned by the officer from the victim's neighbors and relatives. An affidavit may be based on hearsay information. But the magistrate, in order to determine whether such information is sufficient to establish probable cause, must be informed of the basis for the informant's knowledge and of the reasons for the officer's conclusion that the informer is credible or his information reliable. Aguilar v. Texas, supra, 378 U.S. at 114, 84 S.Ct. at 1514, 12 L.Ed.2d at 729. In this case, information was given by relations and neighbors. The affidavit states that the neighbors' information was based on their personal observations of the victim and defendant. Although ideally the officer should have articulated his reasons for believing these persons, the magistrate could, using his common sense, reasonably find that neighbors and relations are likely to give reliable information to the police. This court has stated that  `   the test of probable cause is met if the affidavit sets forth competent evidence sufficient to lead a reasonably prudent man to believe that there is a basis for the search.' State v. McConoughey, 282 Minn. 161, 167, 163 N.W.2d 568, 573 (1968), quoting State v. Suess, 280 Minn. 308, 312, 159 N.W.2d 180, 182 (1968). The facts personally observed by the officer are sufficient to establish that a crime was committed and that it was committed in the victim's home. This information, together with the information from the neighbors and relatives about defendant, was sufficient to lead a reasonably prudent person to believe that there might be additional evidence in defendant's rooms. Assuming, arguendo, that the warrant was not properly issued, only two pieces of evidence seized pursuant to the warrant were admitted at trial: the jackknife and the blue shirt. In light of the amount of incriminating evidence presented, it is unlikely that the admission of these two pieces of evidence was prejudicial. Although evidence seized pursuant to an illegal warrant is inadmissible, Mapp v. Ohio, 367 U.S. 643, 81 S.Ct. 1684, 6 L.Ed.2d 1081 (1961), absent prejudice to the defendant, improper admission does not require reversal of defendant's conviction.