Opinion ID: 1674080
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Arrests, Search and Seizure

Text: The first bill of exceptions involves the contention that prejudicial error occurred during the trial, because of violations of rights guaranteed defendants by both the State and Federal Constitutions relating to arrest and search and seizure. Defendants bottom this assignment of error on what they consider to be the erroneous rulings of the trial court when it admitted the money and gun barrel in evidence and permitted Vigurie to testify concerning what he saw and heard at the time of the arrests. Under this contention of the defense, it is asserted that the arrests of these defendants were illegal and the search and seizure resulting from those arrests were unlawful. Thus, it is argued, the money, gun barrel and Vigurie's testimony were the tainted fruit of the illegal arrests, search and seizure. Inadmissibility of the evidence is claimed because the arrest, search and seizure were made without warrants, and the arresting officers had no reasonable belief or probable cause to conclude that defendants had murdered Goalda Brookman. Although conceding there was no warrant for the arrest of these defendants and that the officers had no warrant to search the Monticello Street house, the State takes the position that warrants were unnecessary. The prosecutor says the officers were to some extent in hot pursuit of the robber-murderers and, more importantly, that there was evidence which gave them reasonable belief or probable cause to conclude that Cleveland and Morris Johnson were the parties they sought. Hence, the prosecutor argues, the arrests of the defendants were legal and the ensuing search of the dwelling and seizure of objects therein were also lawful as incident to those arrests. Objects seized in the house were, therefore, admissible in evidence at the trial. Likewise, oral testimony concerning facts and statements surrounding the arrest was also properly admitted. Thus, the issues presented by this first assignment of error are: (1) whether the arrests of Cleveland and Morris Johnson by Detective Vigurie and the other officers were made on reasonable belief or probable cause that the Johnsons had murdered Goalda Brookman and, if so, (2) were the search of the Monticello Street house, the seizure of the money and gun barrel and the facts learned at that time, to which Vigurie testified, incident to those arrests?