Opinion ID: 2172991
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 9

Heading: admissibility of the defendant's personal papers

Text: [7] The defendant argues that it was error to admit into evidence certain personal items and papers, some containing the defendant's name and showing his address as the same as that of the premises searched and others tending to connect the defendant to the premises in other respects. These items include a man's suit, shirt, and pair of shoes, a receipt from ABC Lock Company, re-receipts from Sears, a photograph of the defendant, two letters addressed to the defendant at that address, a speeding citation issued to the defendant, W-2 forms naming the defendant, a box of blank checks containing the defendant's name and address, and a promissory note issued to the defendant in the amount of $1,800. At trial Detective McKale identified these items, describing them and the manner and location in which they were found. No objections were heard from defense counsel during this testimony. At the close of the state's case, when the state moved the admission of all the state's exhibits, the defense objected to these items as beyond the scope of the search warrant and thus illegally seized. The trial court ruled that, under sec. 971.31(2), Stats., [2] the objection had been waived. No pretrial suppression motion was made relative to these items, nor does the defendant claim surprise by the use of this evidence at trial. The defendant contends that State v. Lenarchick, 74 Wis.2d 425, 247 N.W.2d 80 (1976), supports the argument that pretrial suppression of these items would not have been possible, and thus the objection was born upon the state's use of them. We do not see the merit of this position. Lenarchick merely held that no harm arose from a failure to order a pretrial suppression hearing with respect to photographs which were never admitted into evidence anyway. It clearly does not suggest that illegally seized evidence may not be suppressed. Moreover, even if it were as the defendant claims, the defendant failed to object as McKale testified regarding the items, which was the state's first use of the evidence. Finally, regardless of the defendant's failure to object, it is clear under our decisions in Morales v. State, 44 Wis.2d 96, 106-08, 170 N.W.2d 684 (1969), and Myers v. State, 60 Wis.2d 248, 261-62, 208 N.W.2d 311 (1973), that the defendant's objection is without merit. In Myers we adopted the following test for determining whether items not particularly mentioned in a search warrant may be properly seized: `. . . An officer may seize any property which is evidence of a crime, whether or not different from the crime by which the search was prompted, if: (1) the evidence is discovered in the course of a lawful search, whether initiated by a valid search warrant, a valid arrest warrant, circumstances justifying a lawful warrantless search, or circumstances justifying a lawful warrantless arrest, (2) the evidence in itself or in itself with facts known to the officer prior to the search, but without the necessity of subsequent development of additional facts, provides a connection between the evidence and criminal activity, (3) the evidence is discovered in the physical area properly searchable within the purposes for which the search was initiated, and (4) the evidence is discovered while the officer is actually searching for objects within the purpose for which the search was initiated.' Id. at 261, quoting United States v. McDonnell, 315 F. Supp. 152, 168 (D.C. Neb. 1970). On the record before us it is clear these four criteria have been satisfied, and thus the items in question were legally seized during the February 23, 1978, search of the defendant's premises. They could not be found objectionable on that basis.