Opinion ID: 1205245
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: prologue: underlying factual circumstances

Text: In this appeal we are asked to review the district court's application of the good faith exception to the probable cause requirement contained in art. 1, § 17 of the Idaho Constitution, and the court's refusal to order the State to disclose the identity of a paid confidential informant. For the reasons stated in this opinion, we apply the exclusionary rule which has evolved under our state constitutional jurisprudence and accordingly reverse the district court's refusal to suppress the evidence which was obtained pursuant to an invalid search warrant. Our resolution of that issue moots the further issue relative to defendant's contention that the trial court should have ordered the State to disclose the name of the informant. We begin our discussion with a review of the facts. Detective Ronald Axtman of the Twin Falls Police Department was supervising the paid informant. On February 23, 1987, the informant contacted Detective Axtman and stated that approximately 200 pounds of marijuana was being kept at a home on Gulch Lane in Twin Falls. The informant also stated that Jose Guzman had transported the marijuana from Arizona to Idaho. Detective Axtman took no action on the basis of this first call, other than to request the criminal history of Guzman from authorities in Arizona. During a second call from the informant, on February 26, 1987, the informant told Detective Axtman that approximately 100 pounds of marijuana remained at the Gulch Lane home. Following the second phone call, Axtman, along with another detective, went within a few hundred yards of the Gulch Lane residence to conduct surveillance. During this stakeout, Axtman saw a person fitting the general description of Guzman at the Gulch Lane residence. Axtman returned to his office and prepared an affidavit in support of a search warrant of the house and its outbuildings. Axtman applied to Judge Edwards for a search warrant without having first consulted anyone in the office of the prosecuting attorney. On Judge Edwards asking Axtman how it was that the informant knew the substance in the Gulch Lane home was marijuana, Axtman replied that the informant was familiar with the texture, coloring and other properties of marijuana, and Axtman made an additional entry by hand onto his affidavit to reflect this statement to the magistrate. The warrant was executed in the afternoon of February 26, 1987. Approximately thirty-six pounds of marijuana was found inside a locked freezer. The freezer was located in an outbuilding on the yard of the Gulch Lane residence. Guzman was found in the outbuilding, and at that time admitted possession of the marijuana. Guzman was charged on February 27, 1987, with possession of marijuana in excess of three ounces, and trial was set to begin May 12. The trial court issued three memorandum decisions and orders in response to preliminary motions made by the defense. The memorandum decision and order of July 30, 1987, denied Guzman's motion to suppress all of the evidence which was seized on executing of the warrant and also denied Guzman's motion to suppress statements made by him during and immediately after the search. A further decision on November 13, 1987, denied Guzman's motion requesting disclosure of the identity of the confidential informant. Guzman had requested a Leon hearing, at which time the issues relevant to the Leon good faith exception could be explored. Thereafter, on January 18, 1988, the district court again denied Guzman's motion to suppress all of the evidence. The defendant entered a plea of guilty and received a determinate five year sentence. After serving 120 days the sentence was suspended, and Guzman was placed on probation for five years. This appeal followed.