Opinion ID: 1878549
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Whether an erroneous address listed on the search warrant renders it invalid.

Text: Tyson contends that his address was 401-C North Church Street. Therefore, he argues, because the warrant was issued for the search of 401-A North Church Street, it failed to designate with particularity the location actually searched and is therefore invalid. Tyson's argument is without merit. An error in the address does not necessarily invalidate a warrant. In United States v. Burke, 784 F.2d 1090, 1092 (11th Cir.), cert. denied, 476 U.S. 1174, 106 S.Ct. 2901, 90 L.Ed.2d 987 (1986), the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit noted: A warrant's description of the place to be searched is not required to meet technical requirements or have the specificity sought by conveyancers. The warrant need only describe the place to be searched with sufficient particularity to direct the searcher, to confine his examination to the place described, and to advise those being searched of his authority. An erroneous description of premises to be searched does not necessarily render a warrant invalid. In this case, law-enforcement officers, while attempting to execute an arrest warrant issued against Tyson, located his residence. The officers did not find Tyson; instead, they found several armed persons in his residence. In their opinion, that circumstance indicated a high degree of probability that the weapon used in the Union Springs shooting would be found on the premises. At that time, Agent Smith left officers securing the premises while he sought the search warrant. In his effort to secure the search warrant, Agent Smith spoke with Tyson's landlord and obtained a copy of Tyson's lease agreement, which lists Tyson's apartment number as 401-A rather than 401-C. Considering that Agent Smith, the executing officer, had been to Tyson's residence and had left officers securing that residence, there can be little doubt that he planned to return to the correct residence to conduct the search. The actions of Agent Smith and the officers who stayed behind to secure the premises ensured that there would be no mistake as to which apartment the police intended to search. Under these circumstances, we decline to say that, because the wrong apartment number appeared on the face of the warrant, the warrant was invalid.