Court Opinion

ID: 9519055
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-07 01:07:52.6576+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T12:41:08.590556
License: Public Domain

BUCHANAN, Chief Judge,
dissenting.
DISSENTING OPINION
My dissent is based upon reasonable inferences arising from the information contained in the probable cause affidavit which was placed before the magistrate for his consideration.1 The affidavit recited that:
*785"'The reasons and grounds for affiant's belief that there is probable cause for searching said trunk of 1974 Ford Torino are as follows: That affiant, Michael Parker observed the car in Upland, Grant County, Indiana, at approximately 11 pm. on Nov. 16, 1982 while on patrol. Affiant saw the car drive into two service stations in Upland and then drive out and approximately one-half hour later affiant again saw the Ford, this time parked behind the Upland Tavern. On each occasion there were three subjects in the Ford Torimo. Affiant went on another call and then at approximately 12:34 a.m. on Nov. 17, 1982 affiant saw the Ford on W. Urban Street, Upland, Grant County, Indiana, and saw two of the subjects get out of the car and walk behind the Union 76 Service Station, corner of E. Urban and N. Main Streets, Upland, and try to open the rear door. Affiant called for assistance on a possible burglary being committed and Grant County Sheriff's Deputies Charles Rudi-cel and Dave Magers arrived shortly, but the men were gone and affiant described their car and Deputy Magers said he had past [sic] that car on the way into Upland and the Sheriff's deputies then went after the Ford Torino which they stopped at Indiana 22 and I-69, Grant County, Indiana, writing traffic citations for the driver, Steve Mers, on charges of improper headlights, false registration and operating a motor vehicle on a beginner's permit without a licensed drive [sic] present.
The Ford Torino was then impounded because none of the three occupants was a licensed driver and in an inventory of the passenger compartment, approximately $7.00 in loose quarters, U.S. coins, was [sic] found in a white tee-shirt and two $1.00 bills, U.S. Currency, were found on the backseat floorboard.
Affiant radioed Upland Marshal Roger Brown and had him check businesses in Upland and Brown found the Starland Arcade, located in the 100 block of E. Washington Street, Upland, Grant County, Indiana, had been entered after the lock hasp on the front door had been cut and radioed the information to affiant who then returned to Upland.
That Marshal Brown checked the Star-land Arcade and found trash on the floor and the doors to amusement machines and a cigarette machine all open and the coin boxes empty.
Affiant checked the area around the outside of the arcade and across the street, slightly to the south of the Arcade, affi-ant found a pair of metal cutters, and behind the Upland Tavern where affiant had seen the Ford Torino parked affiant and Deputy Sheriff Bill Norton found a blue die (one of pair of dice) made of foam material. That, later, when affiant examined the passenger compartment of the Ford Torino at the Grant County Jail, affiant found a second blue foam die which matched the one he had found behind the service station, each die having red polka dots on it.
That David W. Oaks, operator of the Starland Arcade, told affiant and Marshal Brown that a cream or off-white colored plastic trash basket approximately two feet in height was missing from the arcade and that the trash on the floor had been in the basket. Oaks said numerous packages of various brands of cigarettes had been taken from the cigarette vending machine in the arcade. Affiant believes the plastic trash basket and the packages of cigarettes are in the trunk compartment of the 1974 blue Ford Torino and therefore asks that a search warrant be issued to search the trunk compartment of the Ford Torino."
Record at 282. In assessing this affidavit, we heed Justice Pivarnik's admonition that "[a]) magistrate need only find there is probable cause to issue a search warrant which is based upon probability of crimi-mal activity and not necessarily upon a prima facie showing that there is criminal conduct or that contraband will be found." Everroad v. State (1982), Ind., 442 N.E.2d 994, 1005 (emphasis supplied) see also Layman v. State (1980), Ind.App., 407 N.E.2d 259, 263, trans. denied ("Probable *786cause need not be established by that quantum of evidence necessary for a conviction nor need it be established by evidence which would be admissible at trial.").
The totality of the cireumstances contained in the affidavit shows that defendant-appellant Steven A. Mers (Mers) and his cohorts were cruising the alleys and byways of Upland, Indiana during the late evening and early morning hours. Two of the car's occupants, after stops behind other businesses, were observed walking behind a service station and attempting to open the rear door. Mers and his companions were not under continuous observation by the police during their activities, but subsequent investigation revealed that the Starland Arcade had been broken into, and cigarettes were missing from a machine, coin boxes were empty, and a wastebasket had been removed from the premises. Behind some of the businesses where the suspicious vehicle was earlier observed, a blue die was found which matched another in the passenger compartment of Mers's car. Moreover, a pair of metal cutters was found where Mers's car was earlier observed, and the Starland Arcade had been entered after the hasp on the lock had been cut. The affidavit further reflected that an inventory search of the occupants of Mers's car and the passenger compartment revealed loose quarters wrapped in a tee-shirt, but no other contraband. Thus, the magistrate was presented with information which revealed highly suspicious activity in a small town, late at night, which was tied directly to the vehicle Mers was driving.
This is clearly sufficient for the magistrate to conclude the probability of erimi-nal activity. Furthermore, the probable location of the contraband in the trunk of the automobile was a reasonable deduction based upon the connection of the vehicle with Mers's criminal activity and the fact the inventory search of the passenger compartment did not reveal the contraband which, because of its size and volume, was not easily hidden. The majority seizes on the fact that the affidavit neglects to mention whether the service station that Mers's cohorts attempted to enter was closed. The lateness of the hour and surreptitious manner of approach lead to a reasonable inference that it was not open at the time.
The totality of the circumstances allowed the judge to infer that Mers and his cohorts were likely involved in the break-in of the arcade and that the contraband was probe-bly secreted in the trunk of Mers's car. That is all that our case law requires for the issuance of the warrant. Everroad, supra; Layman, supra. To hold otherwise is to ignore the United States Supreme Court's warning that " 'courts should not invalidate ... warrant[s] by interpreting affidavitls] in a hypertechnical, rather than a commonsense, manner."" Illinois v. Gates (1983), 462 U.S. 213, 236, 103 S.Ct. 2317, 2331, 76 L.Ed.2d 527 (quoting United States v. Ventresca (1965), 380 U.S. 102, 109, 85 S.Ct. 741, 746, 13 L.Ed.2d 684).
As I read the affidavit, the probability of criminal activity is overwhelming. The decision of the learned trial judge finding probable cause for the issuance of the search warrant should be affirmed.

. Because I conclude that the probable cause affidavit was sufficient, I do not reach the question of the applicability of the "good faith" exception to the exclusionary rule for the fruit of an illegal search announced in United States v. Leon (1984), -- U.S. --, 104 S.Ct. 3405, 82 L.Ed.2d 677.