Court Opinion

ID: 9847722
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-24 04:06:16.463799+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:17:29.023663
License: Public Domain

McMurray, Presiding Judge,
dissenting.
I respectfully dissent as it is my view that the warrant for the search of defendant’s jail cell was issued for the unlawful purpose of seizing “private papers” in violation of OCGA § 17-5-21 (a) (5).
The majority relies heavily on a Fourth Amendment analysis in determining that the warranted search of defendant’s jail cell was proper. It is my view that such an analysis is unnecessary. “After all, ‘Georgia has long granted more protection to its citizens than has the United States. . . .’ Creamer v. State, 229 Ga. 511, 515 (192 SE2d 350). And, although Georgia cannot provide less protection for its citizenry, it can provide more. Id.” Smith v. City of East Point, 183 Ga. App. 659, 660 (1) (359 SE2d 692).
One of defendant’s accomplices received an anonymous letter with a return address from the jail where defendant was incarcerated. The letter personally and affectionately refers to the accomplice and advises the accomplice to “make sure the lawyer withdraw [sic] your statement ok because you was scared and didn’t know what you was saying ok. . . .” The letter suggests circumstances which exonerate the anonymous author from criminal liability relating to any theft or armed robbery and the anonymous author seems to encourage the ac*282complice to adopt the account of events which is described in the letter.
Investigator Christy Liss of the DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office executed an “AFFIDAVIT AND APPLICATION FOR A SEARCH WARRANT” for defendant’s jail cell and deposed therein as follows: “ON OCTOBER 10, 1990, RANDOLPH NEWBY, SR., REPORTED BEING ROBBED AT GUNPOINT BY THREE BLACK MALES IN HIS ROOM AT THE MOTEL SIX, 2565 WESLEY CHAPEL ROAD, DEKALB COUNTY, GEORGIA. MR. NEWBY STATED THAT HE HAD PICKED UP A PROSTITUTE NAMED KAREN DELK AND HAD GONE WITH HER TO HIS ROOM. HE STATED THAT THE MALES ENTERED HIS ROOM, ROBBED HIM AND TIED HIM UP USING A TELEPHONE CORD. MS. DELK WAS LOCATED AND ARRESTED BY THE DEKALB COUNTY POLICE A SHORT TIME AFTER THE ALLEGED ROBBERY. KAREN DELK HAS GIVEN A STATEMENT CONFIRMING THAT ROBBERY DID OCCUR AND IMPLICATING TERRY EUGENE BROWN AND [DEFENDANT] AS BEING TWO OF THE ROBBERS.
“ON JANUARY 31, 1991, MS. DELK’S ATTORNEY GAVE THE DEKALB COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S OFFICE A COPY OF THE LETTER WHICH WAS RECEIVED BY MS. DELK IN THE DEKALB JAIL. THE LETTER CONTAINS WHAT APPEARS TO BE A PROPOSED VERSION OF THE FACTS OF THE ALLEGED ROBBERY. IT ALSO INSTRUCTS MS. DELK TO ‘MAKE SURE THE LAWYER WITHDRAW [sic] YOUR STATEMENT OK BECAUSE YOU WAS SCARED AND DIDN’T KNOW WHAT YOU WAS SAYING . . .’ THE LETTER SEEMS TO INDICATE THAT ONE OF MS. DELK’S CO-DEFENDANT’S MAY BE ATTEMPTING TO INFLUENCE WHAT SHE MAY TESTIFY TO AT TRIAL. THE LETTER IS UNSIGNED, SO IT IS NECESSARY TO DETERMINE WHO WROTE IT. THE BEST METHOD WOULD BE TO OBTAIN THE KNOWN WRITING OF TERRY EUGENE BROWN AND [DEFENDANT] AND HAVE IT COMPARED TO THE LETTER.”
A search warrant was issued for defendant’s jail cell, providing for the seizure of “PAPERS AND DOCUMENTS CONTAINING THE HANDWRITING OF THE [DEFENDANT].” The search warrant alleged that these papers and documents “are in violation of. . . O.C.G.A. Section 16-8-41[, the Code section defining armed robbery, and]; O.C.G.A. Section 16-10-72[, the Code section prohibiting subornation of perjury or false swearing].” The warrant was executed and a search of defendant’s jail cell revealed handwriting samples which matched the handwriting of the anonymous letter.
A search warrant may issue for the seizure of “[a]ny item, sub*283stance, object, thing, or matter, other than the private papers of any person, which is tangible evidence of the commission of the crime for which probable cause is shown.” OCGA § 17-5-21 (a) (5). “If private papers constitute merely ‘tangible evidence’ of the commission of a crime, they are not seizable. § 3 (e) Searches and Seizures Act, Ga. L. 1966, pp. 567, 568 (Code Ann § 27-303 (e) [now OCGA § 17-5-21 (5)]).” Tuzman v. State, 145 Ga. App. 761, 766 (2) (244 SE2d 882).
Decided February 17, 1992
Reconsideration denied March 10, 1992
R. Stephen Roberts, for appellant.
Robert E. Wilson, District Attorney, Barbara B. Conroy, Gregory J. Lohmeier, Assistant District Attorneys, for appellee.
In the case sub judice, defendant’s “private papers” were the object of the warrant for the search of his jail cell. Further, the documents seized from defendant’s jail cell were used as the basis for admission of circumstantial evidence that defendant committed the crimes charged. Consequently, it is my view that the trial court erred in failing to suppress evidence derived from the illegal search of defendant’s jail cell.