Court Opinion

ID: 9642991
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 18:14:31.567192+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:10:55.921207
License: Public Domain

HOFFMAN, Judge,
dissenting:
The majority, relying on Illinois v. Gates, 462 U.S. 213, 103 S.Ct. 2317, 76 L.Ed.2d 527 (1983), determines that the lower court incorrectly suppressed evidence obtained as a result of a warranted search. Because I disagree that probable cause existed for the issuance of the warrant, I must dissent.
Although acknowledging that the Gates Court rejected the Aguilar/Spinelli “two-prong test”, I note that Gates did not reject the need to consider an informant’s reliability and basis of knowledge. These elements must now be considered “in a totality of the circumstances analysis that traditionally has guided probable cause determinations: a deficiency in one may be compensated for, in determining *530the overall reliability of a tip, by a strong showing as to the other, or by some other indicia of reliability.” Id. at 2328. The Supreme Court further stated that the informant’s “veracity”, “reliability”, and “basis of knowledge” “should be understood simply as closely intertwined issues that may usefully illuminate the common-sense, practical question whether there is ‘probable cause’ to believe that contraband or evidence is located in a particular place.” Id. at 2327.
The affidavit in the instant case stated the following: On Thursday, 12-4-80 in the afternoon hours, I received information from a 1st time informant who stated that on WED. 12-3-80 in the evening hours, he did have occasion to be inside 2349 FAIRMOUNT AVE 3rd fir rear apt of FRED CORLETO Jr. w-m approx 40 yrs, and that while he was present inside this location, he did observe FRED CORLETO jr admit inside his residence an unknown w-m and that this unknown w-m asked FRED CORLETO jr, if he, unknown w-m could copy (buy) V2 oz. of COKE? Informant stated that FRED CORLETO jr told the unknown male, OK, $1000.00. Informant stated that the unknown male then counted out .$1000.00 in US Currency and handed the money to FRED CORLETO jr. and then FRED CORLETO jr. then went to an adjoining room and returned about 2 minutes later and handed the unknown w-m 1 clear plastic baggie of white powder alleged controlled substance, Cocaine. As a result of this information, informant stated that FRED CORLETO jr. then walked the unknown male to the door and he, unknown male departed. As a result of this information, on Thursday, 12-4-80 between 9 pm and 9:45 pm I did conduct a surveillance of this location 2349 Fairmount ave. 3rd fir rear apt of FRED CORLETO jr. and during this time, I did observe 2 unknown w-m-s and 1 unknown w-f, all at different times, knock on the 3rd fir rear apt door of FRED CORLETO jr. and then each separately and at different times were admitted inside and each remained inside for approx 3-5 minutes and then each departed separately. On Saturday, 12-6-80, between 10:20 am and *53111:30 am, I did conduct a second surveillance of 2349 Fairmount ave. and during this time I did observe 3 unknown w-m-s all at different times knock on the 3rd fir rear apt door of FRED CORLETO jr. — and each were admitted inside separately. As a result of this information and of the activity observed during surveillances, I do believe the above named male, FRED CORLETO jr. w-m approx 40 years of 2349 Fairmount ave erd [sic] fir rear apt to be engaged in the business of storing and selling narcotics and or dangerous drugs ...
The affidavit contains no premise upon which to find the informant reliable, i.e. he was a first-time informant, whose veracity was unknown and the basis for his knowledge was unascertained. Consequently, our review must focus on the sufficiency of the affiant’s corroboration of the informant’s tip to determine if that corroboration outweighs the lack of support for the informant’s reliability or veracity.
The only corroboration mentioned in the instant affidavit involves the affiant’s surveillance of appellee’s residence and his viewing of several persons entering the premises, remaining for approximately three-to-five minutes and departing. In Commonwealth v. Tolbert, 492 Pa. 576, 424 A.2d 1342 (1981), which the majority feels compelled to distinguish, the affiant received a tip from a reliable informant whose previous tips had resulted in two narcotics arrests within the previous month. The Court found that other than a 50-minute surveillance of the defendant’s residence, during which three men entered and left after five minutes, and which was conducted at an unspecified time after the informant’s alleged observation, the affidavit failed to support a finding of probable cause. The Court concluded that, “[e]ven if this activity were viewed as somewhat suspicious, it falls far short of evidence of a probability of continuing criminal activity, and is certainly consistent with activity of law abiding citizens.” Id., 492 Pa. at 580, 424 A.2d at 1344. Here, the majority concludes that because the surveillance occurred almost contemporaneously with the affiant’s receipt of the tip, the surveillance *532sufficiently tended to confirm the informant’s tip, resulting in a fair probability that a crime was being committed. (Majority Opinion at 526-527).
I agree with the majority’s conclusion that here, unlike Tolbert, there is no challenge to the remoteness of the informant’s observation. However, contrary to the majority, I find that the seemingly corroborative surveillance was not, by itself, sufficient to outweigh the paucity of the reliability surrounding the informant’s tip. In the cases cited by the majority, Commonwealth v. Monte, 459 Pa. 495, 329 A.2d 836 (1974), and Commonwealth v. Mazzochetti, 299 Pa.Super. 447, 445 A.2d 1214 (1982), the conduct consistent with criminal activity was entirely more substantial than the “mere details” present in the instant affidavit. For instance, in Monte, the surveillance included the fact that the affiant overheard a discussion of drug prices and smelled marijuana. Here, by contrast, the surveillance supports activity consistent with that of law abiding citizens, and fails to rise much above the level of mere suspicious activity. Therefore, under the totality of the circumstances test, I conclude that the weak corroboration, coupled with the absence of support for the informant’s reliability, does not amount to the required probable cause. Accordingly, I dissent.