Court Opinion

ID: 9637839
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 15:23:18.654734+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:10:01.001136
License: Public Domain

NORTHCOTT, Circuit Judge
(dissenting). In Benton v. United States, 28 F.(2d) 695, this court held that the sense of smell was sufficient to justify a reasonably cautious man, in whom the sense of smell was highly trained, in believing that a crime like that in *279the instant ease was being committed in his presence. A full discussion of the use of the various senses in detecting crimes of this character will be found in that case. Here the officers swore they became convinced from their sense of smell that a still was being operated in one of the rooms of the De Pater house. This being true, it seems only reasonable that, guided by the sense of smell, they could look into the room where the still was, and that, having their sense of smell supported by the sense of sight, they could enter and seize the still. It was for the jury to decide as to the reasonableness of the testimony of the officers. This the jury did decide, and found the defendant guilty. The right of officers to stop the commission of a crime carried on in their presence cannot be doubted. Their sense of smell convinced them that a crime was being committed in their presence, and they proceeded in a perfectly rational and normal way to prevent the continuing crime.