Court Opinion

ID: 9641289
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 17:27:49.960419+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:10:36.484122
License: Public Domain

Wendell L. Griffin, Judge, concurring. Liars when they speak the truth are not believed. — Aristotle (384 B.C. - 322 B.C.) I write to make it clear that Officer Richardson’s actions are not to be condoned, despite the outcome of this case. The statements in the affidavit, apart from the fact that the informant had been arrested and had charges pending, were sufficient to obtain the search warrant, but that in no way excuses the fact that Officer Richardson lied to a magistrate under oath. Whatever the testimony showed that day in court, it is clear that Officer Richardson was less than honest when talking to Judge Inboden. When the judge asked, “Was she under arrest or under investigation; did she have any outstanding warrants or did she come to you to cut a deal for something else?”, Richardson said “no.” When the judge asked, “Does she have any charges pending that you’re aware of?”, Richardson said “no.” And these answers were important to Judge Inboden when making his determination whether or not to issue the search warrant, as illustrated by his remarks at the suppression hearing: I was trying to establish if it were a self-serving accusation made by someone already on the ropes, who didn’t care if the information were credible or not, as long as it got them off the hook. I was trying to figure out if the Cl’s information could be trusted as reliable, or if it were just a fishing expedition. That helps me make the decision about whether I’m going to issue the warrant. I think the credibility of someone who provides information for an affidavit is crucial; the whole point of having a sworn affidavit is to be able to rely on that information. If someone presents me with something based on a person’s knowledge who isn’t credible or believable, I would be much less likely to grant the warrant. Witnesses’ credibility is always crucial. Without the Cl present, I have to rely on the affiant to the affidavit to the search warrant. In this case, it was Officer Richardson. I relied on his response on the tape being honest. I wanted to know if this person’s feet were to the fire, if they were willing to say anything to get out of the mess they were in. I don’t know to what extent this may have been the case. I relied on [Richardson’s] testimony that this was not the case, and I acted accordingly. Magistrates grant warrants and courts review the validity of warrants based on the totality of the circumstances. Stanton v. State, 344 Ark. 589, 42 S.W.3d 474 (2001). One of the key components of that totality-of-circumstances review, particularly in cases where confidential informants are involved, is the credibility of both the informant and the affiant. When the party providing the information is not completely truthful, that provides more reason for a court to suppress any evidence pursuant to a bad warrant. A history of lying, as Officer Richardson now has, does even more to take away from the circumstances that would allow for the issuance of a search warrant. Even if Officer Richardson is honest in future dealings with judges and magistrates, his credibility and future ability to serve and protect the people of Poinsett County have suffered great damage. As Aristotle stated, even the truth is not believed when a liar declares it.