Court Opinion

ID: 9584149
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-21 22:44:59.708194+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T15:06:48.302895
License: Public Domain

Evans, Judge,
concurring specially. I agree with the majority opinion as to the insufficiency of evidence; but I also emphasize the staleness of the information at the time the search warrant was sworn out. The latest information as to the premises was on August 8, 1971, when two white boys were observed leaving Ralph McMahan’s home with a carton of beer. The warrant was not sworn out until August 27, 1971, nineteen days later.
In Fowler v. State, 121 Ga. App. 22 (172 SE2d 447), it was held that: ". . . it should appear from the facts that the occurrence should be so near in point of time to the making of the affidavit and the execution of the search warrant as to create a reasonable belief that the same conditions described in the affidavit still prevailed at the time of the issuance of the warrant.” Also see Terry v. State, 123 Ga. App. 746 (182 SE2d 513).
In my opinion, nineteen days is too long a lapse of time for a reasonable belief to exist that the same conditions continue to prevail. Was the house under surveillance for the nineteen days without observing anything to indicate guilt of the charge during that period? If so, we may presume the conditions ceased to exist. Was it felt that only slight or insufficient circumstances indicating guilt had been observed, and that a delay and continued surveillance might afford stronger evidence? There must have been some reason for not moving in on the suspected party earlier; and here the delay was too great.