Ashcraft v. State

934 S.W.2d 727, 1996 WL 474085
Court of Appeals of Texas·Decided December 5, 1996·No. 13-92-264-CR·Published·Cited by 53 cases

Opinion

OPINION

YÁÑEZ, Justice.

Appellant, Jon Alan Ashcraft, was convicted of burglary of a habitation and assessed punishment at seventy-five years in prison and a $5,000 fine. On original submission, the majority of this Court held that the search warrant failed to show probable cause for the search and seizure of stolen property from appellant’s home, and we reversed the *732 trial court’s judgment and remanded the cause for a new trial. Ashcraft v. State, No. 13-92-264-CR (Tex.App. — Corpus Christi, August 31, 1996) (not designated for publication). The State challenged our holding and sought discretionary review from the Court of Criminal Appeals. That Court summarily granted review of ground two of the State’s petition and remanded the case to us to consider 1) whether the State sufficiently established probable cause as to the heroin portion of the search warrant and 2) whether the invalid portion of the search warrant could be severed from the valid portion. 1 Ashcraft v. State, No. 1182-94 (Tex.Crim. App. December 21, 1994) (per curiam) (not designated for publication). We affirm the trial court’s judgment.

Appellant was arrested after police executed a search warrant purporting to authorize a search for both heroin and stolen property. We held that the search warrant was invalid because the affidavit supporting the warrant failed to allege sufficient facts to establish probable cause that appellant was in possession of stolen property located at his residence. In its petition for discretionary review, the State did not dispute that the warrant was defective as to the search for stolen property. However, the State contends that the warrant affidavit alleged sufficient facts to establish probable cause that appellant sold heroin from his residence. Therefore, the State argues that the valid portion of the warrant authorized the police officers’ search of the premises and the seizure of stolen property found on the premises pursuant to the plain view doctrine.

On remand, appellant asserts, in point one, that the search warrant was not based on probable cause, that the evidence seized was the result of an illegal search, and that the trial court erred in admitting that evidence. Appellant contends that probable cause is lacking because the warrant’s supporting affidavit, based upon information gained by informant hearsay and by police observation, fails to establish the informants’ credibility, reliability, and basis of knowledge.

A warrant may issue for the police to search a certain place and seize certain items only if supported by an affidavit showing facts and circumstances within the affi-ant’s knowledge that would warrant a person of reasonable caution to believe that a specific offense has been committed and that property resulting from or evidencing the offense is located at the particular place to be searched. See U.S. Const, amend. IV; Tex. Const, art. I, § 9; Tex.Code CRiM. PROC. Ann. arts. 18.01(b), (c) and 18.02(1), (7) (Vernon 1977 & Supp.1995); see also Berger v. New York, 388 U.S. 41, 66-56, 87 S.Ct. 1873, 1881-82, 18 L.Ed.2d 1040 (1967). The existence of probable cause is determined upon “sufficient and substantial facts,” based upon a practical common sense consideration of the “totality of the circumstances.” Illinois v. Gates, 462 U.S. 213, 230, 238-39, 103 S.Ct. 2317, 2328, 2332-33, 76 L.Ed.2d 627 (1983); Johnson v. State, 803 S.W.2d 272, 289 (Tex. Crim.App.1990); Mason v. State, 838 S.W.2d 657, 659-60 (Tex.App. — Corpus Christi 1992, pet. refd). Credibility, reliability, and basis of knowledge no longer need to be established by separate and independent facts. However, they remain highly relevant factors in determining, by the totality of the circumstances, whether probable cause exists. Eisenhauer v. State, 754 S.W.2d 159, 164 (Tex.Crim.App.), cer t. denied, 488 U.S. 848, 109 S.Ct. 127, 102 L.Ed.2d 101 (1988); Morin v. State, 800 S.W.2d 328, 329 (Tex.App. — Corpus Christi 1990, no pet.); Dees v. State, 722 S.W.2d 209, 215 (Tex.App. — Corpus Christi 1986, pet. refd). We do not engage in a de novo review of the affidavit’s sufficiency. We give the magistrate’s determination great deference. Johnson, 803 S.W.2d at 289. The adequacy of the affidavit is determined by the information contained within its four corners. Cerda v. State, 846 S.W.2d 533, 535 (Tex.App. — Corpus Christi 1993, no pet.).

*733 Here, the officers secured their search warrant on the strength of the following affidavit:

On June 23,1991 about 3:30 p.m. Detective John Byrum and Detective Nicholas Araiza were on surveillance of a suspected drug dealer residing at 1710 South Park-wood Harlingen, Texas. Affiant has received reliable information from several informants[,] and the information obtained appeared to be in accordance with what information affiant was already aware of. The information received was that the suspect, Jon Ashcraft[,] was selling heroin to heroin addicts at the residence located at 1710 South Parkwood[,] Harlingen, Texas. The suspect was also known to be involved in burglaries of residences in the area known as the Parkwood Subdivision in Harlingen, Texas. On this particular day affiant and Detective John Byrum set up surveillance of the residence at 1710 South Parkwood[,] Harlingen, Texas. Affiant and Detective Byrum observed a yellow Nissan truck with two passengers arrive at the residence at 1710 South Parkwood. The male and female passengers were waiting around a carport for about 15 minutes until the suspect John Ashcraft came out of the house. The three appeared to be in the process of making a drug deal as is common practice with drug dealers and users. The couple left right after an apparent exchange and were later stopped by a Harlingen police unit away from the suspect’s residence. The couple was identified as Augustin Pena and Juanita Torres of San Benito. The couple gave voluntary statements after being warned of their constitutional rights. Information obtained from the couple verified that heroin was being sold by John Ashcraft at his residence at 1710 South Parkwood[,] Har-lingen, Texas.

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Ashcraft v. State, 934 S.W.2d 727, 1996 WL 474085 (Tex. Ct. App. 1996).

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