Bigler v. State

602 N.E.2d 509, 1992 Ind. App. LEXIS 1575, 1992 WL 302852
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedOctober 27, 1992
Docket84A01-9110-CR-311
StatusPublished
Cited by41 cases

This text of 602 N.E.2d 509 (Bigler v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bigler v. State, 602 N.E.2d 509, 1992 Ind. App. LEXIS 1575, 1992 WL 302852 (Ind. Ct. App. 1992).

Opinion

ROBERTSON, Judge.

Wesley J. Bigler, II appeals his conviction and sentence of two counts of dealing in a schedule II controlled substance, class B felonies.

We affirm.

Bigler raises the following issues in this appeal:

(1) whether evidence obtained pursuant to a search warrant for Bigler's residence was properly admitted;
(2) whether the trial court committed reversible error by giving instruction number 13;
(3) whether there was sufficient evidence of probative value to sustain Bigler's conviction of the two counts of dealing in a controlled substance; and,
(4) whether the sentence imposed violates the Double Jeopardy, Equal Protec tion or Due Process Clauses of the federal and state constitutions or is manifestly unreasonable.

I.

Admission of Evidence Seized from Residence

A.

Bigler argues first that the search warrant obtained by police was not based upon probable cause. In particular, Bigler contends that the affidavit submitted by law enforcement officers to obtain the warrant was deficient because it contained "no information whatsoever that would indicate that contraband associated with unlawful activity was present in his residence." Drawing upon the United States Supreme Court's Aguilar/Spinell decisions, 1 Bigler argues that the issuing magistrate could not have relied upon the information which *514 had been obtained from a police informant because the affidavit does not include either a history of the informant's reliability or extrinsic facts from the informant or other proper sources which would attest to the accuracy of the information provided. Bigler also contends that the information contained in the affidavit was not trustworthy because it was stale.

Bigler acknowledges that the Court has abandoned the two-pronged Aguilar/Spinelli test in favor of an approach which permits an issuing magistrate to consider the "totality of circumstances." Now, in determining whether an application for a search warrant is supported by probable cause, the task of the issuing magistrate is to make a practical, commonsense decision whether, given all the circumstances set forth in the affidavit, including the "veracity" and "basis of knowledge" of persons supplying hearsay information, there is a fair probability that evidence of a crime will be found in a particular place. Illinois v. Gates (1983), 462 U.S. 213, 239, 103 S.Ct. 2317, 2332, 76 LEd.2d 527. The magistrate considers the affidavit in its entirety, giving significance to each relative piece of information and balancing the relative weights of all the various indicia of reliability and unreliability attending the information. Massachusetts v. Upton (1984), 466 U.S. 727, 104 S.Ct. 2085, 80 LEd.2d 721. Great deference is accorded the magistrate's determination by the reviewing court. Id. Our duty is simply to ensure that the magistrate had a "substantial basis" for concluding that probable cause existed, id., not to undertake a de novo determination of probable cause. Gates, 462 U.S. at 237, 103 S.Ct. at 2331-32. With this standard of review in mind, we examine the affidavit's contents.

1. The affidavit summarizes the information collected by Detective John Lewis since 1987 "from various confidential informants and law enforcement agencies in California, Connecticut and Indiana." Lewis suspects Bigler to be an active member of a multi-state motorcycle gang known as the Diablos and an import and wholesale amphetamine dealer within the Diablos' interstate distribution ring. Bigler's favored method of communicating with his distributors is believed to be by radio pager. After being contacted through the pager, Bigler typically arranges a meeting at which he will deliver amphetamines, obtain payment, or both. Bigler often will "front" amphetamines to his distributors who then sell the amphetamines and repay him. Bigler receives delivery of his supply from Chuck Persinger, a high-ranking Diablo.

In October, 1988, Lewis learned from Meriden, Connecticut police that Phil Grimm, a member of the Connecticut branch of the Diablos, had fled that state with $250,000 in drug money after two members of the gang had been arrested for their involvement in the sale of amphetamines. Grimm had relocated to Vigo County, Indiana. Lewis identified Bigler's residence and residential phone number and obtained a court-approved pen register of Grimm's residential phone. Grimm had repeated communications with Bigler via Bigler's residential phone. According to Lewis, Grimm suffered "an amphetamine related death" in November, 1989. A Vigo County Sheriff's report indicates that Bigler reported the death and Grimm's home was left in Bigler's custody when emergency personnel departed with the body.

2. The affidavit details the results of certain amphetamine transactions conducted by Officer Bensinger, the other affiant, or observed and recorded by the department's other narcotics officers. Between October 19 and October 26, 1990, Officer Bensinger made three purchases involving a total of six grams of amphetamine from a Marcella Albright. On November 18, 1990, he completed a fourth transaction during which he purchased seven grams of amphetamine and arrested Albright. Albright named Paula Milner as her source and stated she owed Milner $550.00 for the drugs Milner had "fronted." That same day, the officers arranged for Albright to pay off Milner. The transaction was recorded and Milner was arrested with the buy-money and amphetamines in her possession.

8. The affidavit recites the information obtained from Milner following her arrest. *515 Milner implicated "Wes" Bigler as her source and confirmed that this individual was a member of the Diablos gang, an organization in which her brother belonged. Over the two-year period Milner had been dealing, Bigler had delivered to her one-half to two ounces of amphetamine every week to two weeks. Milner received her last delivery of approximately % ounce on November 10, 1990, % of which was in police custody, having been confiscated from Albright. - Milner would contact Bigler by pager or at home, he would "front" the drugs to her, and then they would schedule a separate meeting at which Milner would repay Bigler and obtain more drugs. Lewis asserts that Mil-ner displayed an intimate knowledge of "crank" dealing including correct weights, prices and terminology; Milner described in detail the layout of Bigler's house and its location south of the federal penitentiary; Milner responded to questioning quickly and coherently and volunteered information about Bigler without prompting; and Milner accurately described Bigler's physical appearance.

4. The affidavit abstracts a phone call made by Milner to Bigler at the number identified by Lewis for Bigler through the pen register and listed in the GTE phone directory as Bigler's residential number, which Lewis witnessed and recorded.

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Bluebook (online)
602 N.E.2d 509, 1992 Ind. App. LEXIS 1575, 1992 WL 302852, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bigler-v-state-indctapp-1992.