Com. v. Craig, J.

CourtSuperior Court of Pennsylvania
DecidedDecember 23, 2025
Docket2816 EDA 2024
StatusUnpublished

This text of Com. v. Craig, J. (Com. v. Craig, J.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Superior Court of Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Com. v. Craig, J., (Pa. Ct. App. 2025).

Opinion

J-A22007-25

NON-PRECEDENTIAL DECISION - SEE SUPERIOR COURT O.P. 65.37

COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA : IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF : PENNSYLVANIA : v. : : : JAQUON CRAIG : : Appellant : No. 2816 EDA 2024

Appeal from the Judgment of Sentence Entered June 13, 2024 In the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County Criminal Division at No(s): CP-51-CR-0007376-2023

BEFORE: LAZARUS, P.J., LANE, J., and STEVENS, P.J.E.*

MEMORANDUM BY LAZARUS, P.J.: FILED DECEMBER 23, 2025

Jaquon Craig appeals from the judgment of sentence, entered in the

Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County, following his convictions of

one count each of manufacture, delivery or possession with intent to deliver

(PWID),1 intentional possession of a controlled substance by a person not

registered,2 and possession of marijuana.3 After careful review, we affirm on

the basis of the opinion authored by the Honorable Samantha J. Williams.

The facts and procedural history of this case are as follows:

____________________________________________

* Former Justice specially assigned to the Superior Court.

1 35 P.S. § 780-113(a)(30).

2 Id. at § 780-113(a)(16).

3 Id. at § 780-113(a)(31). J-A22007-25

On June 28, 2023, at approximately 11:00 a[.]m[.], Philadelphia Police Officer Angel Rodriguez ([]Officer Rodriguez[]) initiated a pedestrian stop near 1538 Pratt Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. [See N.T. Waiver Trial,] 3/6/2024, at 10-11. Officer Rodriguez explained that, that morning, he checked the database as he does every day for warrants and noticed an active arrest warrant for [Craig], whom he had known for years. Id. at 11. While on patrol, Officer Rodriguez observed [Craig], ran [Craig]’s name on the MDT in his patrol vehicle, and confirmed the active warrant at that time. Id. Officer Rodriguez then detained [Craig] and contacted the warrant unit to confirm the warrant remained active. Id. The warrant unit agreed that the warrant was active, and [Craig] was placed under arrest. Id. at 12. [Craig] was searched incident to the arrest and recovered from his jacket were 35 small containers with flip caps containing crack cocaine, one medium-size clear plastic bag containing marijuana, and [thirteen] 15-milligram [o]xycodone pills. Id.

On March 6, 2024, the date set for trial in this matter, [Craig filed] a [p]re-[t]rial [m]otion to [s]uppress [the evidence recovered during his arrest]. [At a hearing on the motion,] the trial court heard the testimony of Alessandro Nardi, [Esquire,] an attorney with the Defender Association of Philadelphia ([]Attorney Nardi[]). Id. at 20-21. Attorney Nardi testified that he was the [a]ttorney assigned to [Craig]’s case (MC-51-CR-0009100-2023) ([]Case 9100[]) on June 23, 2023. Id. at 22. Attorney Nardi also testified that [Craig] arrived late to court for Case 9100, and a bench warrant was issued but later lifted. Id. at 32-33. Attorney Nardi further testified that the [j]udge presiding over Case 9100 ordered her court staff to bring in another docket on which [] Craig [was] bench warranted (MC-51-CR-0004927-2023) ([]Case 4927[]) on June 21, 2023[,] and lifted the bench warrant. Id. at 22-23. The docket for Case 4927 reflects two separate [b]ench [w]arrant [h]earing listings — one on June 23, 2023[,] and one on June 30, 2023. [See] Municipal Court Docket CP-51-CR-0004927-2023. The June 23, 2023 docket entry states that there was an “add[- ]on approved. . . (BW hearing).” Id. No orders were entered on June 23, 2023[,] on Case 4927. Id. On June 23, 2023, a [p]reliminary [h]earing was scheduled for July 7, 2023. Id. The June 30, 2023 docket entry for Case 4927 states that the [b]ench [w]arrant was lifted, and an order was entered reflecting same. Id.

-2- J-A22007-25

Trial Court Opinion, 1/21/25, at 2-3.

The trial court denied Craig’s motion to suppress, and the case

proceeded to a waiver trial. Craig was found guilty on all of the above-

mentioned charges. Sentencing was deferred for the preparation of a

presentence investigation report and a mental health evaluation. Id. at 1.

On June 13, 2024, Craig was sentenced to three years of reporting probation.

Craig filed a motion for reconsideration of sentence on June 22, 2024, which

was denied by operation of law on October 22, 2024.

Craig filed a timely notice of appeal. Both Craig and the trial court

complied with Pa.R.A.P. 1925. Craig raises the following issue on appeal:

“Where the only jurisdiction for the search of [] Craig was a search incident to

arrest based on an invalid bench warrant, did the [trial] court improperly deny

suppression of the narcotics found on [] Craig’s person?” Appellant’s Brief, at

1.

In his sole issue on appeal, Craig argues that the trial court erred by

denying his motion to suppress the evidence because his arrest, and

subsequent search, were based solely on an invalid bench warrant. See id.

at 7. Specifically, Craig contends that the judge “orally ordered, in open

court,” that the warrant was lifted on June 23, 2023, five days before Craig’s

arrest, and that the clerk failed to promptly enter the order lifting the bench

warrant on the docket. Id. at 6,7. Thus, Craig posits that the bench warrant

was invalid at the time of his arrest. Therefore, Craig contends that, even if

Officer Rodriguez operated in good faith in believing that the warrant was valid

-3- J-A22007-25

at the time of the stop and arrest, any evidence gathered due to an arrest on

an invalid warrant must be suppressed. Id. at 12, citing Commonwealth v.

Edmunds, 586 A.2d 887 (Pa. 1991). Finally, Craig posits that, without any

justification for his arrest, the search of his person was unlawful, and the trial

court must be reversed to suppress the evidence. See Appellant’s Brief, at

16.

Our standard and scope of review of the denial of a motion to suppress

evidence is well-established:

Appellate review of a suppression decision is limited to the suppression record, considering the evidence presented by the Commonwealth as the prevailing party and any uncontradicted evidence presented by the defense. This Court is bound by the facts as found by the suppression court so long as they are supported by the record, but our review of its legal conclusions is de novo.

Commonwealth v. Valdivia, 195 A.3d 855, 861 (Pa. 2018) (citations

omitted). With respect to a suppression court’s factual findings, “it is the sole

province of the suppression court to weigh the credibility of the witnesses.

Further, the suppression court judge is entitled to believe all, part or none of

the evidence presented.” Commonwealth v. Caple, 121 A.3d 511, 516-17

(Pa. Super. 2015) (citation omitted).

The Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution and Article I,

Section 8 of the Pennsylvania Constitution guarantee the right of the people

to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and possessions from

unreasonable searches and seizures. Commonwealth v. Morrison, 166

A.3d 357, 363-64 (Pa. Super. 2017). An officer may conduct a full custodial

-4- J-A22007-25

search of a suspect when the suspect is lawfully arrested. Commonwealth

v. Clark, 735 A.2d 1248, 1251 (Pa. 1999), citing Commonwealth v. Long,

Related

United States v. Leon
468 U.S. 897 (Supreme Court, 1984)
Commonwealth v. Boswell
721 A.2d 336 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1998)
Commonwealth v. Long
414 A.2d 113 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1980)
Commonwealth v. Clark
735 A.2d 1248 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1999)
Commonwealth v. DeJohn
403 A.2d 1283 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1979)
Commonwealth v. Thompson
985 A.2d 928 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 2009)
Commonwealth v. Feflie
581 A.2d 636 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1990)
Commonwealth v. Gwynn
723 A.2d 143 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1999)
Commonwealth v. Strickler
757 A.2d 884 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 2000)
Commonwealth v. Beasley
761 A.2d 621 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 2000)
Commonwealth v. Lovette
450 A.2d 975 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1982)
Commonwealth v. Edmunds
586 A.2d 887 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1991)
Commonwealth v. McRae
5 A.3d 425 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 2010)
Commonwealth v. Caple
121 A.3d 511 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 2015)
Kline v. Harrisburg
68 A.2d 182 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1949)
Commonwealth v. Morrison
166 A.3d 357 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 2017)
Commonwealth v. Valdivia, R., Aplt.
195 A.3d 855 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 2018)
Boston & Maine Railroad v. Hannaford Bros.
68 A.2d 1 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 1949)
In the Interest of R.P.
918 A.2d 115 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 2007)
Commonwealth v. Johnson
86 A.3d 182 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 2014)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
Com. v. Craig, J., Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/com-v-craig-j-pasuperct-2025.