Com. v. Pitts, D.

CourtSuperior Court of Pennsylvania
DecidedMarch 17, 2026
Docket751 EDA 2025
StatusUnpublished
AuthorMurray

This text of Com. v. Pitts, D. (Com. v. Pitts, D.) 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. Pitts, D., (Pa. Ct. App. 2026).

Opinion

J-S02026-26

NON-PRECEDENTIAL DECISION - SEE SUPERIOR COURT O.P. 65.37

COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA : IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF : PENNSYLVANIA : v. : : : DECOREY PITTS : : Appellant : No. 751 EDA 2025

Appeal from the PCRA Order Entered February 12, 2025 In the Court of Common Pleas of Delaware County Criminal Division at No(s): CP-23-CR-00002276-2019

BEFORE: NICHOLS, J., MURRAY, J., and BENDER, P.J.E.

MEMORANDUM BY MURRAY, J.: FILED MARCH 17, 2026

Decorey Pitts (Appellant) appeals from the order dismissing his first

petition filed pursuant to the Post Conviction Relief Act (PCRA), 42 Pa.C.S.A.

§§ 9541-9546. Appellant’s court-appointed PCRA counsel, Scott D. Galloway,

Esquire (Counsel), has filed an application to withdraw as counsel and a brief

purportedly pursuant to Anders v. California, 386 U.S. 738 (1967), and

Commonwealth v. Santiago, 978 A.2d 249 (Pa. 2009).1 After careful

____________________________________________

1 Because Appellant appeals from the PCRA court’s dismissal order, Counsel

was required to file a Turner/Finley no-merit letter to accompany his petition to withdraw. See Commonwealth v. Turner, 544 A.2d 927 (Pa. 1988), and Commonwealth v. Finley, 550 A.2d 213 (Pa. Super. 1988) (en banc). However, “[b]ecause an Anders brief provides greater protection to a defendant, this Court may accept an Anders brief in lieu of a Turner/Finley letter.” Commonwealth v. Widgins, 29 A.3d 816, 817 n.2 (Pa. Super. 2011). J-S02026-26

consideration, we grant Counsel’s application to withdraw and affirm the PCRA

court’s order.

The trial court2 summarized the relevant factual history:

This case arises from an ejectment action that took place on March 25, 2019[,] at … 36 N[orth] Harwood Avenue, Upper Darby Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania[ (the residence)]. 3 In the course of executing the eviction, members of the Delaware County Sheriff’s Department encountered extremely deplorable conditions, which posed serious health and safety hazards. The main water valve [to the residence] was circumvented and there was no electricity. A series of large vehicle-type batteries in the residence, along with a gas generator in the garage, were used for power, while a propane tank in the residence was used for heat and cooking. Extension cords were run throughout the house. [The] Upper Darby Township Police Department was contacted and responded to the residence.

Present on the premises at the time of the eviction was [Appellant], [] his wife, Sharon Gale[ (Ms. Gale), and their three minor children].

During the eviction process, a “loaded” and “ready to fire” firearm was located in the closet of Appellant’s bedroom. N.T., 1/8/20, at 61-62.

As a result, Appellant was charged with several violations of the Crimes Code, including … risking a catastrophe (felony 3), … recklessly endangering another person (misdemeanor 2), …

2 The Honorable Richard M. Capelli presided over all proceedings relevant to

this appeal.

3 The residence is situated closely to other dwellings on North Harwood Avenue.

-2- J-S02026-26

persons not to possess firearm[s] (felony 2)[, and endangering the welfare of children (felony 3)].4, 5

Trial Court Opinion, 5/11/21, at 1-2 (one original footnote moved to body;

three footnotes added; punctuation, capitalization, and citation modified). 6

Pertinently, on June 20 and July 31, 2019, Appellant, pro se,7 filed two

substantially similar motions to suppress physical evidence alleging the illegal

search and seizure of evidence in the residence. The matter proceeded to a

suppression hearing on September 11, 2019. The Commonwealth presented

the testimony of Delaware County Sheriff’s Lieutenant Steven Mitchell

4 18 Pa.C.S.A. §§ 3302(b), 2705, 6105(a)(1), and 4304.

5 At trial, the Commonwealth introduced evidence that Appellant had previously been convicted of offenses rendering him ineligible to possess firearms. N.T., 1/9/20, at 12-13.

6 At CP-23-CR-0002275-2019, the Commonwealth charged Ms. Gale with substantially similar offenses. On March 16, 2021, Ms. Gale entered no contest pleas to one count each of risking a catastrophe and endangering the welfare of children. That same date, the trial court sentenced Ms. Gale to an aggregate 11½ to 23 months’ incarceration, followed by three years’ probation.

7 The PCRA court explained that Appellant

persisted on proceeding [pro se, despite] the [c]ourt’s many attempts to offer counsel at all stages of this case. A [hearing pursuant to Commonwealth v. Grazier, 713 A.2d 81 (Pa. 1998),] was held on October 28, 2019. [Appellant] was found competent to represent himself; however, stand-by counsel was appointed throughout.

Trial Court Opinion, 5/11/21, at 2 n.2 (punctuation modified).

-3- J-S02026-26

(Lieutenant Mitchell). Appellant presented the testimony of Adrian Moore (Ms.

Moore).

At the commencement of the suppression hearing, Appellant clarified

the basis for his suppression motions. Specifically, Appellant argued that law

enforcement responding to an emergency “are no longer permitted to remain

in one’s house” “once the emergency ends,” “absent a warrant or ex[i]gent

circumstance[s] ….” N.T., 9/11/19, at 3. Appellant further contended that

there were no exigent circumstances justifying law enforcement’s initial entry

to the residence. Id. at 3-4.

Lieutenant Mitchell testified that one of his responsibilities as a

lieutenant with the Delaware County Sheriff’s Department was service of civil

process and eviction notices. Id. at 5. The Commonwealth introduced as

evidence, through Lieutenant Mitchell, the sheriff’s service warrant

(identifying Real Estate Growth Fund, LLC, as the owner of the residence) and

writ of possession for the residence. Id. at 18; see also Johnson v.

Martofel, 797 A.2d 943, 947 (Pa. Super. 2002) (“A writ of possession is

simply the legal means for executing on a judgment of possession.”). 8

8 Although admitted into evidence at the suppression hearing, the writ of possession is not included in the certified record. Appellant objected to the admission of the writ of possession, based upon allegedly improper service, but did not contest its authenticity. See N.T., 9/11/2019, at 6; see also PCRA Petition, 7/2/23, Attachment 1 (Appellant acknowledging its issuance, but arguing that “Judge [Kathrynann] Du[r]ham of Delaware County Court merely acted as a ‘rubber stamp’ and gave [Real Estate Growth Fund, LLC,] a writ of possession ….”).

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Lieutenant Mitchell testified that he, along with several sheriff’s

deputies, arrived at the residence to execute Appellant’s eviction on March 25,

2019. Id. at 8. Also present on that date were members of the Upper Darby

Township Police and Fire Departments, and “movers” who were “instructed …

to pack everything up, label it, and move it out, put it on their trucks and take

it to storage.” Id. at 8-9; see also id. at 9 (Lieutenant Mitchell testifying that

movers carrying out these tasks is “standard procedure” in evictions, and that

the movers performed their typical function in the instant case). 9

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