Commonwealth v. Bullers

52 Pa. D. & C.2d 333, 1971 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 277
CourtPennsylvania Court of Common Pleas
DecidedMarch 26, 1971
StatusPublished

This text of 52 Pa. D. & C.2d 333 (Commonwealth v. Bullers) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Commonwealth v. Bullers, 52 Pa. D. & C.2d 333, 1971 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 277 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1971).

Opinion

WOLFE, P. J.,

— For disposition is defendant’s petition for relief from illegal search and seizure.

Defendant is charged with corrupting or tending to corrupt the morals of two juvenile females.

Defendant alleges his arrest was based solely upon the discovery of evidence at his apartment located at 515Vz East Street, Warren, Pa., to wit, two juveniles, in that police officers entered his apartment without a search warrant for the purpose of making a search and observation and thereby discovered the juveniles.

Defendant requested the court to exclude and suppress all evidence, including the observation of the officers and statements given by the juveniles.

An evidentiary hearing was held and, as a result thereof, the court makes the following

FINDINGS OF FACTS

1. On September 16, 1969, Warren Borough Policemen, Sgts. Zerbe and Kates were dispatched to investigate a missing persons complaint from a mother about her 13-year-old daughter. The mother advised the officers that her daughter and another juvenile female 14 years of age might be at an apartment in back of 515 East Street occupied by one or two older men.

2. On the same date, the officers went to this apartment, rapped on the door and a man by the name of [335]*335David Stoudnor, a friend of defendant, opened the door and invited the officers in for a cup of tea. Before entering, the officers observed the complainant’s daughter pulling up her pants as she was getting out of bed and, after entering, observed the other girl sitting on a couch in back of the door.

3. No search warrants were obtained by the officers to enter the premises nor did they advise David Stoudnor he could refuse' them entry, and the officers made no announcement prior to their knocking on the door of their reason for being there.

4. Defendant is the lessee of 515 East Street but was not present when the officers entered, at the invitation of the occupant, David Stoudnor.

5. As a result of the officers’ observations, the girls were removed from defendant’s apartment and thereafter written statements were taken from the girls, which statements, if admitted, would be damaging to defendant.

DISCUSSION

When a door to a dwelling is opened in response to a knock by uniformed police without a warrant to search therein and, when opened by one in possession, the officers observe the object of their search, is this evidence constitutionally protected?

There do not appear to be any cases recorded exactly on point; however, recent decisions indicate the direction of the law in this regard.

As a general rule, the mere looking at something by a police officer which is open to plain view is not a search: Commonwealth ex rel. Stoner v. Myers, 199 Pa. Superior Ct. 341 (1962); Ellison v. United States, 206 F. 2d 476; Commonwealth v. Calvarese, 199 Pa. Superior Ct. 319 (1962); Harris v. United States, 390 U. S. 234; 88 S. Ct. 992.

The evidence proposed to be introduced must be [336]*336obtained by a “search”: Commonwealth ex rel. Stoner v. Myers, ibid. A search consists of a prying into or seeking out. In the absence of a physical entry into the premises secured by the Fourth Amendment, there is no unreasonable search.

In Commonwealth ex rel. Bowers v. Rundle, 200 Pa. Superior Ct. 496, the court found, where police officers on patrol observed relator and another in a truck which was being operated without lights, and observed cases of whiskey therein as there was no partition between the seats and the body of the truck and thus readily discernible directly behind the seats, there was no unreasonable search and seizure as the objects were in plain view.

In the current case, objection is made that the officers entered the apartment without defendant’s consent, that David Stoudnor had no authority from defendant to invite them in and David Stoudnor had no proprietary interest in the premises to authorize their invitation.

The cases have settled that the owner of premises may consent to the search of his premises and if evidence is seized belonging to an occupant thereof, he has no cause to complain: Commonwealth v. Hardy, 423 Pa. 208 (1966); Commonwealth v. McKenna, 202 Pa. Superior Ct. 360 (1963).

Here, however, the owner was not present when his friend made the invitation. Indeed, defendant claims that the police barged in as soon as the door was opened and no invitation was made. Noticably, however, one of the juvenile girls testified to this but no testimony was offered from David Stoudnor.

We do not think the credible weight of the evidence supports the denial of an invitation. The denial did not come from David Stoudnor and as a fact he did not [337]*337appear as a witness for defendant nor give any reasonable explanation why he was not present.

In United States v. Evans, 194 F. Supp. 90 (1961), the court in striking down a search and seizure without a warrant, and upholding the constitutional requirement that the key to invasion of the home be a magistrate’s order rather than an investigating officer’s desire, stated:

. . the Court should not be understood as holding that the police may never go to a home and ask to speak to a suspect about rumors of his involvement in a crime; the holding here condemns only their going with the intention of making a search. The present fact-situation not being one in which a searchless home visit is presented, the Court can only say generally that such a visit appears to be a reasonable way in which police can conduct the pre-arrest investigative process, and at the same time give to innocent suspects the opportunity to clear themselves; but the Court must also say that such a method of police activity, like ‘inviting’ ‘suspects’ to appear for questioning at police headquarters, is one which must always be open to judicial scrutiny of claimed police abuses.”

In the current case, defendant testified David Stoudnor had permission to let people in his apartment when defendant was present; otherwise, defendant expressed no opinion as to the authority of David Stoudnor when defendant was not present.

In United States v. Speras, 210 F. 2d 69, the court pointed out that where two persons have equal right to the use or occupation of premises, either may give consent to a search and the evidence thus disclosed can be used against either.

Of course, we are here considering a situation where a friend of the lessee extends the invitation. No direct [338]*338or indirect orders were given to defendant’s friend not to open the door in response to a knock. On the contrary, if defendant left his premises in charge of his friend, we think it fair for him to reason he would open the door and, hence, should have no legal grounds to complain if the officers standing at the threshold observe, without entering, the subject of their inquiry.

We think defendant overlooks the fact the officers were searching for two juvenile girls and were not bent on searching or arresting defendant or his premises. The officers did not approach defendant’s premises with any intent to make an arrest or to make a search therein. Defendant argues to the contrary, but the record does not substantiate his contention.

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Related

United States v. Lee
274 U.S. 559 (Supreme Court, 1927)
Miller v. United States
357 U.S. 301 (Supreme Court, 1958)
Jones v. United States
362 U.S. 257 (Supreme Court, 1960)
Katz v. United States
389 U.S. 347 (Supreme Court, 1967)
Harris v. United States
390 U.S. 234 (Supreme Court, 1968)
Ellison v. United States
206 F.2d 476 (D.C. Circuit, 1953)
Cornelius Fullbright v. United States
392 F.2d 432 (Tenth Circuit, 1968)
Commonwealth Ex Rel. Bowers v. Rundle
189 A.2d 910 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1963)
Commonwealth v. Brayboy
246 A.2d 675 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1968)
United States v. Evans
194 F. Supp. 90 (District of Columbia, 1961)
Commonwealth v. McKenna
195 A.2d 817 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1963)
Commonwealth v. Calvarese
185 A.2d 657 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1962)
Commonwealth Ex Rel. Stoner v. Myers
185 A.2d 806 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1962)
Commonwealth v. McCloskey
272 A.2d 271 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1970)
Commonwealth v. Anderson
222 A.2d 495 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1966)
Commonwealth v. Brayboy
223 A.2d 878 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1966)
Commonwealth v. Hardy
223 A.2d 719 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1966)

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Bluebook (online)
52 Pa. D. & C.2d 333, 1971 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 277, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/commonwealth-v-bullers-pactcompl-1971.