Commonwealth v. Slaton

556 A.2d 1343, 383 Pa. Super. 301, 1989 Pa. Super. LEXIS 837
CourtSupreme Court of Pennsylvania
DecidedMarch 31, 1989
Docket162 and 229
StatusPublished
Cited by22 cases

This text of 556 A.2d 1343 (Commonwealth v. Slaton) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Commonwealth v. Slaton, 556 A.2d 1343, 383 Pa. Super. 301, 1989 Pa. Super. LEXIS 837 (Pa. 1989).

Opinions

MELINSON, Judge:

This is an appeal filed by the Commonwealth from an Order of the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County granting, in part, Appellee’s omnibus pre-trial motion to suppress evidence. Appellee (hereinafter “Slaton”) has cross-appealed the portion of the Order denying the suppression of other evidence. We affirm the portion of the trial court’s Order granting Slaton’s motion to suppress. Slaton’s cross-appeal is quashed as interlocutory.

On November 21, 1983, Agent Eugene C. Beard, Jr., of the Bureau of Narcotics of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, visited Lou’s Pharmacy in East Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The purpose of Beard’s visit was to search the “Schedule II file” 1 of the pharmacy in the course of an investigation into the activities of an individual referred to as “Merriweather.” This individual allegedly had been forging prescriptions in the general vicinity of Lou’s. Beard notified the pharmacist, Slaton, that he wished to look through his Schedule II file for information on Merriweather. Slaton responded by showing Beard the file.

During the course of searching the file for evidence against Merriweather, Beard found many other forged prescriptions, apparently unrelated to the Merriweather case. He removed these prescriptions from the Schedule II file [304]*304and, in accordance with Bureau of Narcotics policy, left receipts for the removed prescriptions in the file. Within the next few days, Beard contacted the doctors who, according to the confiscated slips, were purported to have written the prescriptions. He learned that the prescriptions were, indeed, forgeries.

On December 6, 1983, Beard, with another narcotics agent, returned to Lou’s Pharmacy and, again, notified Slaton that he wished to continue searching his Schedule II file. Beard did not state that he was looking for more information on Merriweather, but neither did he state that he was no longer looking for information on that individual. Read in its totality the record shows that Slaton, on the occasions of the latter two visits, was under the impression that the agents were searching for more information on Merriweather. Under those circumstances, Slaton again permitted Beard to search the file. Additional suspected forged prescriptions were removed by the agents on that date and on the following day, December 7, 1983.

Slaton was arrested on January 16, 1985, and was charged with sixty-one (61) counts of Violation óf the Controlled Substance, Drug, Device, and Cosmetic Act: Distribution by Practitioner in Bad Faith. Pa.Stat.Ann. tit. 35, Section 780-113(a)(14) (Purdon 1987 Supp.). Slaton filed an omnibus pre-trial motion, requesting, inter alia, that the prescription slips taken from the Schedule II file be suppressed on the grounds that his consent was improperly obtained.

The trial court denied the motion with regard to the prescription slips seized on Agent Beard’s first visit to Lou’s Pharmacy. The court found, however, that by December 6,1983, Slaton had become “the focus of the investigation and that, accordingly, a warrant to search was constitutionally required.” The trial court further found that the Commonwealth had not proved that Slaton knowingly and intelligently consented to a search of the premises. Thus, in the absence of a valid search warrant, the prescription slips seized on December 6 and 7 of 1983 were [305]*305illegally seized and, therefore, were inadmissible as evidence against Slaton.2 The Commonwealth has appealed this Order of the trial court. Slaton has cross-appealed, claiming that the prescription slips seized at the time of Beard’s first visit should also have been suppressed as the result of an illegal search.

I.

Appeal of the Commonwealth

No. 162 Pittsburgh, 1986

We shall first address the issues raised by the Commonwealth. Initially, the Commonwealth alleges that the trial court incorrectly concluded that Slaton was the focus of the investigation on December 6 and 7. Alternatively, it is asserted that, even if Slaton had been the focus of the investigation on those dates, he voluntarily consented to the search of the Schedule II file.

“[T]he Commonwealth’s appeal of a suppression order is proper as an appeal from a final order when the Commonwealth certifies in good faith that the suppression order terminates or substantially handicaps its prosecution.” Commonwealth v. Dugger, 506 Pa. 537, 546-47, 486 A.2d 382, 386 (1985). The Commonwealth certified on the record in the trial court, and in the brief submitted on appeal, that the Order suppressing twenty-six (26) of the sixty-one (61) prescription slips “substantially handicaps its ability to prosecute all the instant charges based upon all available evidence.”3 Thus, we shall address the merits of this appeal.

[306]*306The trial court found that by the dates of the latter two searches (December 6th and 7th), Slaton had become the focus of the investigation. The record supports that factual finding. However, that finding is not dispositive of the constitutionality of the searches. The issue to be decided is whether Slaton's consent to the warrantless searches of December 6th and 7th was voluntary under Pennsylvania law.

Initially, we note that Pa.Stat.Ann. tit. 35, Section 780-134 (Purdon 1977) governs the issues in this case. That section provides, in pertinent part:

(b)(1) For the purpose of inspecting, copying, and verifying the correctness of records, reports, or other documents required to be kept or made under this act and otherwise facilitating the carrying out of his functions under this act, the secretary is authorized, in accordance with this section, to enter controlled premises and to conduct administrative inspections thereof, and of the things specified in this section, relevant to those functions.
(2) Such entries and inspections shall be carried out through officers or employes (hereinafter referred to as “officers”) designated by the secretary. Any such officer upon stating his purpose and presenting to the owner, operator, or officer in charge of such premises (i) appropriate credentials and (ii) a written notice of his inspection authority ... shall have the right to enter such premises and conduct such inspection at reasonable times____
(c) A warrant under this section shall not be required for the inspection of books and records pursuant to any administrative subpoena issued in accordance with any provisions of any Act of Assembly nor for entries and administrative inspections (including seizures of property):
[307]*307(1) With the consent of the owner, operator, or officer in charge of the controlled premises;
(2) In situations presenting imminent danger to health or safety;
(3) In situations involving inspection of conveyances where there is reasonable cause to believe that the mobility of the conveyance makes it impracticable to obtain a warrant;
(4) In any other exceptional or emergency circumstance where time or opportunity to apply for a warrant is lacking; or
(5) In any other situations where a warrant is not constitutionally required.

Pa.Stat.Ann. tit. 35, Section 780-124 (Purdon 1977) (emphasis added).

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
556 A.2d 1343, 383 Pa. Super. 301, 1989 Pa. Super. LEXIS 837, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/commonwealth-v-slaton-pa-1989.