Dannelley v. State

397 So. 2d 555
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Alabama
DecidedFebruary 24, 1981
StatusPublished
Cited by21 cases

This text of 397 So. 2d 555 (Dannelley v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Dannelley v. State, 397 So. 2d 555 (Ala. Ct. App. 1981).

Opinion

This appeal involves convictions based upon eight separate indictments, two of which were joint. All of the cases were consolidated for trial and appeal. Appellant Dorothy A. Dannelley was sentenced to a total of thirty-five years in the penitentiary and appellant John F. Dannelley was sentenced to a total of one hundred and fifteen years in the penitentiary. They each were separately arraigned in the presence of counsel, waived reading the indictments and entered pleas of not guilty and not guilty by reason of insanity. The cases involved the possession of marijuana and child molestation. They had their genesis with the execution of a search.

The affidavit leading to the issuance of the search warrant reads as follows:

"DISTRICT COURT X X AFFIDAVIT 15TH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT X X IN SUPPORT OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY X X SEARCH WARRANT STATE OF ALABAMA X

"Before me, the Honorable H.M. Kennedy Judge of the District Court, 15th Judicial Circuit, Montgomery County, State of Alabama, the undersigned being first duly sworn, deposes and says:

"That he is a law enforcement officer with the State of Alabama, Alcoholic Beverage Control Board and has been so employed for the past nine years.

"That he has reason to believe, probable cause to believe, and does believe Marijuana, a controlled substance is being kept, stored, concealed and used in violation of the Alabama Uniform Controlled Substances Act of 1971 at the residence of Johnny Frank Dannelly, alias Johnny Dannelley, 6311 Pinebrook Drive, Montgomery, Montgomery County, Alabama.

"And that the facts tending to establish the foregoing grounds for issuance of a search warrant are as follows:

"On November 27, 1979, I received information from a first time informant. Said informant stated that he had been present at 6311 Pinebrook Drive, Montgomery, Montgomery County, Alabama, within the recent past and while at this address said informant stated that he had observed Marijuana being used and sold by a white male known to the informant as Johnny Dannelly.

*Page 558
"Said informant has demonstrated to me his ability to recognize Marijuana.

"The informant was then, within the past 72 hours, given a sum of U.S. currency and was taken by Agent Kominitsky to the area of Johnny Dannelly's residence. Said informant was observed to enter 6311 Pinebrook Drive. Said informant then returned to Agent Kominitsky with a bag of Marijuana which he (informant) stated he had purchased from Johnny Dannelly. Said informant also stated that when he (said informant) left the aforementioned address that Johnny Dannelly had a quantity of this Marijuana remaining in his possession. Said informant was searched prior to and after purchasing the marijuana and at neither time did said informant have any money or drugs, other than the aforementioned items.

"Based on the above information, I have probable cause to believe and do believe that Marijuana is presently located at 6311 Pinebrook Drive, Montgomery, Montgomery County, Alabama.

/s/ Van Kominitsky /s/ H. Mark Kennedy VAN KOMINITSKY DISTRICT COURT JUDGE AGENT II 15TH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT" ALABAMA ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE

CONTROL BOARD

The search warrant is as follows:

"STATE OF ALABAMA

"COUNTY OF MONTGOMERY

"Before me H.M. Kennedy District Judge (Name and Title of Magistrate) personally appeared ABC Board Enforcement Agent Van Kominitsky who being duly sworn, deposes and says that he has probable cause to believe and does believe that Marijuana, a controlled substance is being kept, stored, concealed and used at the residence of Johnny Frank Dannelley, alias Johnny Dannelley, 6311 Pinebrook Drive, Montgomery, Montgomery County, Alabama. "Sworn to and subscribed before me this the 30th day of November 1979
/s/ H. Mark Kennedy (Magistrate) /s/ Van Kominitsky

SEARCH WARRANT

"The State of Alabama, County of MONTGOMERY

"To any Sheriff, Deputy and/or Municipal Police:

"Proof by affidavit having been made this day before me, by

(See attached affidavit)
"You are hereby commanded to make immediate search (daytime only) on the person and premises of Johnny Frank Dannelley alias Johnny Dannelley, 6311 Pinebrook Drive, Montgomery, Montgomery County, Alabama.

"for the following property Marijuana "and if you find the same or any part thereof, to bring it forthwith before me, at my office at Montgomery Alabama. "Dated the 30th day of November 1979.

/s/ H. Mark Kennedy (Magistrate)"

Appellants filed a pretrial motion to suppress and after a lengthy hearing the motion was denied. [See Appendix.]

Mr. Van Kominitsky testified at the suppression hearing that he was employed by *Page 559 the Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board, Enforcement Division, and had been so employed for approximately nine and a half years. He stated he was introduced to an informer about a week before he executed and signed an affidavit before Honorable H. Mark Kennedy, Judge of the District Court of Montgomery County, Alabama, who then issued a search warrant to search the residence of appellant Johnny Frank Dannelley at 6311 Pinebrook Drive in the City and County of Montgomery, Alabama, for marijuana. This was a first time informer and Kominitsky had never previously received information from this informer and did not know the reliability and credibility of the informer. He, therefore, set up a controlled buy with this informer to verify the information furnished him that marijuana was being used and sold at the Dannelley residence. To be certain that the informer knew marijuana when he saw it Kominitsky showed the informer a package of marijuana and the informer immediately recognized the substance.

Kominitsky patted down the clothes of the informer and searched the informer's car and did not find marijuana on the informer's person or in the car. He then gave the informer $35.00 in U.S. currency and followed the informer's car to the Dannelley residence. He saw the informer drive to the Dannelley residence and enter the side door. He drove slowly past the residence and returned to a position where he could observe the house. He remained parked for about ten minutes and saw a light come on in the back bedroom, which the informer had previously told him was the Dannelleys' bedroom. From this vantage point the officer observed a shadowy figure pass in front of the curtains on the window of the bedroom and appear to open a chest of drawers. After the lapse of a minute the lights went out and the officer saw the informer come out of the house, get in his car and drive away. The officer followed the informer's car to the prearranged location where the informer handed him a bag of marijuana and told him the bag was purchased from Johnny Dannelley.

Appellants called several witnesses, mostly family members, who testiged that on the night the controlled buy allegedly occurred Johnny F. Dannelley was not at home.

Having verified the informer's information as being true and correct in all respects the officer made the affidavit upon which the search warrant was issued. On December 1, 1979, at 8:00 a.m., Kominitsky, ABC Agents John Crawford, Larry Williams, and Montgomery County Deputy Sheriff Wayne Ward, executed the search warrant. A search of the house was conducted and a small amount of marijuana was found in a bag, two marijuana cigarettes, pipes containing marijuana residue, and drug paraphernalia.

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Bluebook (online)
397 So. 2d 555, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/dannelley-v-state-alacrimapp-1981.