Derby v. State

960 S.W.2d 274, 1997 Tex. App. LEXIS 6375, 1997 WL 760285
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedDecember 11, 1997
DocketNo. 01-96-01083-CR
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 960 S.W.2d 274 (Derby v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Derby v. State, 960 S.W.2d 274, 1997 Tex. App. LEXIS 6375, 1997 WL 760285 (Tex. Ct. App. 1997).

Opinions

OPINION

HEDGES, Justice.

Appellant pleaded not guilty to possession of methamphetamine with intent to deliver. The trial court found him guilty and assessed punishment at 10-years probation and a $5,000 fine. On appeal, appellant contends that the trial court erred in denying his motion to suppress. We affirm.

FACTS

On March 25, 1988, DEA agents saw appellant purchase one gallon of acetone and five gallons of ether from a chemical supply company. Both of these chemicals are commonly used in the manufacture of methamphetamine, a controlled substance. After the purchase, the agents followed appellant to property in north Harris County. Appellant traveled a very circuitous route to his destination.

Upon arrival at the property, appellant left his vehicle and unlocked the gate to a dirt road, designated as Plaza 290 Boulevard, which traversed the property. Appellant testified by affidavit that he leased the property, consisting of 116 acres, undeveloped except for the road. He himself placed the gate restricting access to Plaza 290 Boulevard. One side of the gate was fenced and had a sign reading “KEEP OUT/NO TRESPASSING.” The other side of the gate had no fencing and was open to foot traffic. Appellant reentered his vehicle and drove through the gate. Appellant then locked the gate and drove 1.5 miles to his trailer.

Shortly thereafter, agents Mundy and Lewis skirted the fence and proceeded on foot in the direction appellant had driven. They located appellant’s truck and established surveillance of appellant’s trailer at a distance of 75 to 100 yards. The agents saw appellant walk in and out of the trailer in order to dispose of what appeared to be chemical waste. They also detected a distinctive odor, which they recognized as phe-nylacetone, a precursor compound used in the manufacture of methamphetamine. The agents also viewed a generator providing the trailer with electricity and aluminum foil covering the windows, and heard glasses clanging and boxes being moved.

A few hours later, the agents stopped and detained appellant as he left the property. During the detention, the agents smelled a strong odor of phenylacetone emanating from appellant. He was uncooperative and offered no explanation for the odor.

[276]*276Based on the observations of the agents, a search warrant was issued. During the resulting search, agents recovered 41.86 grams of methamphetamine and quantities of chemicals used in its manufacture.

Burden of Proof

Searches pursuant to a facially valid warrant are presumed to be legal. See Russell v. State, 717 S.W.2d 7, 9-10 (Tex.Crim.App.1986). It is the defendant’s burden to establish the infirmity of the warrant or its execution. Blondett v. State, 921 S.W.2d 469, 472 (Tex.App.-Houston [14th Dist.] 1996, pet. ref'd). In this case, the State acted pursuant to a facially valid warrant. In challenging the search, appellant argues that although the warrant was facially valid, its supporting affidavit was based on tainted information: information illegally obtained in violation of TexCode CRim. P. Ann. art. 38.23 (Vernon Supp.1998). It is appellant’s burden to establish the illegality by competent evidence. Blondett, 921 S.W.2d at 472-73.

Motion to Suppress

In two points of error, appellant contends that the trial court abused its discretion in denying his motion to suppress the evidence obtained pursuant to the search warrant because the warrant was issued based on illegally obtained information.

Standard of Review

The standard for reviewing a trial court’s ruling on a motion to suppress evidence is abuse of discretion. Long v. State, 823 S.W.2d 259, 277 (Tex.Crim.App.1991). At a hearing on a motion to suppress, the trial court is the sole trier of fact and judge of the witnesses’ credibility and the weight to be given their testimony. Romero v. State, 800 S.W.2d 539, 543 (Tex.Crim.App.1990); Brooks v. State, 830 S.W.2d 817, 820 (Tex.App.-Houston [1st Dist.] 1992, no pet.). The trial judge may choose to believe or disbelieve any or all of a witness’s testimony. Green v. State, 934 S.W.2d 92, 98 (Tex.Crim.App.1996). The evidence is viewed in the light most favorable to the trial court’s ruling. Whitten v. State, 828 S.W.2d 817, 820 (Tex.App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 1992, pet. refd).

Criminal Trespass

In point of error one, appellant argues that the evidence should be suppressed because the warrant was based on information obtained in violation of Tex.Penal Code § 30.05 (Vernon Supp.1998), criminal trespass. He contends that under TexCode CRIM. P. Ann. art. 38.23, the evidence obtained during this trespass is inadmissible.

A person commits criminal trespass if he knowingly, intentionally, or recklessly enters the property of another without effective consent, and he has notice that the entry is forbidden. Tex. Penal Code Ann. § 30.05 (Vernon 1994); Moreno v. State, 702 S.W.2d 636, 639 (Tex.Crim.App.1986); Delosreyes v. State, 853 S.W.2d 684, 689 (Tex.App.-Houston [1st Dist.] 1993, no pet.). Appellant bases his assignment of error on his assertion agents trespassed on the private road leading to his trailer. The State counters that appellant did not establish that the agents trespassed on his private property.

In support of his motion to suppress, appellant offered his own affidavit and the search warrant affidavit. The trial court had before it a stipulation of evidence, offered by the State as evidence of appellant’s guilt.

In his affidavit, appellant swore that he had leased 116 acres of land in north Harris County. He attached a plat of the property. He testified that the property was unimproved except for a dirt road designated “Plaza 290 Boulevard.” He described the fencing of the property and identified a gate he had placed across the entrance to the road. He constructed the gate to prohibit horseback riding on his property. He also erected a “KEEP OUT/NO TRESPASSING” sign on the gate. When he was detained by the agents, they were outside the gate, and he was inside the gate.1 He gave them no consent to search his property.

[277]*277The plat attached to his affidavit is reproduced below. See Appendix A. According to appellant’s affidavit, the double solid lines represent fences, and the single solid lines designate unfenced property lines. There is no scale reference provided, although evidence established that the property encompasses 116 acres and the trailer is one and one-half miles from the gate by way of Plaza 290 Boulevard.

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960 S.W.2d 274, 1997 Tex. App. LEXIS 6375, 1997 WL 760285, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/derby-v-state-texapp-1997.