Drousche v. State

651 S.W.2d 883
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedOctober 5, 1983
Docket3-82-339-CR
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 651 S.W.2d 883 (Drousche 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
Drousche v. State, 651 S.W.2d 883 (Tex. Ct. App. 1983).

Opinion

EARL W. SMITH, Justice.

In this appeal from a jury-trial conviction for indecency with a child, appellant argues that four grounds of error support reversal of the trial court’s judgment and sentence of ten years’ confinement in the Texas Department of Corrections. The questions presented are: (1) whether a juror was properly permitted to remain on the panel once it was disclosed that he knew the victim’s father; (2) whether the court erred in refusing to charge on the lesser-included offense of assault by contact; (3) and (4) whether the seizure of photographs of the victim from appellant’s house, pursuant to a “mere evidence” search warrant, violated appellant’s rights guaranteed under the United States and Texas Constitutions.

We will overrule all four grounds of error and affirm the judgment of conviction.

On August 15, 1981, Austin police officers, acting on information received from identified informants, obtained a search and arrest warrant, and arrested appellant for the offense of indecency with a child. This offense, allegedly committed in Travis County, was allegedly perpetrated upon a child, to whom we will refer as S_A_ G_

Following news reports of the arrest, another child, E_M_C_, informed her parents that approximately two months earlier, during a photographic session conducted by appellant, he had touched her genitals with his hand. This offense, against E_M_C_, was alleged to have occurred in a schoolyard in Williamson County and is the gravamen of this appeal.

On August 15,1981, Austin police officers obtained a warrant to arrest appellant for the Travis County offense, and to search the premises occupied and controlled by appellant. Pursuant to Tex.Code Cr.P.Ann. *885 arts. 18.01(d) and 18.02(10) (1977 and Supp. 1982), the warrant authorized the officers to seize the following items listed in the supporting affidavit:

(1) Photographs and Photographic Negatives of S- A_ G_, a female child, depicting the said child in poses which reveal her genital area clothed in underwear.
(2) Photographs and Photographic Negatives of female children depicting the said children in poses revealing their genital areas clothed in underwear.
(3) Photographs and Photographic Negatives of female children depicting the said children in nude or partially nude states.
(4) Cameras and Photographic Equipment.
(5) Exposed, Unprocessed Photographic Film.

Two verified affidavits were presented to the judge in support of the issuance of this warrant. One affidavit, signed by S_ A-G-, detailed a photo session during which appellant touched the twelve-year-old affiant “between [her] legs.” The second affidavit, signed by an Austin police officer, alleged that the officer had viewed photographs taken by appellant of nude and partially nude children while the photos were in the possession of a commercial photo processor. Based upon these sworn statements, the aforementioned warrant was issued and numerous photographs were seized by the police.

Appellant’s third and fourth grounds of error allege that the warrant was unconstitutionally overbroad and that no probable cause existed which would justify the seizure of these photographs. This was an art. 18.02(10) “mere evidence” search warrant.

Texas Code Cr.P.Ann. art. 18.01 (1977 and Supp.1982) provides, in part:

(b)No search warrant shall issue for any purpose in this state unless sufficient facts are first presented to satisfy the issuing magistrate that probable cause does in fact exist for its issuance. A sworn affidavit setting forth substantial facts establishing probable cause shall be filed in every instance in which a search warrant is requested. The affidavit is public information if executed.
(c) A search warrant may not be issued pursuant to Subdivision (10) of Article 18.02 of this code unless the sworn affidavit required by Subsection (b) of this article sets forth sufficient facts to establish probable cause: (1) that a specific offense has been committed, (2) that the specifically described property or items that are to be searched for or seized constitute evidence of that offense or evidence that a particular person committed that offense, and (3) that the property or items constituting evidence to be searched for or seized are located at or on the particular person, place, or thing to be searched
(d) Only the specifically described property or items set forth in a search warrant issued under Subdivision (10) of Article 18.02 of this code ... may be seized. Subsequent search warrants may not be issued pursuant to Subdivision (10) of Article 18.02 of this code to search the same person, place, or thing subjected to a pri- or search under Subdivision (10) of Article 18.02 of this code.

Article 18.02(10) provides:

[a] search warrant may be issued to search for and seize:
******
(10) property or items, except the personal writings of the accused, constituting evidence of an offense or constituting evidence tending to show that a particular person committed an offense .... [emphasis supplied]

Accordingly, viewed together, these provisions require that the affiant establish probable cause: that specifically described property be evidence of a specific offense, or be evidence tending to show that a particular person committed a specific offense. The evidence seized in this case was specifically described in the affidavit accompanying the warrant and incorporated by reference therein. The question appellant poses is whether the evidence seized tends to show that appellant committed the offense *886 of indecency with a child against S-A_G_

Appellant argues that the photographs of children other than S_A_ G-, including photographs of E-M_C_, which the police seized in the search, are not evidence tending to show that appellant committed any acts of indecency with S- A_ G-He contends that the photographs of other female children posed in revealing, and sometimes suggestive, positions would not be admissible in his trial for the offense against S_ A_G_We disagree with appellant’s argument that the photographs of E-M_C_, seized by the officers, did not constitute evidence tending to show that appellant committed an offense against S_ A_ G_The photographs would have been admissible in the Travis County trial to show the probability of the charged act and the unnaturalness of the accused’s attitude toward the victim of his lust. Garcia v. State, 573 S.W.2d 12 (Tex.Cr.App.1978); Johnston v. State, 418 S.W.2d 522 (Tex.Cr.App.1967); see also Davis v.

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651 S.W.2d 883, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/drousche-v-state-texapp-1983.