Flores v. State

827 S.W.2d 416, 1992 WL 27945
Court of Appeals of Texas·Decided March 19, 1992·No. 13-91-102-CR·Published·Cited by 29 cases

Opinion

OPINION

GILBERTO HINOJOSA, Justice.

Appellant waived jury trial and pled “not guilty” to possessing less than 28 grams of cocaine. The trial court found her guilty and assessed punishment at imprisonment for six years, probated. We affirm.

On the morning of June 8, 1990, police officers executed a search warrant at appellant’s home. A confidential informant had told the police that stolen property was located at appellant’s home. In searching for the stolen property, the police discovered and seized some cocaine. Within hours of the search, appellant confessed that she had sold cocaine from her house in exchange for stolen property.

On appeal, appellant contends, on both state and federal grounds, that the affidavit supporting the search warrant was invalid, and therefore the cocaine, confession, and other fruits of the search should have been suppressed. Specifically, appellant contends that the affidavit failed to state facts showing that the confidential informant’s information was not stale.

At the outset, the State argues that appellant did not properly preserve error because his suppression motion lists a host of constitutional and statutory sections which are irrelevant to this case and thereby obfuscates valid complaints in a fog of other complaints. See Berry v. State, 813 S.W.2d 636, 638 (Tex.App.—Houston [14th Dist.] 1991, no pet.). While we share the State’s concern about motions which cite numerous irrelevant grounds for suppression, we find that appellant’s motion clearly challenged the adequacy of the affidavit’s probable cause statement because of staleness. The motion was sufficient to apprise the trial court of the nature and basis of the objection, and the trial court heard evidence on the motion. Both parties specifically addressed their arguments in the trial court to the staleness issue, and the trial court then ruled in favor of admitting the evidence. 1 Under these circumstances, appellant preserved error. See Samuel v. State, 688 S.W.2d 492, 495 (Tex.Crim.App.1985).

In point of error one, appellant complains that the cocaine was admitted in violation of the federal exclusionary rule. In point three appellant contends that her confession and other fruits of the search were also erroneously introduced on this ground. Because these points both concern the trial court’s failure to exclude evidence under the federal exclusionary rule, we will consider them together. In United States v. Leon, 468 U.S. 897, 104 S.Ct. 3405, 82 L.Ed.2d 677 (1984), the Supreme Court adopted the “good faith” exception to the federal exclusionary rule, holding that in “the absence of an allegation that the magistrate abandoned his detached and neutral role, suppression is appropriate only if the officers were dishonest or reckless in preparing their affidavit or could not have harbored an objectively reasonable belief in the existence of probable cause.” Id. 468 U.S. at 926, 104 S.Ct. at 3422.

The affiant-officer in the present case explained at the suppression hearing how *418 he prepared the affidavit, had it reviewed and rejected by a superior officer, reworked it, had it approved by his superior, and then took it to the magistrate who orally questioned him and issued the warrant. There was no showing that the warrant was issued in violation of the Leon “good faith” doctrine. Thus, admission of the evidence did not violate the federal exclusionary rule, and points one and three are overruled.

In points two and four, appellant contends that admission of the cocaine and other fruits of the search violated Texas law. 2 Because both points turn on the trial court’s failure to exclude the evidence under Texas law, these points will be considered together. In Texas, the affidavit supporting the warrant must state probable cause, and its failure to do so is reviewable by an appellate court. This review is required because the Texas “good faith” exception, enacted as article 38.23(b), is not coextensive with the federal “good faith” exception but applies only if the supporting affidavit states probable cause. 3 See Gordon v. State, 801 S.W.2d 899, 912 (Tex.Crim.App.1990).

Appellant complains that probable cause was lacking because the affidavit failed to state sufficient facts to show that stolen items were probably at the suspected place at the time the magistrate issued the warrant. If the affidavit contained information that was stale, the trial court should have suppressed the evidence, because facts stated in an affidavit must be so closely related to the time of the issuance of the warrant that a finding of probable cause is justified at that time. Sgro v. United States, 287 U.S. 206, 210, 53 S.Ct. 138, 140, 77 L.Ed. 260 (1932); Sherlock v. State, 632 S.W.2d 604, 608 (Tex.Crim.App.1982); Peltier v. State, 626 S.W.2d 30, 32 (Tex.Crim.App.1982); Heredia v. State, 468 S.W.2d 833, 835 (Tex.Crim.App.1971).

The affidavit in the present case reads: The undersigned Affiant being a Peace Officer under the laws of Texas, and being duly sworn, on oath makes the following statements and accusations:
1. There is in Hidalgo County, Texas, a suspected place and premises described and located as follows:
a single family dwelling located at 316 E. Bahia, Mission, Hidalgo County Texas. The suspected residence is described as a red brick home with dark brown siding. A hurricane fence surrounds the suspected residence. This is to include all buildings and attachments and vehicles at the suspected residence.
2. There is at said suspected place and premises an item constituting evidence of an offense in violation of the laws of Texas and described as follows:
stolen itmes (sic) to include television sets, bicycles, lawn mowers, jewerly (sic), etc.
3. Said suspected place and premises are in charge of and controlled by each of the following persons:
Raul Flores, 5'6", 200 pounds, white/ black mustache
4. Affiant has probable cause for said belief by reason of the following facts:

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Flores v. State, 827 S.W.2d 416, 1992 WL 27945 (Tex. Ct. App. 1992).

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