Haina and Strawbridge v. State

352 A.2d 874, 30 Md. App. 295, 1976 Md. App. LEXIS 554
CourtCourt of Special Appeals of Maryland
DecidedFebruary 26, 1976
Docket674, September Term, 1975
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 352 A.2d 874 (Haina and Strawbridge v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Special Appeals of Maryland primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Haina and Strawbridge v. State, 352 A.2d 874, 30 Md. App. 295, 1976 Md. App. LEXIS 554 (Md. Ct. App. 1976).

Opinion

Thompson, J.,

delivered the opinion of the Court.

Carla Wyanette Strawbridge and Peter Xavier Haina were convicted for violation of the controlled dangerous substances laws of Maryland by the Circuit Court for Prince George’s County. Haina was sentenced to a total of 20 years. Strawbridge was sentenced to a total of 5 years, which sentences were suspended except for 12 days to be served on 6 consecutive weekends and placed on active probation for 5 years. The primary issues on appeal concern the validity of a wiretap order under Title III of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968, 18 U.S.C. § 2510-2520.

Wiretaps

Both appellants initially contend tkat the wiretap order was invalid because of the failure of the application and order to name the appellant Strawbridge as a person who was committing the offense and whose communications *298 were to be intercepted. The pertinent provisions of 18 U.S.C. § 2518 in support of these contentions are:

(l)(b)(iv) — “Each application shall include the following information: . . . the identity of the person, if known, committing the offense and whose communications are to be intercepted. . . .”

(4)(a) — “Each order authorizing or approving the interception of any wire or oral communication shall specify — the identity of the person, if known, whose communications are to be intercepted . . . .”

The appellants, relying on a partial quotation of dictum of the United States Supreme Court in United States v. Kahn, 415 U. S. 143, 94 S. Ct. 977, 39 L.Ed.2d 225 (1974) * , argue that the standard for determining whether or not a person is “known” within the meaning of the statute is whether or not the government had reason to suspect that person’s complicity in the commission of the offense and the use of the telephone. In Kahn, supra, however, the Supreme Court stated that:

“We conclude, therefore, that Title III requires the naming of a person in the application or interception order only when the law enforcement authorities have probable cause to believe that the individual is ‘committing the offense’ for which the wiretap is sought.” Id. at 155.

It is evident then that “probable cause” to believe that a person is committing a specific crime and may be overheard on a specific telephone and not a “suspicion” is the standard to determine whether he is known to the State within the meaning of the statute. United States v. Bernstein, 509 F. 2d 996 (4th Cir. 1975); United States v. Donovan, 513 F. 2d 337 (6th Cir. 1975); United States v. Doolittle, 507 F. 2d 1368 (5th Cir. 1975), reargued 518 F. 2d 500; 1 and also see United *299 States v. Moore, 513 F. 2d 485 (D.C. Cir. 1975) construing the local law for the District of Columbia which is, for these purposes, identical with the general statute.

To determine whether or not there was probable cause to believe that the appellant Strawbridge was violating the controlled dangerous substance laws and would be using the specific telephones we first turn to the affidavit of PFC Howard S. Blake in support of the application for the ex parte order for the interception of the wire communications. Consisting of 24 pages, it detailed through a confidential source, whose reliability is not questioned and is referred to in the affidavit as (CS), and independent investigation by the affiant the reasons which he believed that the appellant Haina was engaged in a large wholesale illicit drug operation. The affidavit includes the following four references to the appellant Strawbridge:

1. “The (CS) has known Peter Xavier Haina for approximately three (3) years. The (CS) stated that Peter Xavier Haina resides at (5611 Monroe Street, Cheverly, Prince George’s County, Maryland). The said (CS) further related that the said residence (5611 Monroe Street, Cheverly, Prince George’s County, Maryland), is the residence of Peter Xavier Plaina’s mother and that Peter Xavier Haina resides in the upstairs portion of the said residence with his girlfriend, a white female known as ‘Carla’.

2. “The (CS) has told me that Haina’s girlfriend, a white female known as ‘Carla’, is also involved in the same scheme to distribute controlled dangerous substances. The (CS) stated that it has telephoned Haina as recently as the month of June, 1974, and that the (CS) has talked to ‘Carla’ on the occasions when Haina was not at home. The (CS) further related that ‘Carla’ had Haina return the (CS’s) telephone calls that it had made to Haina when Haina was not at home. The (CS) further stated that it has had drug related conversations mth ‘Carla’ while talking to her on Haina’s telephone number (927-4724).

*300 “The (CS) stated that on the basis of its many in person and telephone conversations with Peter Xavier Haina and the white female known as ‘Carla’, it is absolutely positive in its identification of the person’s voices over the telephone.”

3. “The (CS) also stated to your affiant that Peter Xavier Haina operates a late model Chevrolet, Corvette, gray in color which bears Maryland Registration LR 9024. The (CS) also related to your affiant that Haina occasionally operates a Volkswagon, light blue in color which bears South Carolina registration (UIB 147), and that this vehicle belongs to Haina’s girlfriend who is known as ‘Carla’.

4. “A registration listing furnished to me by the South Carolina Motor Vehicle Administration revealed that South Carolina registration UIB 147 was on a 1970 Volkswagon, listed to one: Carla W. Strawbridge, 111 Arrowwood Road, Columbia, South Carolina.

“This leads your affiant to believe that the above listed Carla W. Strawbridge is the same white female known as ‘Carla’ who resides with Peter X. Haina at 5611 Monroe Street, Cheverly, Prince George’s County, Maryland.” (Italics added)

When the facts in the affidavit are taken as a whole, we find that the State had probable cause to believe that Strawbridge was involved in the narcotics operation and would be using either of the two telephones that was to be monitored under the application and order. As stated before the veracity of the informant is not questioned, nor can his basis of knowledge be challenged. Aguilar v. Texas, 378 U. S. 108, 84 S. Ct. 1509, 12 L.Ed.2d 723 (1964) and Spinelli v. United States, 393 U. S. 410, 89 S. Ct. 584, 21 L.Ed.2d 637 (1969). The information he recited to Officer Blake was gained from personal dealings with the appellants.

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Bluebook (online)
352 A.2d 874, 30 Md. App. 295, 1976 Md. App. LEXIS 554, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/haina-and-strawbridge-v-state-mdctspecapp-1976.