Harper v. State

1951 OK CR 127, 236 P.2d 272, 94 Okla. Crim. 371, 1951 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 327
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma
DecidedOctober 3, 1951
DocketA-11395
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 1951 OK CR 127 (Harper v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Harper v. State, 1951 OK CR 127, 236 P.2d 272, 94 Okla. Crim. 371, 1951 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 327 (Okla. Ct. App. 1951).

Opinion

POWELL, J.

Frank Harper lias appealed from a conviction in the county court of Rogers county of the crime of unlawful possession of intoxicating liquor, where he was sentenced to serve a term of 30 days in the county jail and to pay a fine of $300, and costs.

The defendant for reversal claims first that his motion to suppress the evidence should have been sustained. It is contended that the search warrant described in fact more than one place and is therefore void and in violation of the Constitution of Oklahoma, and of the Constitution of the United States.

The place to be searched is described in the search warrant as: “The entire second story of a certain two story stucco building located on the S. 22 feet of lot one and the N. 13 feet of lot 2 in block 107 in the city of Claremore, Okla., occupied by Frank Harper as a dwelling house and public resort.”

We conclude that the description meets all the requirements of the law, there being a specific and single place described, and alleged as occupied by one family. However, the defendant offered evidence in support, of his motion to show that he lived in the “front” end of the second floor of the building in question, shown by other evidence to be the east end, and that one Pete Rodriquez, an aged Mexican, lived in room No. 5 in the far end of the upstairs, which would be the west end and had lived there for five years, and that one Claude Watson and wife also rented rooms on this second floor. From this evidence, which was not refuted, we conclude that Rodriquez was living separately from the defendant in a numbered room or apartment and maintained a separate home there on the second floor of the building in question. Whether this room No. 5 contained more than one section or division, or whether Rodriquez both cooked as well as slept in this apartment is not shown. At all events this was his home. It is not contended that he was accepted as a member of the family of the defendant and lived with them. And the gist of Rodriquez’s testimony was to the effect that some times other people lived up there whom he did not know. Apparently the rooms or apartments were numbered as in a hotel or apartment house. As stated in Myer v. State, 34 Okla. Cr. 421, 246 P. 1105, *373 1106, “One of several light housekeeping apartments, however humble or unpretentious when occupied as a home, is just as sabred' and entitled to the same constitutional protection as a separate mansion used as a home.” Cited are Wiese v. State, 32 Okla. Cr. 203, 240 P. 1075; United States v. Innelli, D. C., 286 P. 731.

The evidence indicates that all the rooms were searched, including room No. 5 occupied by Rodriquez, although none ef the occupants other than the defendant were present. Twelve pints and a like number of half pints of whiskey were found in the defendant’s ice box in his apartment.

The question for consideration is whether or not, under the facts stated, more than one home was maintained at the address set out in the affidavit and warrant, and therefore in fact made the search warrant what is denominated a “blanket” warrant, and void.

The State maintains that the facts in the case of Gill v. State, 7 Okla. Cr. 247, 110 P. 2d 926, are similar to the facts in the within case and that the rules' of law announced therein are applicable here. The defendant relies on the case of Aldridge v. State, 72 Okla. Cr. 298, 115 P. 2d 275, and cases cited.

In the Gill case the defendant occupied the entire upper floor at 413 "C” Avenue, Lawton; the furnishings all belonged to the defendant; defendant paid the rent and all utility hills; her niece and husband lived with her, the niece working in the home to pay for the room rental, and lived as a part of the family. Only one “place” was described in the search warrant as in the within case, but the similarity ends there. In the within case the evidence brought out that three separate homes were maintained at the address designated in the warrant. These people were not living as a part of the Frank Harper family, but lived in separate portions of the second floor of the building in question. There were apparently separate entrances from a hall. Therefore, we conclude that the rule announced in Aldridge v. State, supra, is applicable, and being:

“A search warrant, which named defendant and authorized the search of. an entire apartment hotel building, instead of particularly describing apartment occupied by defendant, was void as being a ‘blanket search warrant’ covering the private place of abode of several people, where defendant occupied only an apartment in the described building and other families occupied apartments in same building.”

And as said in, Myer v. State, supra, “Where there is no joint interest apparent, a showing of probable cause against one tenant confers no right to search the home of another tenant in the same building.” This building amounted ;o a rooming house or apartment building, and was a place of business. The lescription in the search warrant should have been such that the officer serving the warrant would know the exact premises or rooms or apartment n the rooming house to be searched. As said in Flowers v. State, 88 Okla. Cr. 252, 202 P. 2d 233, 234:

“This to the end that premises or rooms occupied by innocent individuals, igainst whom no affidavit has been filed, may not be searched. To hold other-vise would be to deprive the individual citizen of his constitutional rights igainst search and seizure, a sacred right which has been recognized since the idoption of the Constitution of the United States, and the Constitution of this state.”

We conclude that the motion to suppress should have been sustained.

On trial the evidence was substantially as on motion to suppress, except here was additional evidence. Buck Wright, Chief of Police of Claremore, *374 stated that the defendant occupied an apartment on the second floor of the building searched; that there were ten or fifteen rooms on the second floor; and Prank Harper, the defendant, testified that he was 69 years of age, admitted that the liquor seized belonged to him, but swore that he had the same for his own personal use and did not have the same for sale, and swore that he was not in the liquor business, but was a farmer. And the State introduced in evidence a certificate from the Collector of Internal Revenue, Oklahoma City, dated January 27, 1950, certifying that Prank J. Harper possessed liquor dealer’s stamp No. 66305 for period July, 1948 to June 30, 1949, with address of 119% North Missouri, Claremore, Oklahoma, shown to be the address of the building occupied by defendant.

Counsel for defendant next contend “that the Court’s Instruction No. 4 is a misstatement of the law applicable to the within case, and is highly prejudicial to his substantial rights.” The pertinent portion of the instruction reads:

“You are further instructed it shall be unlawful for any person to have or keep in excess of one quart of spirituous, vinous, fermented or malt liquors or any imitation thereof, or any substitute therefor, * * * in or about his place of business or any place of amusement or recreation or any public resort or any club room, whether such liquor be intended for the personal use of the person having and keeping the same.”

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Related

Palmer v. State
1975 OK CR 33 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1975)
State v. Costakos
226 A.2d 695 (Supreme Court of Rhode Island, 1967)
McGhee v. State
149 So. 2d 1 (Alabama Court of Appeals, 1962)
Young v. State
1962 OK CR 70 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1962)
Willie Lee Stewart v. United States
247 F.2d 42 (D.C. Circuit, 1957)
Worley v. State
1953 OK CR 18 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1953)
Dowell v. State
1952 OK CR 85 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1952)
Brewer v. State
1952 OK CR 73 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1952)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1951 OK CR 127, 236 P.2d 272, 94 Okla. Crim. 371, 1951 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 327, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/harper-v-state-oklacrimapp-1951.