Hennessy v. State

660 S.W.2d 87, 1983 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 1187
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Texas
DecidedOctober 12, 1983
Docket63270
StatusPublished
Cited by191 cases

This text of 660 S.W.2d 87 (Hennessy v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hennessy v. State, 660 S.W.2d 87, 1983 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 1187 (Tex. 1983).

Opinion

OPINION

TOM G. DAVIS, Judge.

Appeal is taken from a conviction for possession of a controlled substance, namely hydromorphone. The jury assessed punishment at seven years, probated. 1

On February 16, 1978, Officer Earl Mu-sick of the Houston Police Department received a tip from an informant that he and two other men planned to rob “an unknown Doctor of Dilaudid [hydromorphone] tablets which he sold from his residence.” The next day, February 17, the police followed the informant and two other men to the street in front of appellant’s residence and arrested the three men as they were getting out of their automobile to commit the robbery.

As he was being arrested, one of the three men told the police that if they had waited a few more minutes, they would have had him for robbery and possession of *89 Dilaudid. Believing that appellant’s husband, Dr. Robert Hennessy, had witnessed the arrest and that he and appellant “were possibly getting rid of the contraband that they had in the house,” the police entered appellant’s residence and arrested everyone present, including appellant and her husband.

Upon obtaining a search warrant, the police found 179 hydromorphone (Dilaudid) tablets in two unlabeled prescription bottles hidden in a potted plant in the upstairs master bedroom. Appellant, who testified that she was the one who had hidden the tablets in the plant, told the police where the pills were located and was present in the bedroom when the pills were recovered.

Appellant’s first contention is that the trial court erred in denying her motion to suppress the evidence seized in the search. She argues that the search was unlawful because the warrantless arrest was illegal and because the affidavit for the search warrant failed to satisfy the probable cause requirements of Aguilar v. Texas, 378 U.S. 108, 84 S.Ct. 1509, 12 L.Ed.2d 723 (1964), and Art. 18.01(b), Y.A.C.C.P.

The record clearly reflects that the police obtained a search warrant before making any search of appellant’s residence. Thus no “search incident to arrest” was carried out. The issue is whether probable cause existed for the issuance of the search warrant.

From Aguilar v. Texas, supra, and Spinelli v. United States, 393 U.S. 410, 89 S.Ct. 584, 21 L.Ed.2d 637 (1969), a “two-pronged” test evolved to determine whether probable cause exists for issuance of a search warrant. Under this test, when a warrant is sought based on information from an informant, a police affidavit presented to a magistrate must reveal the “basis of knowledge” of the informant and provide facts showing the “veracity” of the informant. Veracity can be established by showing that the informant is “credible” or that the information given is “reliable.” Alternatively stated, “[t]he affidavit must contain the underlying circumstances which lead to the informant’s conclusion of guilt and underlying circumstances which lead affiant to believe that informant was credible and reliable.” Keen v. State, 626 S.W.2d 309, 312 (Tex.Cr.App.1981); see also Etchieson v. State, 574 S.W.2d 753 (Tex.Cr.App.1978), cert. denied, 440 U.S. 936, 99 S.Ct. 1282, 59 L.Ed.2d 495 (1979); Wood v. State, 573 S.W.2d 207 (Tex.Cr.App.1978).

In its recent opinion in Illinois v. Gates, - U.S. -, 103 S.Ct. 2317, 76 L.Ed.2d 527 (1983), the United States Supreme Court criticized the strict application of the “two-pronged” test of Aguilar and Spinelli, stating that although the veracity, and basis of knowledge of an informant are highly relevant factors in determining the value of an informant’s report:

“These elements should not be understood as entirely separate and independent requirements to be rigidly exacted in every case. (103 S.Ct. at 2327.)
⅝ ⅝ ⅝ ⅜ ⅜ ⅝;
“Instead they are better understood as relevant considerations in the totality of circumstances analysis that traditionally has guided probable cause determinations: a deficiency in one may be compensated for, in determining the overall reliability of a tip, by a strong showing as to the other, or by some other indicia of reliability. (103 S.Ct. at 2329.)
S*C ⅝! ⅜ 5⅛ ⅝ ⅜
“The task of the issuing magistrate is simply to make a practical, common-sense decision whether, given all the circumstances set forth in the affidavit before him, including the ‘veracity’ and ‘basis of knowledge’ of persons supplying hearsay information, there is a fair probability that contraband or evidence of a crime will be found in a particular place. And the duty of the reviewing court is simply to ensure that the magistrate had a ‘substantial basis for ... concludpng]’ that probable cause existed.... We are convinced that this flexible, easily applied standard will better achieve the accomo-dation of public and private interests that the Fourth Amendment requires than does the approach that has developed *90 from Aguilar and Spinelli.” (103 S.Ct. at 2332.)

We will determine the validity of the search warrant in the instant case according to the “totality of the circumstances” analysis of Illinois v. Gates, supra.

The affidavit for the search warrant provides in pertinent part:

“On February 16, 1978, your affiant received information from Ivey Urquhart that two white males known to him as Harold Barnes and Steven Robertson were planning on robbing an unknown Doctor for Dialuadid tablets which he sold from his residence. Ivey knew the beforementioned subjects from serving time in the penitentiary with these two subjects. Ivey went on to say that Harold Barnes scored his narcotics from this Doctor and knew the Doctors operation involving the selling of narcotics. Ivey further stated that a meeting had been set up by Harold Barnes to further plan this robbery at approximately 9:00 P.M. this date.
“On February 17, 1978, your affiant had occasion to be in the 3000 block of Austin Street and observed Harold Barnes at approximately 11:00 A.M. This is the location where Ivey Urquhart lives. At 12:40 P.M. while in Special Crimes your affiant received a call from Ivey Urquhart stating that the meeting did occur late on the evening of the 16th of February, 1978 and that Harold Barnes took Ivey Urquhart and showed him the residence at 1236 Rutland, Houston, Harris County, Texas. Barnes further stated that this was the location where he had been scoring his Dialuadid.

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Bluebook (online)
660 S.W.2d 87, 1983 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 1187, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hennessy-v-state-texcrimapp-1983.