James v. State

658 S.W.2d 382, 280 Ark. 359, 1983 Ark. LEXIS 1521
CourtSupreme Court of Arkansas
DecidedOctober 10, 1983
DocketCR 83-88
StatusPublished
Cited by21 cases

This text of 658 S.W.2d 382 (James v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Arkansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
James v. State, 658 S.W.2d 382, 280 Ark. 359, 1983 Ark. LEXIS 1521 (Ark. 1983).

Opinions

Steele Hays, Justice.

Appellant R. M. James, Jr. was charged with possession, delivery and manufacture of a controlled substance and attempted capital felony murder. He was convicted of possession of a controlled substance, delivery of a controlled substance and aggravated assault. He brings this appeal asking reversal on several points.

A confidential informant supplied information that was the basis for a search warrant that produced evidence used by the state. The informant was present when James was arrested and witnessed the incidents that gave rise to the charges for delivery of a controlled substance and attempted capital felony murder, the latter charge based on evidence that when the police officers surrounded James he drew a pistol and grabbed one of the officers. James was subdued before any shots were fired.

James moved for disclosure of the informant’s identity and the motion was denied. Citing Bennett v. State, 252 Ark. 128, 477 S.W.2d 497 (1972), he argues that when an informant is also a witness or participant to the criminal incident, the identity of the informant should be disclosed. Appellant is correct in his statement of the general rule as stated in Bennett, however, this is not a per se rule, but dependent upon the circumstances of each case. This is made clear in Roviaro v. United States, 353 U.S. 53 (1957) cited by Bennett. Roviaro emphasizes the need for “balancing the public interest in protecting the flow of information against the individual’s right to prepare his defense. Whether a proper balance renders nondisclosure erroneous must depend on the particular circumstances of each case...’’ Roviaro at 62.

In Bennett we pointed out that the defendant had denied the accusations of the state, and the testimony of the informants could be relevant in contradiction of the state’s evidence. In the case at bar, we find distinguishing facts. When James moved for disclosure of the informant, his request was supported only by a statement that he was interested in getting the informant’s version of the story. There was no specific contention that it would be helpful to his defense, as in Bennett. See also State v. Lechner, 262 Ark. 401, 557 S.W.2d 195 (1977). Additionally, the prosecution stated it was required to divulge any exculpatory evidence and there was none that the informant could supply. Of significance were the representations of the prosecution that the informant had been threatened and his residence destroyed by fire. There were no such countervailing considerations in Bennett. Under Roviaro, and our own cases, we cannot say the denial of disclosure in this case was error.

James next sees error in the trial court’s refusal to suppress evidence which was taken at night allegedly in violation of A.R.Cr.P. Rule 13.2 (c). The rule requires searches to be made between 6:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. unless within the stated exceptions. The search of the White Oak Gun Club, managed by James, and of his adjacent residence, began at 7:10 p.m. when an officer displayed the warrant to workers at the Gun Club and took control of the building. Before continuing the search, however, one of the officers returned to the judge who had issued the warrant to have the affidavit amended to include a controlled buy recently made from James. The warrant was reissued at 9:12 p.m. The officer returned to the Gun Club to conduct the search and the search was concluded by 10:40 p.m. James does not allege nor does it appear that the search warrant was deficient before it was amended. The officer testified he believed the original warrant was sufficient but the amendment would add more credibility to the warrant.

Although we found a related nighttime search unreasonable in State v. Broadway, 269 Ark. 215, 599 S.W.2d 721 (1980), we find that case distinguishable. The search here was actually commenced at a permissible time, 7:10 p.m., with an apparently sufficient warrant. Only an abundance of caution by the officer caused the delay. In Broadway, a warrant was issued in the early evening and the search did not begin until 9:15 p.m. A.R.Cr.P. Rule 16.2 (e) requires suppression of the evidence only if the violation is substantial. In Harris v. State, 264 Ark. 391, 572 S.W.2d 389 (1978), we found accumulation of deficiencies to amount to a violation of A.R.Cr.P. Rule 16.2 (e) and said, “The state has not demonstrated a reasonably good faith effort was made to comply with the rules.” All other aspects of the warrant in this case are proper and the officers here additionally demonstrated their good faith by their efforts to make certain that the warrant was properly substantiated. Under the circumstances presented here we cannot say the violation was substantial.

James also submits the search warrant was deficient because the supporting affidavit does not meet the two-prong test of Aguilar v. Texas, 378 U.S. 108 (1964).1 Under Aguilar the warrant must state: 1) underlying circumstances from which the informant concluded the items to be seized would be there; 2) underlying circumstances showing the informant to be reliable. The appellant challenges only the second prong of Aguilar, reliability of the informant.

There is no fixed formula to make this determination and we have considered several measures by which the informant’s reliability may be established. See Baxter v. State, 262 Ark. 303, 556 S.W.2d 428 (1977); State v. Lechner, 262 Ark. 401, 557 S.W.2d 195 (1977). Criteria pertinent to this case are: information within the knowledge of affiant furnishing corroboration of the informant’s disclosures, Baxter at 309, and recent and personal observations by informant of criminal activity. Lechner at 406.

In the warrant in question, the affiant stated that: the informant had established his reliability; all information provided by the informant had been determined by the affiant to have a basis and foundation in fact; at the request of affiant the informant had obtained marijuana samples from James which the informant said were taken from James’ property; the informant related that there were large quantities of marijuana on the property; the informant had told affiant that he was employed as a laborer on James’ premises and the affiant had seen the informant there on at least one occasion; an undercover agent related to affiant that he, accompanied by informant, had made a recent buy of what was understood to be marijuana from James. The foregoing is not just a bare statement by the affiant of the informant’s reliability, but a statement of corroboration and support of the informant’s disclosures. We find from the above statements sufficient basis for finding the informant reliable.

In appellant’s fourth argument he claims the court committed error by commenting on a factual matter in the presence of the jury.

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James v. State
658 S.W.2d 382 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1983)

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Bluebook (online)
658 S.W.2d 382, 280 Ark. 359, 1983 Ark. LEXIS 1521, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/james-v-state-ark-1983.