McCarty v. State

338 N.E.2d 738, 167 Ind. App. 396, 1975 Ind. App. LEXIS 1449
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedDecember 29, 1975
Docket1-1274A181
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 338 N.E.2d 738 (McCarty v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
McCarty v. State, 338 N.E.2d 738, 167 Ind. App. 396, 1975 Ind. App. LEXIS 1449 (Ind. Ct. App. 1975).

Opinion

Lowdermilk, J.

— In this action James Keith McCarty, defendant-appellant (McCarty) was convicted of the offense of sale of dangerous drugs, and the court passed sentence for a period of not less than one nor more than ten years arid a fine of $1,000.00.

The motion to correct errors which was overruled presents five specifications of error, each of which is relied upon and discussed in-McCarty’s brief.

FACTS

Dennis Springer, a musician of the age of 20 years, was employed as an S.E., which is classified as Special Employee, *399 of the Indiana State Police. He was not on salary. Springer was working with State Trooper Donald Brackman, who was assigned to the Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Section. Springer met with him on August 18,1972, and made arrangements to purchase drugs from McCarty, whom Springer, as an informant, had determined was trafficking in marijuana and other dangerous drugs and had previously purchased drugs from him.

At the meeting with Brackman an electronic transmitter was placed on the person of Springer. Brackman had a receiving device in his unmarked automobile by which he could receive conversations from the transmitter.

Springer went to a place of residence where McCarty was talking to other people where he discussed music and asked to buy mescaline and was told it was available, along with marijuana.

Springer and McCarty then went in Springer's car to McCarty’s residence where Springer bought two bags of marijuana and an ounce of mescaline, for which he paid $40.00, with money that had been furnished by the State Police.

Two bags of suspected drugs were turned over by Springer to Officer Brackman who initialed each bag and placed the bags in a larger plastic bag, which he initialed and numbered and placed in a brief case which was then placed in the trunk of his vehicle. The bags were removed from the car trunk four days later, and were then taken to the State Police Laboratory in Indianapolis.

Officer Brackman testified that he could identify the voices of Springer and McCarty from the signals he received from Springer’s transmitter. He related the conversation between the two men at trial, as well as at a hearing on a motion to suppress.

I.

McCarty’s first issue under his motion to correct errors is that the trial court erred in overruling his motion to *400 suppress the evidence that was intercepted by means of electronic'surveillance. This évidence was given in the direct testimony of Officer Braekman at the hearing on McCarty’s motion to suppress and also in the trial of the cause.

Springer, the S.E. of the Indiana State Police, also testified at the trial to the same facts testified to by Officer Braekman.

McCarty relies for reversal on an alleged violation of the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution, in that Springer sought out McCarty and gained entry into his home by trickery and deception, after which Officer Braekman was present by means of the electronic hook-up. McCarty urges that this was a warrantless penetration or entry into his premises by the State and that fruits of that unlawful entry are not admissible in a trial against him.

McCarty relies on the case of Katz v. United States (1967), 389 U.S. 347, wherein the United States Supreme' Court determined that the bugging of a telephone booth was a violation of defendant’s rights to be free of unlawful' search and seizure.

First, it is plain that Springer was invited into a home where he met McCarty and others. Springer discussed a possible buy with McCarty and some of the others present. After being informed that McCarty had the contraband, Springer went with McCarty to his home. There is no evidence that any of the conversations were anything but voluntary, on the part of McCarty. Thus, the only issue presented is whether the use of the transmitter violated McCarty’s rights. This issue has been foreclosed by the case of United States v. White (1971), 401 U.S. 745, 753, wherein the court said:

“• . . but we are not prepared to hold that a defendant who has no constitutional right to exclude the informer’s unaided testimony nevertheless has a Fourth Amendment privilege against a more accurate version of the events in question.
“It is thus untenable to consider the activities and reports of the police agent himself, though acting without a *401 warrant, to be a ‘reasonable’ investigative effort and lawful under the Fourth Amendment but to view the same agent with a recorder or transmitter as conducting an ‘unreasonable’ and unconstitutional search and seizure. . . '

II.

McCarty’s second specification of error involves the trial court’s finding that probable cause existed prior to the State’s setting into -.motion the scheme • which, resulted in the arrest and conviction of the defendant (McCarty). McCarty admits •the State may prove probable-cause by reliable or-trustworthy hearsay, but contends there was no attempt by the State to prove the reliability or trustworthiness of the hearsay evidence relied on by it.

The State agrees with McCarty that the State must prove law enforcement officers had probable- cause to suspect the defendant was engaged in illegal conduct .before it sets in motion its scheme to trap him. Kramer v. State .(1974), 161 Ind. App. 619, 317 N.E.2d 203.

McCarty’s contention regarding the standard of proof necessary for the effective establishment of probable cause to permit the setting into motion of the aforementioned scheme, and the State’s failure to prove reliability or trustworthiness of the informant, is based on the cases of Hughley v. State (1974), 161 Ind. App. 583, 316 N.E.2d,586, and Bowles v. State (1971), 256 Ind. 27, 267 N.E.2d 56, We have determined neither of these cases apply to probable cause in entrapment cases, but apply.to -the probable cause requirement in search and arrest cases. There is a distinction with regard to these standards. Locklayer v. State (1974), 162 Ind. App. 64, 317 N.E.2d 868, 872, n. 3, holds:

“All that is necessary in an entrapment case is evidence that- shows probable• cause for suspecting the. defendant; while a higher standard is required in the search and arrest cases.” (Original emphasis.)

From the above, we have determined that McCarty’s argument must fail.

*402

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Bluebook (online)
338 N.E.2d 738, 167 Ind. App. 396, 1975 Ind. App. LEXIS 1449, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mccarty-v-state-indctapp-1975.