Pennington v. State

1956 OK CR 98, 302 P.2d 170, 1956 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 232
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma
DecidedSeptember 26, 1956
DocketA-12286
StatusPublished
Cited by22 cases

This text of 1956 OK CR 98 (Pennington 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
Pennington v. State, 1956 OK CR 98, 302 P.2d 170, 1956 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 232 (Okla. Ct. App. 1956).

Opinion

BRETT, Judge.

The plaintiffs in error, Lillie Ann Pennington and Willie Howard, defendants below, were charged by information in the District Court of Tulsa County, Oklahoma, with the crime of unlawful possession of two partially smoked cigarettes and one whole cigarette of marihuana,. in violation of 63 O.S.1951 § 451. A jury was waived and the case tried to the court; ‘defendants- were found guilty and punishment fixed as to both at-a year in the state penitentiary; judgment and sentence were entered accordingly from which this appeal has been perfected.

*173 The defendants- moved to suppress the evidence for the- reason that.-the -seároh-; warrant, under which the marihuana was seized, was for stolen property, that entry to the house was obtained by use of force, and the search warrant was not served-on the defendants or anyone else, .the defendants or no one else being .present at the time of the search and seizure. The search warrant was left on the television set after-a forcible entry. This was the principal point urged by the defendants in their, memorandum brief in the trial court.

The defendants urge that, the Oklahoma Constitution, Article 2, Section 30, .provides against unreasonable- searches and-seizures and that the foregoing procedure, was contrary to law, since not only the constitutional provision but the statutory limitations relevant to search and seizure are to be strictly construed.

The particular statutory , provisions involved are 22 O.S.1951 § 1227, § 1228, and 37 O.S.1951 § 84, quoted below.

22 O.S.1951 § 1227 reads:

“A search warrant may in all cases, be served by any of the officers mentioned in its direction, but by no other person except in aid of the officer, on his requiring it, he being present, and acting in its execution.”

22 O.S.1951 § 1228 reads:

“The officer may break open an outer or inner door or window of a house, or any part of the house, or anything therein, to execute the warrant, if, after notice of his authority and purpose he be refused admittance.” '

37 O.S.1951 § 84, the pertinent part thereof as to service, reads:

“ * * * A copy of said warrant shall be served upon the person or persons found in possession of - any such liquor, furniture or fixtures so seized, and if no person be found in the possession thereof, a copy of said warrant shall be posted on the door of the building or room wherein the same-are found.”

..The facts, as we can best ascertain from an alleged stipulation of the parties, are briefly as follows. November 4, 1954, a search warrant was obtained for the search of the defendants’ premises authorizing the seizure of stolen property, jewelry, etc., al-1 legedly in the possession of Willie Howard. The officers, armed with the search warrant, upbn arrival found the doors and windows’ of the hoiise were closed and no one present upon whom' service of the Search warrant could be made. The officers made forcible entry through a window and by unlocking a door from the inside. In the course of the’'search,' they found upon a shelf in plain view the marihuána in question, which formed the basis for this prosecution. A copy of the ■ search warrant was left on the top of the television set and which was later found by the defendant, Howard. Upon the basis of these facts, a motion to suppress was filed and heard.

Counsel for the defendants con-. tend that this is a case of first impression in Oklahoma and diligent search has failed to disclose a case in point. The essence of. the defendants’ contention is that 22 O.S.1951 § 1227 makes no provision as to what constitutes service of the search warrant and under the, rule of strict construction, personal service thereof is required.

We are of the opinion that to so hold would constitute a narrow and’ strained construction since all the constitution requires is that the search and- seizure - be reasonable. If such were not the case, reasonable efforts of the officers to enforce the law against the possession' of contraband would- oftentimes convert what in fact is a reasonable search and seizure into an unreasonable one by judicial construction. In the absence of express provisions in 22 O.S.1951 § 1227, as to the method of service of a search warrant, we are therefore limited only by the constitutional inhibition against unreasonable searches and seizures. What is reasonable is what is ordinarily fair and if the manner of. service is such as- does not subject the defendant to unreasonable treatment, the same *174 will meet the requirements of both the law and justice.

Nevertheless, 22 O.S.1951 § 1227 is certainly ambiguous as to the manner of obtaining service of the search warrant and the courts, because of ambiguity therein, of necessity must resort to judicial construction. In doing so, we may look to extrinsic aids such as the provisions of the constitution heretofore alluded to, and other Oklahoma statutory provisions re-, lated to search and seizure, enacted about the same time though in the nature of special legislation covering search and seizure in the field of intoxicating liquor and enforcement of the prohibition.law. • We may also resort to rules of construction for de-. termining the meaning of the. statutes in question. In this connection it has been held where a statute, is ambiguous and its meaning doubtful, it should be given a construction that is reasonable, sensible, and in keeping with the public policy of the state. Riley v. Cordell, 200 Okl. 390, 194 P. 2d 857; 50 Am.Jur. 385, 393; 59 C.J. 1013; 82 C.J.S., Statutes, § 353, p- 739. Moreover, it has been held that general and' special statutes should be read together and harmonized, if possible, with a view to giving effect to a consistent legislative policy. 82 C.J.S., Statutes, § 369, p. 839.

Under both 22 O.S.1951 § 1227 and 37 O.S.1951 § 84, it is obvious that both sections contemplated that where personal service is possible the same should be made and substituted service should not be resorted to. But, herein personal service was not possible, so the house was entered under the provisions of 22 O.S.1951 § 1228, by use of force; But, since 22 O.S.1951 § 1227 makes, no provision for substituted service, we must then look to 37 O.S.1951 § 84 to ascertain the public policy of the state relative to substituted service. We find 37 O.S.1951 § 84 provides for the service of a search warrant, in a liquor case, • in the absence of the occupant of the prem- ' ises by posting of the search warrant on the door thereof. ■ This not being an unreasonable requirement under the constitutional provision, Article 2, Section 30, it stands as an exposition of legislative policy in relation thereto. It has been repeatedly held that where there is one statute dealing with a subject in general, and another dealing with a part of the same subject in a more minute and definite way, the two should be read together and harmonized, if possible. 82 C.J.S., Statutes, § 369, supra.

That these sections of the statutes have been construed together is evidenced by Thigpen v. State, 51 Okl.Cr. 28, 299 P. 230. 37 O.S.1951 § 84 does not provide for forcible entry when no one is present on the premises. Therein, this court resorted to 22 O.S.1951 § 1228 for authority for holding that a lawful entry was made 'for the purpose of executing the search warrant.

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Bluebook (online)
1956 OK CR 98, 302 P.2d 170, 1956 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 232, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/pennington-v-state-oklacrimapp-1956.