People v. Allen

511 N.E.2d 824, 158 Ill. App. 3d 602, 110 Ill. Dec. 647, 1987 Ill. App. LEXIS 2876
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedJuly 21, 1987
Docket86-1080
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 511 N.E.2d 824 (People v. Allen) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Court of Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Allen, 511 N.E.2d 824, 158 Ill. App. 3d 602, 110 Ill. Dec. 647, 1987 Ill. App. LEXIS 2876 (Ill. Ct. App. 1987).

Opinion

JUSTICE BILANDIC

delivered the opinion of the court:

At a bench trial, defendant Carol E. Allen was found guilty of possession of cocaine without intent to deliver (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1985, ch. 56x/2, par. 1402(b)), and possession of cannabis (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1985, ch. 56x/2, par. 704(e)). Defendant was sentenced to a term of two years, three months in the Illinois Department of Corrections and fined $1,350.

On appeal, defendant contends she was entitled to an evidentiary hearing on her motion to quash a search warrant since her affidavit sufficiently alleged deliberate falsehood in the affidavit for the warrant. She further contends that disclosure of the informer and informer’s friend, whose information was used to support the search warrant, was improperly refused.

A search warrant was issued on December 17, 1984, at 11:18 a.m., based upon a complaint attested to by Officer Goff of the Chicago police department. The affidavit for the search warrant stated in relevant part that he received information from a reliable informant on December 17, 1984, who:

“[R]elated to me that on 17Dec84 he was in a house at 300 East 87th St. Chgo. Cook Ill. and that while in that house, he along with a friend of his each purchased a one gram bag of cocaine from a subject who my Cl [confidential informant] described to me as being ‘SAM’ a male black approx. 55 yrs. 5’9 170 lbs. gray-blk. hair and bm. eyes and who lives in that house. My Cl told me that after he and his friend entered the house at 300 East 87th St. Chgo. Cook Ill. Sam introduced himself to my Cl and told my Cl the prices for different size bags of cocaine. My Cl along with his friend each gave SAM one hundred dollars use. [United States currency] and SAM in return reached into a clear plastic bag containing numerous small white envelopes all of which were packaged the same and of the same color and size and randomly selected two of the packets and handed one to each my Cl and my Cl’s friend. They then left the house at 300 East 87th St. Chgo. Cook Ill. and SAM was still inside and in possession of the other white paper packets like the one my Cl and his friend purchased from SAM for $100.00 use. on 17DEC84.”

Assuming the accuracy of the information in Officer Goff’s affidavit, between 12:01 a.m. and 11:18 a.m. on December 17, 1984, three persons other than the defendant were in defendant’s home engaged in illegal narcotics activity, namely Sam, the informer, and the informer’s friend.

The defendant denied the allegations of Officer Goff’s affidavit, moved to quash the search warrant and to suppress the evidence, and submitted her own affidavit which stated:

“3. Between the hours of 12:01 a.m. and 11:18 a.m., December 17, 1984, no one was in the home of affiant located at 300 East 87th Street, Chicago, Illinois, other than affiant.
4. Specifically, on December 17, 1984, between the aforesaid hours there was no person named ‘SAM’ in affiant’s home; there was no ‘male black approximately 55 years, 5’9”, 170 pounds, gray and black hair, brown eyes’ in affiant’s home; in fact, there was no man or woman other than affiant in said home.
5. Specifically, on December 17, 1984, no person at affiant’s home, including affiant, sold, gave away, transferred, delivered, a gram bag of cocaine to any person or persons at said home; nor did any person at said home reach into a clear plastic bag containing numerous small white envelopes all of which were packaged the same and of the same color and size and randomly select two of the packets and hand one to anyone.
6. No person known to affiant as ‘SAM’ or any other person who is fairly described as ‘a male black, approximately 55 years, 5’9”, 170 pounds, gray black hair and brown eyes’ was living at affiant’s home at 300 East 87th Street, Chicago, Illinois, on December 17,1984.
7. Affiant is a woman, black, 5’0”, 125 pounds, and of the age of 43 years. Affiant has never been a male black, has never held herself out by the name of ‘SAM’, has never been 55' years old, has never been 5’9”, 170 pounds, nor has. affiant ever had gray-black hair. Affiant has furthermore never disguised herself so as to portray a male black of any age, height, weight, or physical description. Furthermore, affiant has never used the name ‘Sam.’
8. Affiant knows that no one was in her home other than herself between those hours (12:01 a.m. to 11:18 a.m.) on December 17, 1984; affiant was in her home alone. Furthermore, no one came to affiant’s home and certainly no one entered affiant’s home during that period of time.
9. Affiant avers on oath and believes that police officer Frank Goff purposely, intentionally, fraudulently and perjuriously ascribed to a false and fraudulent complaint for search warrant as aforesaid, in order to enter into the home of affiant, as aforesaid, and to search said home with the intention of violating affiant’s constitutional guarantees as set forth herein-above.”

Defendant contends that she was entitled to an evidentiary hearing on her pretrial moúon to suppress. The trial court held that defendant’s affidavit was insufficient to warrant a hearing and denied the motion.

In Franks v. Delaware (1978), 438 U.S. 154, 57 L. Ed. 2d 667, 98 S. Ct. 2674, the United States Supreme Court held that “[w]here the defendant makes a substantial preliminary showing that a false statement knowingly and intentionally, or with reckless disregard for the truth, was included by the affiant in the warrant affidavit, and if the allegedly false statement is necessary to the finding of probable cause, the Fourth Amendment requires that a hearing be held at the defendant’s request.” (438 U.S. 154, 155-56, 57 L. Ed. 2d 667, 672-73, 90 S. Ct. 2674, 2676-77.) Since there is a presumption of validity with respect to the affidavit supporting the search warrant, the defendant must provide proof that there was a deliberate falsehood or reckless disregard for the truth. Sworn statements of witnesses should be furnished “or their absence satisfactorily explained. *** The deliberate falsity or reckless disregard whose impeachment is permitted *** is only that of the affiant, not of any nongovernmental informant.” (Emphasis added.) (438 U.S. 154, 171, 57 L. Ed. 2d 667, 681-82, 98 S. Ct. 2674, 2684.) The court then concluded: “Finally, if these requirements are met, and if, when material that is the subject of the alleged falsity or reckless disregard is set to one side, there remains sufficient content in the warrant affidavit to support a finding of probable cause, no hearing is required. On the other hand, if the remaining content is insufficient, the defendant is entitled, under the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments, to his hearing.” 438 U.S. 154, 171-72, 57 L. Ed. 2d 667, 681-82, 98 S. Ct. 2674, 2684-85.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

People v. Arce
683 N.E.2d 502 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1997)
People v. Witherspoon
576 N.E.2d 1030 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1991)
People v. Friend
533 N.E.2d 409 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1988)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
511 N.E.2d 824, 158 Ill. App. 3d 602, 110 Ill. Dec. 647, 1987 Ill. App. LEXIS 2876, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-allen-illappct-1987.