People v. Chandler

153 Misc. 2d 332, 581 N.Y.S.2d 530, 1991 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 791
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 18, 1991
StatusPublished

This text of 153 Misc. 2d 332 (People v. Chandler) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Chandler, 153 Misc. 2d 332, 581 N.Y.S.2d 530, 1991 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 791 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1991).

Opinion

[333]*333OPINION OF THE COURT

David Goldstein, J.

The defendant is charged, inter alla, with criminal sale of a controlled substance in the third degree, criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree and robbery in the third degree. Among the issues presented to this court during the combined Wade/Mapp hearing were defendant’s standing to challenge the search warrant and the propriety of a postarrest station house identification by the undercover police officer.

Former counsel, in addition to moving to suppress the identification, has also moved to suppress physical evidence, but failed to specifically request controversion of the search warrant. This court permitted substitute counsel to seek relief, albeit late, and directed a hearing.

Facts

The People called five witnesses, Detective Scott Massoni, assigned to the Brooklyn Special Victims Squad, Detective Michael Rocco, assigned to the 94th Precinct Detective Squad, Detective Michael Oliver, assigned to the Queens Narcotics Division, and Parole Officers Nathan Uretsky and Stephen Marcus. Defendant testified in his own behalf and called Elouise Richardson and Otis Cook. As will be more fully explained later, after both parties had rested, but prior to the rendering of a decision, it was discovered that Detective Rocco had aided in defendant’s booking procedure by fingerprinting him. Upon defendant’s application, the court reopened the hearing to receive testimony concerning this additional viewing of defendant by Rocco and what influence, if any, it had on his in-court identification.

The court finds the testimony of the People’s witnesses credible and not marred by any serious inconsistencies. The court further finds that on November 1, 1990, while acting as an undercover police officer, Detective Rocco was introduced to defendant in apartment 6B, at 41-13 10th Street, by a female, later identified as Vanessa Price. He observed defendant, who was introduced to him as "B,” for four to five minutes, during which time defendant removed his jacket, revealing a .38 caliber gun in his waistband.

Rocco again met defendant on November 5, 1990, initially, in apartment 6B, and then in the rear of the project, at 41-14 10th Street, where defendant agreed to sell Rocco 1/8 of an [334]*334ounce of cocaine. He requested the money first but, when Rocco refused, defendant became angry, went into the building and, when he returned, he threw a packet, containing cocaine, at Rocco. When Rocco took $20 from his wallet, defendant attempted to grab the entire wallet, taking $60 in currency and telling Rocco to leave or he would be "a dead man.” This incident lasted approximately 15 minutes.

On November 9, 1990, Detective Oliver spoke to Rocco about the events of November 1 and 5, 1990 and, with the assistance of the Queens District Attorney’s office, Oliver prepared an affidavit and obtained a no-knock search warrant.

On November 13, 1990, at approximately 6:30 a.m., Detective Massoni, assigned at that time to the Queens Narcotics District, executed the warrant. Inside apartment 6B, he observed defendant and Vanessa Price, in bed, with a child. In two rear bedrooms were two other children. After a search of the apartment uncovered two guns from on top of a kitchen cabinet, defendant and Price were transported to the 114th Precinct.

At the station house, Rocco was brought to a door with a peephole and, after looking through, identified defendant, who was standing alone with Detective Massoni. Afterwards, inasmuch as Rocco’s role as an undercover ended with the identification, Rocco assisted in the arrest procedure. Several hours after the showup, Rocco removed defendant from his cell and spent approximately 10 minutes fingerprinting him.

Standing to Controvert the Warrant

The court finds that defendant does have standing to challenge the search warrant. Undisputed on this record is that, at the time the warrant was executed, defendant was, at least, an overnight guest and, at most, a full-time resident of the apartment. According to the search warrant application, "B,” identified as defendant, told Rocco that he ("B”) lived in the apartment and that Rocco "could come back anytime.” The police reports, while not in evidence, are part of the court file, and reflect defendant’s residence as the apartment in question. Finally, the underlying circumstances of the arrest, wherein defendant was found in the apartment, in bed, at 6:30 in the morning, would lead any reasonable person to conclude that he was, if not a permanent or semipermanent resident, at least an overnight guest.

Having established defendant’s status in the apartment, it is [335]*335clear that, under these circumstances, he had a legitimate expectation of privacy, thus conferring upon him requisite standing to challenge the warrant. "To hold that an overnight guest has a legitimate expectation of privacy in his host’s home merely recognizes the everyday expectations of privacy that we all share * * * [W]e think that society recognizes that a houseguest has a legitimate expectation of privacy in his host’s home.” (Minnesota v Olson, 495 US 91, 98.) Accordingly, defendant has standing to challenge the warrant.

The District Attorney has advanced two additional arguments in an attempt to prevent defendant from challenging the warrant. First, he claims that, since Minnesota v Olson (supra) dealt with a warrantless entry and did not concern the execution of a search warrant, it is, therefore, inapplicable to the case at bar. In Jones v United States (362 US 257), the Supreme Court of the United States held that a guest in an apartment had standing to raise the question of the legality of a search conducted pursuant to a search warrant. Although the court later narrowed the standing qualifications in Rakas v Illinois (439 US 128) the Rakas court reaffirmed the factual holding in Jones that defendant in that case had suffered a violation of his personal, Fourth Amendment rights if the search was found to be unlawful. Accordingly, the fact that this defendant has moved to controvert execution of a warrant, rather than challenge a warrantless entry, is without dispositive effect.

The second argument advanced by the People is that the critical date, in terms of standing, is the date of issuance of the warrant, not its execution. Thus, the People contend that, inasmuch as defendant cannot demonstrate requisite standing on the day the warrant was issued, he may not challenge the underlying showing of probable cause for the issuance of the warrant, notwithstanding that he may have had standing on the date of its execution.

This argument, albeit novel, is without merit. If the operative standard is the expectation of privacy when the warrant is issued, not its execution, then all reported decisions on the issue of standing would be irrelevant, including Minnesota v Olson and Jones v United States (supra), since the result would be that only those visitors or guests who could establish standing on the date of the issuance of the warrant would be able to challenge it. Under the rationale offered by the People, those whose rights had been violated by the entry of law enforcement officers into private homes, where such persons [336]*336had been staying, would be without available remedy.

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

Related

Brinegar v. United States
338 U.S. 160 (Supreme Court, 1949)
Jones v. United States
362 U.S. 257 (Supreme Court, 1960)
Aguilar v. Texas
378 U.S. 108 (Supreme Court, 1964)
United States v. Ventresca
380 U.S. 102 (Supreme Court, 1965)
United States v. Wade
388 U.S. 218 (Supreme Court, 1967)
Simmons v. United States
390 U.S. 377 (Supreme Court, 1968)
Spinelli v. United States
393 U.S. 410 (Supreme Court, 1969)
Neil v. Biggers
409 U.S. 188 (Supreme Court, 1972)
Manson v. Brathwaite
432 U.S. 98 (Supreme Court, 1977)
Rakas v. Illinois
439 U.S. 128 (Supreme Court, 1979)
Minnesota v. Olson
495 U.S. 91 (Supreme Court, 1990)
People v. Hanlon
330 N.E.2d 631 (New York Court of Appeals, 1975)
People v. Morales
333 N.E.2d 339 (New York Court of Appeals, 1975)
People v. Riley
517 N.E.2d 520 (New York Court of Appeals, 1987)
People v. Wharton
549 N.E.2d 462 (New York Court of Appeals, 1989)
People v. Gordon
563 N.E.2d 274 (New York Court of Appeals, 1990)
People v. Sinatra
102 A.D.2d 189 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1984)
People v. Williams
119 A.D.2d 606 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1986)
People v. Anderson
136 A.D.2d 712 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1988)
People v. Hill
147 A.D.2d 500 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1989)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
153 Misc. 2d 332, 581 N.Y.S.2d 530, 1991 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 791, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-chandler-nysupct-1991.