People v. McCullum

338 N.E.2d 248, 33 Ill. App. 3d 451, 1975 Ill. App. LEXIS 3184
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedOctober 23, 1975
DocketNo. 73-118
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 338 N.E.2d 248 (People v. McCullum) 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. McCullum, 338 N.E.2d 248, 33 Ill. App. 3d 451, 1975 Ill. App. LEXIS 3184 (Ill. Ct. App. 1975).

Opinion

Mr. JUSTICE STENGEL

delivered the opinion of the Court:

Following a bench trial, defendant was convicted of possession of over 30 grams of heroin in violation of section 402 of the Illinois Controlled Substances Act (Ill. Rev. Stat, ch. 561/2, § 1402) and sentenced for a term of 3 to 6 years in the penitentiary. Defendant appeals from the conviction.

Defendant was arrested on August 3, 1972, when law enforcement officers seized a quantity of heroin during a search of her home conducted pursuant to a search warrant, and she was later indicted for possession with intent to deliver. Before trial the court denied defendant’s motion to quash the search warrant and to suppress physical evidence, and dismissed her petition for treatment as a narcotic addict in lieu of prosecution. After defendant waived her right to a jury, the trial began February 20, 1973. On the third day of trial, the defendant’s attorney requested a hearing to determine defendant’s fitness to stand trial because she was falling asleep in court and thus was unable to assist in the defense of her case. The trial on the criminal charge was recessed; a jury was empaneled; and a fitness hearing was held. The evidence indicated that defendant was receiving methadone as treatment for heroin addiction. After the jury found defendant fit to stand trial, the bench trial was resumed, and defendant was found guilty of possession, a lesser included offense within the charge of possession with intent to deliver.

Numerous questions are presented on appeal, and additional facts will be supplied as necessary to the discussion of each issue.

I. The Search Warrant

Defendant contends that the trial court erred in refusing to quash the search warrant and to suppress the physical evidence seized.

At the hearing on defendant’s motion to quash, the Illinois Bureau of Investigation agent who obtained the search warrant testified that, before the judge issued the warrant, he read the agent’s complaint and asked some questions relating to the content of the complaint. The agent could not recall what questions were asked or whether he was under oath at the time. Defendant argues that all evidence of probable cause must be incorporated in the written complaint for a warrant and that unrecorded and unsworn oral statements made by the complainant may not be the basis for issuance of the warrant.

In People v. Bak, 45 Ill.2d 140, 144, 258 N.E.2d 341, 343, cert. denied, 400 U.S. 882, 27 L.Ed.2d 121, 91 S.Ct. 117 (1970), the constitutional requirement for issuing a search warrant was stated to be “that a judicial officer find probable cause # « * based on the evidence under oath that has been presented to him by the one requesting the warrant.” In challenging the search warrant, defendant has the burden of proof. Ill. Rev. Stat, ch. 38, § 114—12(b).

In the case before us, the verified complaint for a search warrant established probable cause, and the fact that additional oral statements of undisclosed nature were made to the issuing judge cannot invalidate the warrant, in the absence of any evidence that the judge relied on such statement when he determined the sufficiency of the complaint.

We therefore find that the evidence in the record supports the trial court’s conclusion that the issuance of the search warrant complied with the law.

Defendant also points out that the address and description of the premises to be searched were on a slip of paper taped to the search warrant. Since, according to the uncontradicted evidence, the- address was affixed prior to the time the judge signed tire warrant, no error is shown concerning the description of the premises.

Defendant next alleges, as grounds for quashing the search warrant, that the failure of police officers to give her a copy of the warrant until eight days after the search was fatal to the search and seizure of evidence. Section 108 — 6 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963 (Ill. Rev. Stat., ch. 38, § 108—6) provides that a search warrant must be executed within 96 hours after issuance, and that, if it is executed, the duplicate copy shall be left with any person from whom things are seized. In this case the search warrant was issued at 4:40 p.m. on August 3, 1972; the search occurred at 11:15 p.m. the same day; and defendant was given a copy of the warrant on August 11, 1972.

Defendant concedes that failure to serve the warrant at the time of the search is not alone sufficient to invalidate the search (People v. Curry, 56 Ill.2d 162, 306 N.E.2d 292 (1973)), but argues that the late service, taken with the other alleged errors connected with issuance of the warrant, should have been sufficient to quash the warrant and suppress the evidence seized. Since none of the other defects alleged were .in fact error, and, since no claim of prejudice is made, the search was not invalidated by failure to furnish defendant a copy of the warrant prior to the search. See Katz v. United States, 389 U.S. 347, 19 L.Ed.2d 576, 88 S.Ct. 507, 513 (1967); 68 Am. Jur. 2d Searches and Seizures § 115 (1973).

We must also consider section 108 — 14 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963 (Ill. Rev. Stat., ch. 38, § 108—14), which provides:

“No warrant shall be quashed nor evidence suppressed because of technical irregularities not affecting the substantial rights of the accused.”

We do not intend to condone disregard for statutory mandates designed to protect the basic constitutional right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures. Nevertheless, a search otherwise proper will not be invalidated for failure to comply with statutory requirements concerning steps to be taken after the warrant has been executed.1 People v. Hawthorne, 45 Ill.2d 176, 258 N.E.2d 319 (1970).

II. The Fitness Hearing

We must next determine whether, during the fitness hearing, the court correctly instructed the jury that defendant had both the burden of going forward with evidence of unfitness and the burden of proving her unfitness to stand trial by a preponderance of the evidence. Section 5 — 2—1 of the Unified Code of Corrections (Ill. Rev. Stat., ch. 38, § 1005—2—1), effective January 1, 1973, provides in part:

“(i) The burden of proving the defendant is not fit is on the defendant if he raises the question and on the State if the State or the court raises the question.
(j) The party raising the question has the burden of going forward with the evidence. If the court raises the question, the State shall have the burden of going forward with the evidence.”

Defendant contends that placing the burden of proving unfitness on defendant is an unconstitutional deprivation of due process. It is not disputed that State procedures must be adequate to protect the constitutional right of a defendant not to be tried and convicted while he is incompetent. (Pate v.

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

Related

People v. Gomez-Gonzalez
2022 IL App (2d) 210200-U (Appellate Court of Illinois, 2022)
State v. Chatriand
792 P.2d 1107 (Montana Supreme Court, 1990)
People v. Kaufman
384 N.E.2d 468 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1978)
People v. McCullum
362 N.E.2d 307 (Illinois Supreme Court, 1977)
People v. Redmond
357 N.E.2d 204 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1976)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
338 N.E.2d 248, 33 Ill. App. 3d 451, 1975 Ill. App. LEXIS 3184, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-mccullum-illappct-1975.