People v. Vanlandingham

584 N.E.2d 904, 223 Ill. App. 3d 362, 165 Ill. Dec. 470, 1991 Ill. App. LEXIS 2098
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedDecember 19, 1991
Docket4-91-0297
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 584 N.E.2d 904 (People v. Vanlandingham) 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. Vanlandingham, 584 N.E.2d 904, 223 Ill. App. 3d 362, 165 Ill. Dec. 470, 1991 Ill. App. LEXIS 2098 (Ill. Ct. App. 1991).

Opinion

JUSTICE KNECHT

delivered the opinion of the court:

Intervenor, Martha Vanlandingham, seeks to recover 20 weapons and personal property seized from her residence in connection with charges filed against defendant, Leslie Vanlandingham. The items were seized pursuant to two search warrants. When the seizures occurred, intervenor and defendant were roommates. At the time this appeal was filed, they were married. Defendant was charged with, and pleaded guilty to, unlawful possession of weapons by a felon. (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1989, ch. 38, par. 24 — 1.1(a).) The Champaign County circuit court entered an order forfeiting the weapons seized. At a separate hearing, it denied intervener’s request for the weapons seized to be returned to her, but ordered the State return all other personal property to her. The court later amended its oral order and required the State to return only personal property currently within its control.

On appeal, intervenor contests (1) the propriety of the forfeiture, with respect to denial of the motion in limine-, (2) the ruling permitting the State to contest her claim of ownership; (3) the rulings refusing to exclude as evidence in proceedings on her motion for return of the property (a) the weapons seized on executing a warrant which did not authorize the weapons’ confiscation, and (b) a second undated search warrant; as well as (4) the trial court’s alteration of its earlier order requiring all personal property to be returned to her. Intervenor contends because she owned the property, the court erred in forfeiting it. We reject her contentions and affirm.

To understand the nature of the issues intervenor raises, an overview of the relevant events which transpired follows.

I. Matters Leading To The Forfeiture Order

On February 16, 1989, based on information provided by a confidential source, a judge issued a warrant authorizing the search of the home in which defendant and intervenor lived. The warrant authorized seizure of evidence related to the offense of possession of controlled substances with intent to deliver. The complaint described a controlled cocaine purchase from defendant by a confidential source, and noted defendant had two previous drug-related arrests. The confidential source also reported seeing easily accessible firearms in defendant’s residence. Authorities also had tape-recorded conversations between defendant and the confidential source about weapons.

When authorities executed the warrant on February 17, 1989, they seized 20 weapons and items related to controlled substances. Defendant Leslie Vanlandingham was charged by informations with unlawful possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver and unlawful possession of weapons by a felon. Ill. Rev. Stat. 1989, ch. 561/2, par. 1401(b)(2); ch. 38, par. 24 — 1.1(a).

On February 21, 1989, pursuant to a second warrant, authorities again searched the residence of defendant and intervenor. A different judge issued this warrant. It was supported by information related to the offenses of burglary, possession of stolen property, and unlawful possession of firearms by a felon. The warrant complaint was dated February 21, 1991, but the warrant itself did not specify the day it was issued.

Pursuant to the two search warrants executed on February 17 and 21, authorities confiscated a total of 20 weapons, ammunition, and other personal property from the home in which intervenor and defendant lived, including property located in a safe which had been confiscated in executing the February 17 warrant.

On July 18, 1990, defendant pleaded guilty to the unlawful possession of weapons by a felon charge. As part of the plea agreement, the State dismissed the charge of unlawful possession of controlled substances with intent to deliver. Defendant agreed not to object to forfeiture of the weapons, and was sentenced to 12 months’ probation. Although defense counsel stated defendant merely agreed not to object to forfeiture, the trial court observed defendant agreed to the forfeiture.

The trial court entered an order, pursuant to section 24 — 6(b) of the Criminal Code of 1961 (Code), forfeiting the weapons seized to the Champaign County Interagency Task Force (ITF). Ill. Rev. Stat. 1989, ch. 38, par. 24 — 6(b).

II. Proceedings Related To Intervenor’s Motion For Return Of Property

On July 27, 1990, intervenor filed a motion for return of the items seized, contending she owned the property forfeited. She argued defendant had no interest in the property.

Intervenor later filed a motion to compel the State to produce a document confiscated from the safe seized from her home. She claimed the document proved she owned the weapons. The State’s record of items seized February 17, 1989, suggested such a document may have existed. However, the State could not locate any such document when intervenor requested a copy. After a hearing January 10, 1991, the court reserved ruling on the motion to compel until the hearing on return of the property.

Intervenor also filed a motion in limine. She argued (1) the State should be barred from contesting her ownership of the 20 weapons; and (2) in ruling on the propriety of the forfeiture order, the court should exclude evidence obtained by the February 17 and 21 search warrants. Hearings on the intervenor’s motion took place on January 28 and 31, 1991. The court denied intervenor’s motion in limine. It refused to bar the State from contesting who owned the weapons and property seized. In addition, it rejected her argument evidence from the searches should be excluded.

At the hearing on intervenor’s motion, she testified she has been a licensed firearms dealer since late 1983. She stated she was the sole proprietor of a firearm’s dealership called “Urban Arms,” and defendant held no interest in the dealership. The record indicates the 20 weapons seized included one XM-15 E2 rifle, one AK47 assault rifle, 10 Mil pistols, and eight M10 pistols.

The State produced a handwritten receipt dated September 25, 1988, and signed by intervenor in which she transferred the inventory of Urban Arms to defendant. At the hearing on intervenor’s motion, intervenor admitted executing this document, but contended the transfer was temporary. She testified it was executed because she planned to travel. Her relationship with defendant was strained and he feared she would not return. The transfer would have enabled him to sell Urban Arms’ inventory if she died in a plane crash or did not return.

Intervenor testified she and defendant executed a second document when she returned from her trip in early October 1988. This document purportedly transferred the entire interest of Urban Arms back to intervenor. Intervenor stated these documents were kept in the safe confiscated by authorities on February 17, 1989.

Kent Shove, intervenor’s friend since childhood, and defendant’s employee at the time in question, testified he had seen a document transferring Urban Arms back to intervenor. The document puzzled him because he knew intervenor owned the guns. He stated intervenor told him she owned Urban Arms as an asset to liquidate quickly if something happened to defendant.

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Bluebook (online)
584 N.E.2d 904, 223 Ill. App. 3d 362, 165 Ill. Dec. 470, 1991 Ill. App. LEXIS 2098, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-vanlandingham-illappct-1991.