Pipkins v. State

592 So. 2d 947, 1991 WL 277787
CourtMississippi Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 18, 1991
Docket90-KA-0413
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 592 So. 2d 947 (Pipkins v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Mississippi Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Pipkins v. State, 592 So. 2d 947, 1991 WL 277787 (Mich. 1991).

Opinion

592 So.2d 947 (1991)

Charles Earl PIPKINS
v.
STATE of Mississippi.

No. 90-KA-0413.

Supreme Court of Mississippi.

December 18, 1991.

Albert S. Johnston, III, Henry P. Pate, III, Pascagoula, for appellant.

Mike C. Moore, Atty. Gen., John R. Henry, Jr., Sp. Asst. Atty. Gen., Jackson, for appellee.

Before DAN M. LEE, P.J., and PITTMAN and BANKS, JJ.

PITTMAN, Justice, for the court:

Charles Pipkins was indicted and convicted for the possession of controlled substances in the Circuit Court of Jackson County. He was sentenced to a term of three (3) years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections. On appeal, Pipkins asserts that his pre-trial motion to suppress should have been granted in the court below. Alternatively, Pipkins contends that the magistrate was misled when issuing a search warrant for his home and, thus, the resulting search and seizure of contraband was illegal. Finding merit in appellant's alternative argument, we reverse his conviction and remand.

I.

On June 3, 1988, Jackson County Deputy Sheriff Ronald Cooley appeared before Justice Court Judge Louis Fondren seeking a search warrant for the residence of the appellant, Charles Pipkins. Deputy Cooley presented Judge Fondren with an "Affidavit For Search Warrant" and a statement of "Underlying Facts and Circumstances" that contained information received, for the most part, from a confidential informant. The statement of underlying facts provided that:

On June 3, 1988, Agent Ron Cooley, Jackson County Sheriff's Office, met with a confidential and reliable informant, who in the past has provided information to other law enforcement agencies that has proved reliable and has led to the arrest of numerous drug offenders. The confidential and reliable informant has also corroborated information about the person mentioned in section 2 of the affidavit for search warrant that agent Ron Cooley has gathered through other informants and surveillance in the past. The confidential and reliable informant stated to agent Cooley that a quantity of marijuana was going to be delivered to the address stated in section one of the affidavit for search warrant on this date. The confidential and reliable informant further stated to agent Cooley *948 that the person at the residence mentioned in section one of the affidavit for search warrant, would have weapons on him or close at hand. The confidential and reliable informant also stated to agent Cooley that a quantity of marijuana had been seen at the residence mentioned in section one of the affidavit for search warrant within the last 24 hrs. It is with the above information that agent Ron Cooley, Jackson County Sheriff's Office, asks that [sic] issuance of a search warrant.

A search warrant was issued by Judge Fondren and a search team was organized by the narcotics unit of the Jackson County Sheriff's Office. At approximately 9:00 p.m., deputies from the narcotics unit, aided by officers from the Gautier Police Department, executed the search warrant in hopes of finding a "quantity" of marijuana on the premises. After the search had proceeded for more than an hour, however, no marijuana had been located. Three (3) tablets of the controlled substance hydromorphine (Dilaudid) were found at the Pipkins residence. Upon recovery of the Dilaudid, Charles Pipkins and his fiancee, Rita Vice, were arrested and subsequently indicted for the possession of controlled substances. Shortly after their arrest, Charles Pipkins and Rita Vice were married. In August of 1989, the couple was tried together in the Circuit Court of Jackson County.

On August 25, 1989, the parties came before the circuit court to argue the defendants' motion to suppress. Defense counsel alleged that the magistrate did not have probable cause to issue the search warrant of June 3, 1988. After receiving the testimony of Deputy Ron Cooley, the lower court found that the Motion to Dismiss the Indictment and Motion to Suppress were not well taken and, thus, overruled.

At trial, Deputy Ron Cooley testified that he was a narcotics agent with the Jackson County Sheriff's Department and that he participated in the June 3, 1988 search of the Pipkins residence. Officer Cooley related his involvement in the search and seizure as follows:

[O]n June 3, 1988 I had received some information from a confidential informant that a quantity of marijuana was going to be delivered to the residence on Highway 63, and that within the last twenty-four hours there had been a quantity of marijuana seen at the house. I brought the facts to a Judge and asked for issuance of a search warrant. We executed the search warrant. In the home we found three — what appeared to be K-4 Dilaudids, yellow pills.

Deputy Cooley testified that the tablets were found on the floor near the opening made by the lower cabinet and the stove. He stated that the tablets appeared to be wrapped in the cellophane from a package of cigarettes.

On cross-examination, Officer Cooley was questioned concerning the information received from the confidential informant. Deputy Cooley testified that he had known the informant for only a few days or possibly had met him only on the day of the warrant's issuance when he was given the information about Charles Pipkins. Deputy Cooley related that the confidential informant told him that the marijuana would be brought to the house in a blue pickup truck. Officer Cooley informed the court that a pickup truck did arrive at the Pipkins home on the night of June 3, 1988. He stated, however, that the occupants of the vehicle were ultimately released after no evidence of illegal substances could be found. Deputy Cooley testified that no evidence of marijuana was found in the Pipkins residence. The search of the Pipkins' home lasted more than an hour and was conducted by at least five officers. The State offered in evidence three (3) Dilaudid tablets that Officer Cooley said he found on the floor of the kitchen. Pipkins denied that he had the tablets and did not know where they came from.

After the defense rested their case in chief, and upon motion to dismiss, the lower court dismissed the charges against Rita Pipkins. In due course, the jury returned a verdict of guilty against Charles Earl Pipkins and the trial judge imposed the maximum sentence of three (3) years in the *949 custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections. This appeal followed.

II.

Charles Pipkins argues on appeal that the lower court was in error when it failed to rule, at the pre-trial motion to suppress, that the warrant issued for the search of his home was issued upon insufficient probable cause. Alternatively, Pipkins asserts that the issuing magistrate, Justice Court Judge Louis Fondren, was misled by the "Affidavit for Search Warrant" and statement of "Underlying Facts and Circumstances" presented by Deputy Ron Cooley in support of his application for search warrant. Finding merit in Pipkins' alternative argument, we are compelled to reverse and remand for further proceedings.

On August 25, 1989, the parties came before Circuit Court Judge Robert Mills concerning Charles Pipkins' pre-trial motion to suppress. At this suppression hearing, Deputy Ron Cooley was called to testify regarding the issuance of the search warrant for the home of the appellant. Officer Cooley defended his affidavit for search warrant by giving the following testimony:

Q. Okay. In your affidavit, you state that the informant was confidential and reliable to other law enforcement agencies.
A. Yes.
Q.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
592 So. 2d 947, 1991 WL 277787, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/pipkins-v-state-miss-1991.