Smoot v. State

128 S.E. 909, 160 Ga. 744, 41 A.L.R. 1533, 1925 Ga. LEXIS 246
CourtSupreme Court of Georgia
DecidedJuly 18, 1925
DocketNo. 4584
StatusPublished
Cited by29 cases

This text of 128 S.E. 909 (Smoot v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Georgia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Smoot v. State, 128 S.E. 909, 160 Ga. 744, 41 A.L.R. 1533, 1925 Ga. LEXIS 246 (Ga. 1925).

Opinions

Bussell, C. J.

Ada Smoot was tried upon an accusation charging her with the offense of resisting an officer. The provisions of section 311 of the Penal Code are as follows: “If any person shall knowingly and wilfully obstruct, resist, or oppose any officer of this State, or other person duly authorized, in serving or attempting to serve or execute any lawful process or order, or shall assault or beat any officer, or person duly authorized, in serving or executing any process or order aforesaid, or for having served or executed the same, he shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.” The defendant was convicted. She moved for a new trial, her motion was overruled, and she excepted. The case was transmitted to the Court of Appeals; but as it became apparent upon the investigation of the record by that court that the decision depended upon the construction of art. 1, sec. 1, par. 16, of the constitution of this State the Court of Appeals has transferred the writ of. error to this court under the provisions of art. 6, sec. 2, par. 5, of the constitution, which gives to the Supreme Court exclusive, juris[745]*745diction “in all cases that involve the construction of the constitution of the State of Georgia or of the United States.”

In the trial of the case at bar the plaintiff in error objected to the introduction in evidence of the affidavit made to .obtain a search warrant, and of the search warrant issued under said affidavit, upon various grounds-; but these objections were overruled, and the affidavit. and search warrant were introduced in spite of the objections. The exceptions to the overruling of these objections present the leading assignment of error in the case, since the accusation against the plaintiff in error alleged that the resistance and obstruction to the officer occurred while he was acting under a lawful search warrant, and it was for this reason vital to the State’s case that it be shown that the warrant Was a lawful warrant. We shall deal only with two of the numerous objections which were offered in the trial when the affidavit and warrant were tendered in evidence, as follows: “Because said warrant was issued without probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and .was issued in violation of -art. 1, sec. 1, par. 16, of the constitution of the State of Georgia, which provides that ‘no warrant shall issue except upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation.’ ” And “Because said warrant appears on its face to have been issued and served in violation of art. 1, sec. 1, par. 16, of the constitution of the State of Georgia, which provides that ‘The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrant shall issue except upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, particularly describing the place or places to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.’ Said warrant was issued without -probable cause, and no probable cause appears in the affidavit upon which the warrant was issued, the affidavit merely stating the conclusion of the affiant, and the warrant issued thereon does not show that it was issued upon probable cause, supported by oath or ¿ffirmation, but affirmatively appears to have been issued solely upon said affidavit.” Stated otherwise, the question raised by these two objections to the introduction of the warrant which the trial judge admitted in evidence is whether under the provisions of art. 1, sec. 1, par. 16, of the constitution a lawful search warrant can be issued where the “probable cause” does not appear either in [746]*746the affidavit or in the warrant, and the warrant is issued entirely upon the affidavit which merely contains the conclusion of the affiant that in his opinion there is probable cause for the issuance of the warrant, but no expression of any kind in the warrant itself that the judicial officer who issued it is himself of the opinion that there is probable cause? The affidavit and warrant are as follows:

“Georgia, Spalding County. Personally appeared before me L. L. Stanley, who being duly sworn says that he has reason to believe that a quantity of intoxicating liquor and stilling apparatus are now in the possession of one Ada Smoot in the dwelling-house, outhouse, or on the premises of Ada Smoot located in Spalding County, Georgia,.and deponent verily believes, upon probable cause, that intoxicating liquors and distilling apparatus are there kept in violation of the laws of the State of Georgia, and for the purpose of violating the same. [Signed] L. L. Stanley. Sworn to and subscribed before me this 16th day of May, 1924. [Signed] T. J. Purdy, N. P. & J. P.
“Georgia, Spalding County. To the Sheriff or his lawful deputies of Spalding County, Ga., and to all and singular the sheriffs, constables, and marshals or police of this State: The foregoing affidavit having been duly made before me, these are therefore to command you to enter the dwelling-house, outhouse, or premises 'of the said Ada Smoot as in said affidavit described, with proper assistants, and make diligent search for the articles also in said affidavit described, and if you find the same, or any part thereof, bring them together with .the said Ada Smoot before me, or some other judicial officer in and for said county, to bo dealt with as the law directs. Given under my.hand and seal, this the 16th day of May, 1924. [Signed] T. J. Purdy, N. P. & J. P.”

The warrant explicitly states that it is issued only because of “the foregoing affidavit.” The affidavit is based only upon the statements of the affiant that “he has reason to believe that a quantity of intoxicating liquor [is] in the dwelling-house . . of Ada Smoot, . . and verily believes upon probable cause that the intoxicating liquor [is] kept in violation of the laws of the State of Georgia.” It is thus apparent, from the face of the papers to which objection was made, that there was no judicial consideration of any evidence other than the affidavit, and it is [747]*747apparent from-the affidavit that no fact which would have afforded the basis for a legal conclusion of probable cause was before the court, — nothing but the mere statement of the affiant that he verily believed there was- probable cause. -The wording of the section of the constitution which permits the issuance of a search warrant forbids the issuance of such warrant unless there are facts constituting probable cause submitted to the magistrate for his judicial determination, and these must be supported by oath or affirmation. It is another and quite a different thing for the court to delegate to the affiant and prosecutor the authority to determine by his opinion' of probable cause whether the warrant should issue. Art. 1, sec. 1, par. 16, of our constitution no doubt followed the fourth amendment to the constitution of the United States, which provides: “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable-searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrant shall issue but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.” As is pointed out by Mr. Justice Bradley in Boyd v. United States, 116 U. S. 616 (6 Sup. Ct. 524, 29 L. ed.

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Bluebook (online)
128 S.E. 909, 160 Ga. 744, 41 A.L.R. 1533, 1925 Ga. LEXIS 246, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/smoot-v-state-ga-1925.