State v. Canon

687 P.2d 705, 212 Mont. 157, 1984 Mont. LEXIS 1013
CourtMontana Supreme Court
DecidedAugust 30, 1984
Docket83-321
StatusPublished
Cited by27 cases

This text of 687 P.2d 705 (State v. Canon) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Montana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Canon, 687 P.2d 705, 212 Mont. 157, 1984 Mont. LEXIS 1013 (Mo. 1984).

Opinion

MR. JUSTICE WEBER

delivered the Opinion of the Court.

Defendant Calvin Henry Canon (Canon) was arrested on December 9, 1981 with approximately thirty pounds of marijuana in his possession. On December 15,1981, Canon was charged in Yellowstone County District Court with criminal possession of dangerous drugs with intent to sell, a felony. Canon’s arrest was the result of an undercover drug operation in which the Yellowstone County authorities were assisted by Canon’s accomplice, Lois Ruland (Ruland). On February 8, 1983, defendant was found guilty of criminal *160 possession with intent to sell. On April 19, 1983, Canon was fined $15,000 and sentenced to 15 years in prison. We affirm his conviction.

The issues on appeal are:

1. Were the Kentucky telephone tapes properly admitted in evidence?

2. Was certain testimony of Detective Hirschi improperly admitted hearsay evidence?

3. Was evidence of other crimes improperly admitted?

4. Was accomplice Ruland’s testimony adequately corroborated?

5. Was entrapment established as a defense?

6. Was the jury properly instructed on unanimous jury verdict and specific intent?

7. Was a new trial warranted because of accomplice Ru-land’s letter?

8. Were Canon’s automobile keys illegally seized and admitted into evidence?

Canon is 51, married and has three grown children. He and Lois Ruland had a 3 year relationship during which they talked of his divorce and marriage to Ruland, but that relationship was terminated. Ruland threatened to get even with him.

In November of 1981, Detective Hirschi of the Yellowstone County Criminal Investigation Division (CID) contacted Ruland at a bar in Billings. Hirschi advised Ruland that he had information she was involved with the Billings drug traffic and asked her to assist in gathering evidence against the leaders of the drug organization in return for immunity from prosecution. Ruland agreed.

Ruland kept Hirschi informed of plans for her next trip to Lexington, Kentucky to pick up marijuana. This was the site chosen by the people involved in the drug organization. Neither Hirschi nor any other member of the CID made the plans for the drug purchase and sede. The plans were made and completed by Ruland, defendant Canon, and those with whom they were working. The CID took pictures of *161 the two suitcases which Ruland took to Kentucky for use in transporting the marijuana. Hirschi accompanied Ruland to Kentucky and asked Kentucky police for assistance. Ruland testified that defendant was involved with the plans for the December 7, 1981 trip to Kentucky and provided money needed to obtain the marijuana and to cover Ruland’s expenses.

Ruland testified that prior to the trip to Kentucky, she set aside $13,000 of the $17,400 payment she was to make for the drugs in Kentucky. She intended to take the money and her children and “disappear” from the defendant, the drug organization, and the CID as well.

Problems arose in Kentucky because Ruland did not have the necessary $17,400. A number of telephone calls were made between Ruland in Kentucky and Canon in Montana, which were recorded by Hirschi and the Kentucky police. Finally the necessary funds were obtained and the transaction was completed.

Ruland and Hirschi returned to Billings via Denver, Colorado on December 8,1981. The airline failed to transfer Ru-land’s bags which contained the marijuana. When Ruland picked up the two bags containing marijuana at the Billings airport, on December 9, 1981, she was followed by defendant Canon, who stopped her and had her follow him to a parking lot in Billings. The testimony of CID officers and Ruland established that Canon there demanded one of the suitcases containing marijuana and left the scene. Canon was arrested a short time later with the suitcase and approximately 30 pounds of marijuana in his possession.

Defendant testified that he knew none of the people involved in the drug transactions in Florida, Kentucky or Montana. He specifically denied that he had been in any way involved in the sale of drugs or any other type of drug transaction with Ruland. Other pertinent facts will be presented in our discussion of the issues.

*162 I

Were the Kentucky telephone tapes properly admitted in evidence?

Defendant Canon’s motion to suppress tape recordings of telephone conversations in Kentucky was denied by the District Court. Detective Hirschi testified that the telephone conversations between Ruland and Canon were recorded with Ruland’s consent by a cassette tape recorder with a suction-type plug, which was attached to the receiver of the telephone used by Ruland.

Defendant Canon’s contention is that the State should have applied for and obtained court permission to electronically survey and tape the conversations between Canon and Ruland, and that such court permission should have been sought in Montana under the requirements of Montana cases. Canon cites a number of Montana cases which establish that tape recordings and transcriptions obtained through the use of an unauthorized electronic monitoring device may properly be suppressed on constitutional grounds. State v. Hanley (1980), 186 Mont. 410, 608 P.2d 104; State v. Brackman (1978), 178 Mont. 105, 582 P.2d 1216.

Defendant does not discuss the taping of a telephone conversation where one party to the conversation has consented to the taping. Here Detective Hirschi testified that Ruland had consented to the monitoring and tape recording of the telephone calls. That testimony was not challenged in any manner on cross-examination or otherwise. Ruland testified at length and was extensively cross-examined. She specifically testified that she had consented to the recording. She also testified that she was not coerced or pressured in any way into allowing the recordings to be made. We note that the tapes contain damaging evidence in that they tend to prove defendant’s involvement in drug transactions, of which he denied having any knowledge.

The issue has been settled in Montana. As this Court stated in State v. Coleman (Mont. 1980), 616 P.2d 1090, *163 1096, 37 St. Rep. 1664, 1668:

“The answer to (defendant) Case’s contention here is again found in Hanley, supra, where we held that interception of telephone conversations by police officers is legal if one of the parties to the conversation consents, even an informer. This Court has never held that a court order is necessary to monitor a telephone conversation, where one of the parties to the telephone conversation consents . . . Neither party to a telephone conversation can ordinarily see the other.

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

Related

State v. A. Lindquist
2018 MT 38 (Montana Supreme Court, 2018)
State v. Payne
2011 MT 35 (Montana Supreme Court, 2011)
State v. Allen
2010 MT 214 (Montana Supreme Court, 2010)
State v. Jones
2008 MT 440 (Montana Supreme Court, 2008)
State v. Reynolds
2004 MT 364 (Montana Supreme Court, 2004)
State v. Hansen
1999 MT 253 (Montana Supreme Court, 1999)
State v. Veis
1998 MT 162 (Montana Supreme Court, 1998)
State v. Sweet
1998 MT 30 (Montana Supreme Court, 1998)
State v. Andrews
479 S.E.2d 808 (Court of Appeals of South Carolina, 1996)
State v. Weldy
902 P.2d 1 (Montana Supreme Court, 1995)
State v. Farnsworth
783 P.2d 1365 (Montana Supreme Court, 1989)
State v. Bartnes
764 P.2d 1271 (Montana Supreme Court, 1988)
State v. Miller
757 P.2d 1275 (Montana Supreme Court, 1988)
State v. Brown
755 P.2d 1364 (Montana Supreme Court, 1988)
Commonwealth v. Schaeffer
536 A.2d 354 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1987)
State v. Dannels
734 P.2d 188 (Montana Supreme Court, 1987)
State v. Milhoan
730 P.2d 1170 (Montana Supreme Court, 1986)
State v. Solis
693 P.2d 518 (Montana Supreme Court, 1984)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
687 P.2d 705, 212 Mont. 157, 1984 Mont. LEXIS 1013, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-canon-mont-1984.