State v. Cook

213 So. 2d 18, 1968 Fla. App. LEXIS 5082
CourtDistrict Court of Appeal of Florida
DecidedJuly 30, 1968
DocketNo. 67-897
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 213 So. 2d 18 (State v. Cook) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court of Appeal of Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Cook, 213 So. 2d 18, 1968 Fla. App. LEXIS 5082 (Fla. Ct. App. 1968).

Opinion

SWANN, Judge.

The trial court entered an order quashing a form search warrant and suppressing evidence of a lottery. The state has taken this appeal.

The pertinent portions of the search warrant are:

“These presents * * * are to command you * * * to search said building painted green and white, this being 2050 N.W. 68 Terrace, Dade County, Florida, and the person or all persons therein who shall be connected with, or suspected of being connected with the operating or maintaining of said gaming or gambling games, devices, equipment, paraphernalia. * * * ” (Emphasis added.)
‡ J{i %

In quashing the search warrant, the trial court held that the description failed to describe the persons to be searched with sufficient particularity and was, therefore, a general warrant. In addition the court held that by allowing a search to be made on suspicion, the warrant vested unlimited discretion in police officers executing the warrant and consequently violated both the [20]*20letter and spirit of Fla.Stat., § 933.05, F.S.A. The trial court went on to hold that a search warrant which is void in part, is void in toto and the void portions cannot be severed or treated as surplusage.

The record on -appeal does not indicate whether the suppressed evidence was seized as a result of the search of the premises or the search of a person or persons inside the premises.

As to the search of the premises, no argument is made that the search warrant was not issued upon an affidavit showing probable cause. See Fla.Stat., §§ 933.04 and 933.05, F.S.A. The premises were described with sufficient particularity-in both the affidavit and the search warrant. Church v. State, 151 Fla. 24, 9 So.2d 164 (1942). We hold, therefore, that the search of the premises was proper.

With regard to the persons involved, the affidavit stated that a lottery ticket had been purchased inside the premises from an unknown Negro female. Ordinarily, in Florida, the name of the person or persons to be searched should be stated, but if the name(s) are not known it is not fatal to the validity of the search warrant. Harvey v. Drake, Fla.1949, 40 So.2d 214; Church v. State, supra; Brown v. State, Fla.App.1966, 184 So.2d 691, 79 C.J.S. Searches and Seizures §§ 75 d and 81 b(3).

Appellee relies primarily on Crossland v. State, 266 P.2d 649 (Okl.Cr.App.1954) for affirmance. In Crossland, the court said:

“It is contended that the command to search ‘each and every person’ without naming the persons or describing them constituted a general warrant. At the hearing on the motion to suppress, the Sheriff testified that pursuant to the warrant, he searched the Ox Yoke Cafe and at the time of the search there were 25 or 30 patrons of the cafe sitting at tables eating and there were 10 or 12 employees of the defendant in the cafe. Altogether, there were 35 or more persons in the cafe who were subject to search under the terms of the warrant. Not one individual to be searched was described in the affidavit for the search warrant nor in the search warrant, either by name or other descriptive averment.” (Emphasis added.)

The Oklahoma Court said that this was a case of first impression and stated:

“It has been held that a general warrant, or ‘blanket’ warrant, which the law condemns and which the cited constitutional and statutory provisions were intended to prevent, is a warrant to search all places without describing them or to search a number of properly described places which are shown, on the face of the warrant or by the evidence on a motion to suppress, to be occupied by different owners or lessees * * * ”
“In Bowman v. State, supra [73 Okl.Cr. 248, 120 P.2d 373], this court held: ‘Where a search warrant is issued for the purpose of searching a person, such person should be particularly described, and if his name is known it should be stated in the warrant.’ ”
* * * * * *

The warrant in that case directed the search of:

“Ox Yoke at 2105 North Harrison Street in Shawnee, Oklahoma, the party house attached thereto, together with each and every room, compartment, container, or structure therein and each and every person in said building and none other buildings nor persons. (Emphasis added.)
“It is contended that the command to search ‘each and every person’ without naming the persons or describing them constituted a general warrant.”
[21]*21* * * * *

The record of that case discloses that the whisky seized was found in the kitchen of the premises. The court concluded:

* * * * * *
“The conclusion is inescapable that the warrant is a general or ‘blankef search warrant, which would authorize the indiscriminate search of a large number of people without naming or describing any of them. We think the issuance of a search warrant to search a large number of persons without naming them is subject to the same objections that are made to a general warrant which authorizes the search of premises occupied by two or more families.

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Related

Schmitt v. State
563 So. 2d 1095 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 1990)
Samuel v. State
222 So. 2d 3 (Supreme Court of Florida, 1969)
Samuel v. State of Florida
215 So. 2d 55 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 1968)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
213 So. 2d 18, 1968 Fla. App. LEXIS 5082, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-cook-fladistctapp-1968.