State v. Edwards

1957 OK CR 45, 311 P.2d 266, 1957 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 164
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma
DecidedMay 1, 1957
DocketA-12427
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 1957 OK CR 45 (State v. Edwards) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Edwards, 1957 OK CR 45, 311 P.2d 266, 1957 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 164 (Okla. Ct. App. 1957).

Opinions

: ■ POWELL, Judge. :

This is an appeal by the State of Oklahoma on a reserved question of law, from 'an order 'of the district court of Tulsa County wherein a motion of John Bill Edwards, defendant, to suppress evidence of the violation of prohibitory liquor laws obtained by a claimed insufficient search war-rent, was sustained and a judgment of “Not guilty” was entered in favor of the defendant.

' The record discloses that deputy sheriff William L. Bliss swore to an affidavit and 'application for a search warrant for intoxicating liquor before one of the judges of the court of common pleas of Tulsa ■County, describing a certain specific motor ■vehicle sought to be searched. A search warrant was thereupon issued, and thereafter the deputy sheriff executed said ■search warrant by causing the car described to be stopped on the streets in the city of Tulsa, searching the same, and seizing a -large' quantity of tax-paid whiskey and mother liquor. The driver of the car, John Bill Edwards, the defendant, was placed .under arrest and was charged With unlawful possession of intoxicating liquor,' second; and subsequent offense..

¡ .A preliminary information was filed in the court .of common pleas of Tul'sa'County, charging the defendant with unlawful pos¡session'of intoxicating liquor, se'cond and subsequent offense. Thereafter, a “Motion to suppress”, and later a “Supplemental motion to suppress” were filed,- attacking the 'sufficiency, of the affidavit and the search warrant. These motions.were over:-' ruled by the examining magistrate, a preliminary hearing was held and the defendant ' bound over for trial in the district court.

- ■ In the district court the defendant filed a “Motion to quash information”, and a “Motion to suppress”. He apparently abandoned the first motion, but urged his motion to suppress.

■' On stipulation, the transcript of the proceedings held, in the- court of common pleas ¡was admitted in evidence in the district .court, and considered by the court in ruling on the defendant’s motion to suppress filed in that court.

, The district court, after ■ reading, the transcript of the proceedings ; had before ■the examining magistrate at the preliminary hearing, rendered a written opinion or judgment, sustaining the defendant’s motion to suppress, and on stipulation that said transcript be considered by the court as the evidence in the case, found the defendant not guilty.

Reversal is sought. by the State as to certain questions of law involved and ruled on adversely to the State. Three propositions are advanced that shall be, considered ■in the order presented.

. It 'is first argued “That the trial court erred in considering incompetent, irrelevant and immaterial evidence admitted at the preliminary hearing over the objections of .the State, in drawing its findings of fact and conclusions of law.”

■ Under the above proposition it is pointed .out, as we have already recited, that thé only testimony before the district court was that introduced at the preliminary hearing. At the preliminary the examining magistrate, over the objections of counsel for the State, permitted defense, counsel to cross-examine -deputy sheriff William L. Bliss- in an effort -to show that at the time lie 'Signed the affidavit for a search warrant Jie. -actually knew the name of the owner of the automobile that he sought to search, [269]*269ánd for such reason should have disclosed the name rather than naming the operator “John Doe”. Witness admitted that he had known the defendant prior to the time of the filing of the affidavit for a search warrant, and knew the car that he drove.

It is argued that the trial court should have rejected from its consideration the evidence in question as incompetent, where timely objection was made by the county attorney. Cited in support of such contention are the following cases from this court: Nance v. State, 50 Okl.Cr. 17, 294 P. 1097; Davidson v. State, 52 Okl.Cr. 305, 4 P.2d 131; Rausch v. State, 65 Okl.Cr. 52, 82 P.2d 687; Wagner v. State, 72 Okl.Cr. 393, 117 P.2d 162.

In the Nance case this court in paragraph one of the syllabus, said:

“Where the affidavit and search warrant are sufficient on their face, the evidence obtained by the search is admissible, and the court will not permit the accused, after the warrant has been executed, to show that the statements in the affidavit are not true, or to raise any question as to the accuracy or source of affiant’s information or the means by which it was obtained.”

Counsel for the defense agrees that the cited cases support the State’s proposition, but asserts that the facts in the within, case bring it within the holding in the case of Lee v. State, Okl.Cr., 297 P.2d 572, arguing that the question of whether or not deputy sheriff Bliss knew the defendant prior to signing the affidavit for a search, warrant was first opened up by the State. We have carefully read the evidence and do not find that the questions asked by the county attorney justified the cross-examination complained of. It is true that the defense did call this officer as a defense witness and on cross-examination the State sought to show by him the name of the person in whom title to the automobile described in the search warrant was regis-' tered. The'court did not permit the witness to answer, probably on-the ground that the questions- posed did not -constitute proper cross-examination.

In the Lee case the affidavit for the search warrant was made by the sheriff of Caddo County on information furnished him by the chief of police of Anadarko. The court approved the affidavit and search warrant as to wording, but the county attorney and the court permitted counsel for the defense to go back of the affidavit and show that the affiant sheriff actually had no personal knowledge of the matters positively sworn to, but in fact made the affidavit upon information and belief. That case does not govern for the reason that in the within case the county attorney interposed timely objections.

It is next urged that .“The trial court erred in ruling that the affidavit for search warrant and the warrant were defective and insufficient because they were issued in the name of John Doe.”

Most of the cases from this court dealing with “John Doe” warrants involve‘the search of residential or commercial buildings, or real estate. The same protection afforded a home against unreasonable search and seizure, Art. II, § 30, Okl. Const., has been held to apply to one’s motor vehicle. Strong v. State, 42 Okl.Cr. 114, 274 P. 890; Bush v. State, 64 Okl.Cr. 161, 77 P.2d 1184.

This court has many times ‘held that where an affidavit for a search warrant under the prohibition liquor law particularly describes the place to be searched so that no discretion is left to the officer making the search, the description of the place will be sufficient. Cahill v. State, 38 Okl.Cr. 236, 260 P. 91; Ross v. State, 38 Okl.Cr. 252, 260 P. 90; Hughes v. State, 78 Okl.Cr. 240, 147 P.2d 176.

We have also said that if the name of the party owning or occupying the premises to be searched is known, it should be stated' in the affidavit and in the search warrant,but that it is not absolutely necessary,' where the place is otherwise particularly described. Gransbury v. State, 64 Okl.Cr. [270]*270423, 82 P.2d 240; Crim v. State, 68 Okl.Cr. 390, 99 P.2d 185. See in this connection: United States v. Diange, D.C., 32 F.Supp. 14; United States v. Fitzmaurice, 2 Cir., 45 F. 133; Dixon v.

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State v. Edwards
1957 OK CR 45 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1957)

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Bluebook (online)
1957 OK CR 45, 311 P.2d 266, 1957 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 164, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-edwards-oklacrimapp-1957.