State v. Eichhorn

353 N.E.2d 861, 47 Ohio App. 2d 227, 1 Ohio Op. 3d 301, 1975 Ohio App. LEXIS 5875
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedDecember 23, 1975
Docket74AP-271 and 74AP-272
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 353 N.E.2d 861 (State v. Eichhorn) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Eichhorn, 353 N.E.2d 861, 47 Ohio App. 2d 227, 1 Ohio Op. 3d 301, 1975 Ohio App. LEXIS 5875 (Ohio Ct. App. 1975).

Opinion

McCoemac, J.

As a result of the execution of a search warrant and the seizure of property located at the home of defendants Stephen and Maria Eichhorn, the appellants, each was indicted and charged with two felony counts of receiving stolen property and one misdemeanor count of receiving stolen property. Defendants filed timely motions to suppress the evidence seized pursuant to the aforemen *228 tioned search warrant. Those motions were overruled. Defendants entered pleas of no contest as follows: Stephen H. Eichhorn to one felony count; Maria 0. Eichhorn to one misdemeanor count. The other counts were nolle prossed. The court found defendants guilty of the charges for which no contest pleas were entered, and sentenced both according to law. They filed a timely notice of appeal.

Six assignments of error have been set forth, all of which relate to the issue of whether the trial court erred in not sustaining the motion to suppress evidence. Since the six assignments of error all relate to the same issue, they will be combined for discussion.

The affidavit, upon which the search warrant was based, states as follows:

“On 10-30-74 at 1:15 p. m., a report of an aggravated burglary and grand theft was filed with the Pickaway County Sheriff’s Department (Report No. OF-10-74-122) on a residence located on S. Bloomfield-Royalton Rd., 1st house west of Circleville-G-roveport Rd., being the residence of a Mr. David Dell. On 11-1-74, received information from a subject by the name of James Clarence Jones, who was arrested by the Pickaway County Sheriff’s Dept, in connection with the above listed burgláry. After having been advised of his Constitutional Rights, Jones stated that he had sold the items taken in the burglary to a subject that he knew by the name of Steve, who is also the owner of Kelley’s Bar, located at 954 West Broad St., Columbus, Franklin County, Ohio. Jones further stated that he sold the items to this Steve subject inside of Kelley’s Bar and at that time he overheard a phone conversation between Steve and his wife making arrangements to move the stolen items to his house. A check with the Columbus Police Vice Squad showed a subject by the name of Stephen H. Eichorn, 980 S. Yearling Rd., listed on the Liquor Permit as the owner. A further check in the Columbus City Directory, and in the 1974-1975 Ohio Bell Telephone Directory showed Stephen Eichorn residing at 980 S. Yearling Rd. Jones, in addition, stated that on numerous occasions he has sold other stolen property to this same subject at Kelley’s Bar.”

*229 The record does not show any additional evidence was obtained, recorded or made a part of the affidavit, as required by Crim. E. 41(C), if such additional evidence is to be used to support a finding of probable cause by the magistrate to issue the search warrant. Consequently, the validity of the search warrant must be determined from the worcls of the affidavit only.

The basic test which must be applied in determining whether an affidavit for a search warrant is sufficient to meet constitutional standards is established by Aguilar v. Texas (1964), 378 U. S. 108, and Spinelli v. United States (1968), 393 U. S. 410. This test, as described by the United States Supreme Court in Aguilar, at page 114, is as follows:

“Although an affidavit may be based on hearsay information and need not reflect the direct personal observations, of the affiant [citations omitted] the magistrate must be informed of some of the , underlying circumstances from which the informant concluded, that the narcotics were where he claimed they were, and some of the underlying circumstances from which the officer concluded that the informant, whose identity need not be disclosed [citations omitted] was ‘credible’ or his information ‘reliable.’ ”

Accordingly, the affidavit herein, which was predicated upon information obtained from an informant, must contain two basic types of information: (1) facts constituting underlying circumstances from which the informant concluded the stolen property was where he claimed it was; and (2) facts indicating some of the underlying circumstances justifying; a conclusion that the informant was credible or his information reliable.

Furthermore, Crim. E. 41(C) properly states the test for the issuance of a search warrant by a magistrate. That rule provides that the warrant shall be issued upon probable cause and that “the finding,of probable cause may be based upon hearsay in whole or in part provided there is a substantial basis for believing the source of the hearsay to be credible and for believing that there is a factual basis for the information furnished.”

*230 Regarding reliability or credibility of an informant, the Ohio Supreme Court has stated as follows:

“Reliability and credibility are nebulous matters. No exact rule can be laid down as a guideline for the determination of such questions. Each case must be judged upon its own merits.” State v. Haynes (1971), 25 Ohio St. 2d 264, at 268.

The real crux of the test is whether the magistrate has been supplied with sufficient facts to come to an independent conclusion, rather than relying solely upon, the affiant’s conclusion that there is probable cause for issuance of a search warrant. The test of probable cause, not certainty, also extends to the determination of the reliability of the informer. State v. Haynes, supra.

The supporting affidavit sets forth the following facts upon which an independent magistrate may consider, in arriving at a conclusion, that the informant was credible or his information reliable. Those facts are:

1. There was a burglary on October 30, 1974, at the home of one David Dell, Ashville, Ohio, and certain specific merchandise was stolen.

2. James Clarence Jones was arrested by the Pickaway County Sheriff’s Department in connection with the above burglary.

3. Jones admitted selling items fitting the description of those taken from the Dell house to the owner of Kelley’s Bar, located at 954 West Broad Street, Columbus, Ohio. That owner is known to him as Steve.

4. The Columbus Police Department independently checked the ownership of Kelley’s Bar and found that owner to be Stephen H. Eichhorn.

5. Jones stated on numerous occasions he has sold other stolen property to the same person at Kelley’s Bar.

In order to determine whether there is enough factual information for an independent magistrate to find probable cause that an informer is reliable or credible, the total of the factual information that was available to the magistrate must be considered. Frequently, any one piece of information is insufficient in itself and law can be produced *231 saying that it alone is insufficient.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
353 N.E.2d 861, 47 Ohio App. 2d 227, 1 Ohio Op. 3d 301, 1975 Ohio App. LEXIS 5875, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-eichhorn-ohioctapp-1975.