State v. Elliott

845 S.W.2d 115, 1993 WL 6377
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedJanuary 14, 1993
DocketNos. 17417, 18074
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 845 S.W.2d 115 (State v. Elliott) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri 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. Elliott, 845 S.W.2d 115, 1993 WL 6377 (Mo. Ct. App. 1993).

Opinion

CROW, Presiding Judge.

A jury found Appellant, David Lynn Elliott, guilty of the class C felony of receiving stolen property, § 570.080,1 and assessed punishment at four years’ imprisonment. The trial court imposed that sentence, including in the judgment a clause: “Deft is a prior offender.” Appellant brings appeal 17417 from that judgment.

While appeal 17417 was pending, Appellant commenced a proceeding per Rule 29.-152 to vacate the judgment. The motion court entered findings of fact and conclusions of law, and denied relief without an evidentiary hearing. Appellant brings appeal 18074 from that order.

We consolidated the appeals, Rule 29.-15(Z), but address them separately in this opinion.

Appeal 17417

Appellant presents two points relied on: (1) the trial court erred in denying Appellant’s motion “to suppress evidence and statements obtained as a result of a search warrant,” and (2) the trial court wrongly found Appellant to be a prior offender. As Appellant does not challenge the sufficiency of the evidence to support the verdict, we set forth only the evidence pertinent to the assignments of error.

A Chevrolet pickup was stolen in Springfield about September 19, 1989. The Springfield Police Department investigated the theft.

On October 19, 1989, Corporal Mike Adams of the Springfield Police Department signed and verified an application for a warrant to search Appellant’s property in western Greene County, outside the Springfield city limits. An associate circuit judge of the Circuit Court of Greene County issued a search warrant that date, authorizing a search of Appellant’s property and seizure of the stolen vehicle and “all parts that have been removed from [it] and any tools used to remove these parts.”

The next day, October 20, officers of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, deputy sheriffs of Greene County, and officers of the Springfield Police Department went to Appellant’s property. What occurred was described by Sergeant Steve Ijames of the Springfield Police Department.

[117]*117Q ... when all of you arrived at the location, what happened, first?
A The county deputies, accompanied by a couple of the troopers, went to the house. When you turn ... off the roadway ... there’s a drive that you can take that goes to the barn and the corrugated steel building. All of us stayed there. None of us went to the house.... We waited until they’d gone in and secured the premises, and then they came out and told us what they’d found.
Q ... did one of the county officers at that time have the actual search warrant with him?
A In his hand, correct.
Q ... Do you recall which one?
A I believe it was Anderson ... I ... imagine they wrote some reports that would have ... information ... as to who dropped it physically in front of Mr. Elliott.
[[Image here]]
Q ... when you first arrived, did you knock on the door of the house?
A I didn’t go there. The county deputies who actually had the power to serve the warrant went to the house, and we just stood by out here until they’d contacted Mr. Elliott and then we went on up there in the woods.

In the woods, Ijames found the stolen pickup and sundry parts that had been removed from it. Nearby was a “parts list” for a cordless electric drill. Additional parts of the pickup, its license plates, and a cordless electric drill were found at other sites on Appellant’s property. Ijames’ testimony continued:

Q ... in a case in which a matter originates as a City of Springfield case, what is the procedure which you are required to go through in the execution of the search warrant subsequent to the beginning of the case?
A ... we have no written procedures of the case we take out into the county with our search warrant. And like in this case that originates in the City of Springfield, they will go with us, of course, and execute the warrant. But for evidence purposes, because the case is a Springfield case, they have us take custody of the evidence for processing, for disposition, for return to owners, that type of thing.
... they ... go with us and provide whatever assistance they need to provide for us to do it lawfully, but they want us to take custody of all the evidence and be responsible for it since it was' our responsibility to begin with.

Consistent with that custom, Ijames wrote out an “inventory” of items taken per the search warrant. He left a copy “there at the scene.” Ijames also prepared and filed a “return receipt” listing the items and confirming he took possession of them.

Appellant was charged with keeping the pickup, knowing or believing it had been stolen.

Before trial, Appellant moved to suppress as evidence all items seized pursuant to the search warrant, along with any statements “obtained directly or indirectly” from the search. After an evidentiary hearing, the trial court entered an order denying the motion. A portion of the order reads:

A more troubling question is the fact that the Search Warrant was not executed by a peace officer acting within his territorial jurisdiction. The Court determines from the evidence that the Search Warrant was in fact executed by a member of the Springfield Missouri Police Department, outside the territorial limits of his authority. See Section 542.286. However, the Court finds Greene County Deputy Sheriffs who had territorial jurisdiction at the place of the execution of the Search Warrant were present during the search. The Court also finds that the City of Springfield Police Officer executing the Search Warrant believed, in good faith, that he had authority to execute the Warrant in the manner in which it was executed. It is clear that an officer with territorial jurisdiction, such as a Greene County Deputy Sheriff, could request the City of Springfield Police Officer to assist in executing the Warrant and the presence of an officer without [118]*118territorial jurisdiction would not invalidate the search or the execution of the Warrant. Section 542.291.3, R.S.Mo. For those reasons, the Court finds the seizure under the authority of the Search Warrant by a City of Springfield Police Officer is not in violation of the Fourth Amendment, United States Constitution.

At trial, Sergeant Gary Smith of the Missouri State Highway Patrol testified he participated in the search at Appellant’s property. Without objection by Appellant,3 Smith identified State’s Exhibits 3 through 8 as photographs of the stolen pickup and parts of it found in the woods.

Sergeant Ijames then took the witness stand and, like Smith, identified Exhibits 3 through 8. The prosecutor offered the exhibits in evidence, and they were received without objection by Appellant. Smith then explained, without objection, what each exhibit showed. He identified State’s Exhibit 9 as the parts list for the cordless electric drill. The prosecutor offered Exhibit 9 in evidence, and it was received without objection. Ijames also identified a letter, State’s Exhibit 10, which was received in evidence without objection.

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

Related

United States v. Randy Neil
407 F. App'x 993 (Eighth Circuit, 2011)
State v. Cook
273 S.W.3d 562 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 2008)
State v. Buchli
152 S.W.3d 289 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 2004)
United States v. Workcuff
250 F. Supp. 2d 1160 (W.D. Missouri, 2003)
State v. Tidwell
888 S.W.2d 736 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1994)
Tate v. State
846 S.W.2d 236 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1993)
Elder v. Delcour
269 S.W.2d 17 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1954)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
845 S.W.2d 115, 1993 WL 6377, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-elliott-moctapp-1993.