State v. Gilbert

886 P.2d 365, 256 Kan. 419, 1994 Kan. LEXIS 159
CourtSupreme Court of Kansas
DecidedDecember 9, 1994
DocketNo. 70,154
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 886 P.2d 365 (State v. Gilbert) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Kansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Gilbert, 886 P.2d 365, 256 Kan. 419, 1994 Kan. LEXIS 159 (kan 1994).

Opinion

The opinion of the court was delivered by

McFarland, J.:

This is an interlocutory appeal pursuant to K.S.A. 1993 Supp. 22-3603. Several issues were presented to the [420]*420Court of Appeals. The only issue before us on the State’s petition for review is the propriety of the Court of Appeal’s affirmance of the district court’s suppression of evidence seized in the execution of a search warrant. Said opinion is unpublished and was filed on May 13, 1994.

The State contends:

1. The district court and the Court of Appeals utilized the wrong standard of review relative to the issuance of the search warrant;

2. under the proper standard of review, there was a substantial basis for the magistrate’s determination that probable cause existed for the issuance of the warrant; and

3. alternatively, if the requisite probable cause was lacking, the evidence should not be suppressed, based upon the good faith exception set forth in United States v. Leon, 468 U.S. 897, 82 L. Ed. 2d 677, 104 S. Ct. 3405, reh. denied 468 U.S. 1250 (1984), and discussed in State v. Doile, 244 Kan. 493, 769 P.2d 666 (1989).

It would appear that the State is correct in its contention that the Court of Appeals utilized an incorrect standard of review. The Court of Appeals stated:

“In reviewing a trial court’s decision to suppress evidence, this court is limited to determining whether the trial court’s decision was supported by substantial evidence: ‘If the findings of the trial court on a motion to suppress evidence are based upon substantial evidence, this court on review will not substitute its view of the evidence for that of the trial court.’ State v. Doile, 244 Kan. 493, Syl. ¶ 1, 769 P.2d 666 (1989).”

Later in the opinion, the Court of Appeals stated:

“The trial court found that the informant’s statements, without corroboration, were not sufficient to provide probable cause to support a search warrant. This was a negative finding and, absent proof of an arbitrary disregard of undisputed evidence or some extrinsic consideration such as bias, passion, or prejudice, the trial court’s findings cannot be disturbed. Mohr v. State Bank of Stanley, 244 Kan. 555, 567-68, 770 P.2d 466 (1989).
“We find no arbitrary disregard of undisputed evidence, nor do we find any indication of bias, passion, or prejudice; therefore, the trial court’s decision cannot be reversed on that basis.”

The quoted statement from Doile was misapplied herein. In Doile there were two searches — a warrantless search of defen[421]*421dant’s automobile and a later search of defendant’s residence under the auspices of a search warrant. The quote from Doile referred to the district court’s decision on the warrantless search and was appropriate to that situation. The circumstances of the search and the propriety of the police officer’s actions were being judicially determined for the first time. The Court of Appeals’ statement relative to the standard of review of negative findings is a correct statement of law when the district court’s findings are before a reviewing court. Where the district court, itself, is reviewing the propriety of the issuance of a search warrant by a magistrate, the district court and any other subsequent reviewing court assume a different role. The determination is made by examining the warrant and its supporting affidavit to determine if the issuing magistrate had a substantial basis for concluding that probable cause existed. As was held in Illinois v. Gates, 462 U.S. 213, 76 L. Ed. 2d 527, 103 S. Ct. 2317 (1983), and followed in State v. Abu-Isba, 235 Kan. 851, 685 P.2d 856 (1984):

“The task of the issuing magistrate is simply to make a practical, common-sense decision whether, given all the circumstances set forth in the affidavit before him, including the Veracity' and ‘basis of knowledge’ of persons supplying hearsay information, there is a fair probability that contraband or evidence of a crime will be found in a particular place. And the duty of a reviewing court is simply to ensure that the magistrate had a ‘substantial basis for . . . concluding]’ that probable cause existed." 462 U.S. at 238-39. (Emphasis supplied.)

See Gates also for the following:

“[W]e have repeatedly said that after-the-fact scrutiny by courts of the sufficiency of an affidavit should not take the form of de novo review. A magistrate’s ‘determination of probable cause should be paid great deference by reviewing courts.’ [Spinelli v. United States, 393 U.S. 410, 419, 21 L. Ed. 2d 637, 89 S. Ct. 584 (1969).] ‘A grudging or negative attitude by reviewing courts toward warrants,’ [United States v. Ventresca, 380 U.S. 102, 108, 13 L. Ed. 2d 684, 85 S. Ct. 741 (1965),] is inconsistent with the Fourth Amendment’s strong preference for searches conducted pursuant to a warrant; ‘courts should not invalidate warrants] by interpreting affidavit[s] in a hypertechnical, rather than a commonsense, manner.’ [Ventresca, 380 U.S. at 109.]” 462 U.S. at 236.

The record supports the State’s claim that the district court made a de novo review of the sufficiency of the affidavit. The Court of Appeals, as previously noted, by using the wrong standard of review, erroneously locked in on the district court’s de[422]*422termination, when in fact it should have been reviewing the matter to determine whether the issuing magistrate had a substantial basis for concluding probable cause existed. In such a review, what the district court found or did not find should not be the basis for the Court of Appeals’ review.

We will now turn to the question of whether the magistrate had a substantial basis for concluding that probable cause existed and, in so doing, will pay “great deference” to the magistrate’s determination.

The affidavit filed herein is as follows:

“AFFIDAVIT
“STATE OF KANSAS, ELLSWORTH COUNTY, ss:
“COMES NOW William R. Halvorsen, of lawful age, after being first duly sworn, on his oath states that:
“1. Affiant is a Special Agent with the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) and is currently assigned to the undercover narcotics section of the bureau. Affiant has been an agent with the KBI since July, 1990 and has been assigned to the narcotics division during the entire period since July, 1990. Affiant is a graduate of the KBI Special Agent Criminal Investigation School and the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Basic Narcotics and Dangerous Drug Enforcement School.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
886 P.2d 365, 256 Kan. 419, 1994 Kan. LEXIS 159, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-gilbert-kan-1994.