State v. Kimble

375 So. 2d 924
CourtSupreme Court of Louisiana
DecidedSeptember 4, 1979
Docket63765
StatusPublished
Cited by41 cases

This text of 375 So. 2d 924 (State v. Kimble) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Louisiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Kimble, 375 So. 2d 924 (La. 1979).

Opinion

375 So.2d 924 (1979)

STATE of Louisiana
v.
Robert L. KIMBLE.

No. 63765.

Supreme Court of Louisiana.

September 4, 1979.

*925 Glynn D. Roberts, Rayville, for defendant-appellant.

William J. Guste, Jr., Atty. Gen., Barbara Rutledge, Asst. Atty. Gen., Lowen B. Loftin, Dist. Atty., William R. Coenen, Jr., Asst. Dist. Atty., for plaintiff-appellee.

SUMMERS, Chief Justice.

Defendant, Robert L. Kimble, was charged by bill of information with the burglary of a pharmacy in Delhi, Louisiana, a violation of Article 62.1 of the Criminal Code. Following trial, a jury of twelve convicted defendant of the crime charged. He was then sentenced to imprisonment at hard labor for five years, without benefit of parole and with credit for time served.

Seven assignments of error were lodged on behalf of the defendant, five have been urged on this appeal.

Defendant Kimble, Cecil Miller, Danny Spruell and Harold Holman met at Kimble's trailer in Vicksburg, Mississippi, on February 20, 1978. They agreed to try to find a pharmacy or doctor's office they could burglarize for narcotic drugs which they could sell. A number of possibilities were discussed. To ascertain the feasibility of this plan they drove to several places around Vicksburg checking drugstores and doctors' offices. Finally they surveyed the E. W. Thompson Drug Store across the Mississippi River in Delhi, Louisiana. Being familiar with the town and the Thompson Drug Store, Kimble pointed out to Miller, Spruell and Holman the location of the police station, explained how to break into the drugstore and where the drugs were normally kept. He then sent two of his associates *926 into the drugstore to get a close look at the layout. The quartet then returned to Vicksburg where they purchased burglary tools.

In the late evening of that same day or the early morning hours of February 21, 1978, Miller and Holman returned to Delhi and burglarized the E. W. Thompson Drug Store according to Kimble's plan. Among the items stolen were a wide assortment of narcotic drugs, money, a camera and other merchandise.

Miller and Holman returned to Miller's Vicksburg apartment where the stolen goods were deposited. Later that morning Kimble arrived at the apartment and explained how they could scrape the lot numbers from the drug containers to avoid identification. He also took a portion of the drugs as his share of the stolen goods.

Assignment 1: On February 24, 1978 on information obtained from a reliable informant, a warrant was obtained to search the apartment of Miller at "1124 South Street, Apartment 4, Vicksburg, Mississippi, 39180 together with all approaches and appurtenances thereto." That same day a warrant was obtained to search Kimble's trailer house located in a trailer park on Old Highway 80 East, Vicksburg, Mississippi, giving particulars of its location and a description, "together with all approaches and appurtenances thereto."

Execution of the search warrants followed that same day. As a result a quantity of the stolen drugs was found in the basement of the Miller apartment, at 3:45 that afternoon. In executing the warrant to search Kimble's trailer, at 7:30 that evening the police established a surveillance of the area surrounding the trailer. During this time Kimble and Spruell arrived in an automobile and stopped at Kimble's trailer. Spruell then removed a brown bag from the car trunk and entered Kimble's trailer. Shortly thereafter he came out of the back door and deposited the brown bag under the steps of a vacant trailer next to Kimble's. These actions were observed by the officers conducting the surveillance.

Two of the officers then entered the Kimble trailer to search for the stolen drugs and other goods, while a third officer walked directly to the steps where the brown bag had been placed by Spruell. The officer took possession of the bag, which was found to contain drugs from the burglarized drugstore. The owner of the trailer became aware of what was going on, and he came to the vacant trailer and opened it to allow the officers to search its interior for the stolen property. None was found in the vacant trailer. A search of Kimble's trailer also resulted in the seizure of burglary tools and stolen drugs from the Thompson drugstore.

Prior to trial defendant filed motions to suppress as evidence the objects obtained as a result of the seizures.

The basement

It is the defense position that the search warrant did not describe the basement of Miller's apartment and therefore the search and seizure of that area was without a warrant. As a warrantless search, it is contended, the search and seizure were unreasonable and in violation of the proscriptions contained in the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution and Section 5 of Article I of the Louisiana Constitution.

The basement where the drugs were found is located directly under Miller's apartment, and Miller testified that he had access to and used the basement in connection with his occupancy of the apartment. The basement was accessible through a door located inside Miller's apartment and through a door beneath the steps outside. It was through this latter door that the officers gained access to the basement.

Under these facts it is evident that the basement was an adjunct and accessory of the apartment and annexed to it. As such it was an appurtenance of the apartment as described in the search warrant. Definition of appurtenance in Webster and Black dictionaries will verify this conclusion.

In deciding State v. Roach, 322 So.2d 222 (La.1975), this Court unanimously held:

*927 "In any event, a search warrant authorizing the search of the `premises' at a stated address must reasonably be interpreted to permit a search of the dwelling house proper, the garage, and any other outbuildings within close proximity of the house proper that one normally associates with and includes within the word `house' or `premises'." 322 So.2d 226

Thus the search warrant properly designated the place to be searched and a search of the basement was authorized when appurtenances to the apartment were authorized to be searched by the warrant. La. Code Crim.Pro. art. 162.

The vacant trailer

A like contention is made that the seizure of the brown bag beneath the steps of the vacant trailer next to Kimble's trailer was not authorized by the warrant, because the vacant trailer was not designated as the place to be searched in the warrant.

Again the State contends to the contrary, arguing that the close proximity of the vacant trailer was within the meaning and intendment of the warrant authorizing the search of Kimble's trailer "together with all approaches and appurtenances thereto."

The search of the basement to Miller's apartment occurred about 3:45 on the afternoon of February 24, 1978. The information which supported probable cause for the issuance of the warrant had been confirmed by the search of the basement. With this knowledge the officers proceeded to Kimble's trailer and established the surveillance which assured them that the brown bag secreted beneath the steps of the vacant trailer in all probability contained drugs obtained in the pharmacy burglary. And, even if the warrant did not authorize the seizure of the brown bag, the officers had probable cause to do so. In addition, although seizure of the bag under the steps of the vacant trailer was not initially with the permission of the owner, the owner did subsequently approve the seizure and allowed the officers to search the interior of the vacant trailer.

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

Related

State of Louisiana Versus Alexsy Mejia
Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2023
State of Louisiana Versus Sherneskie Bell
Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2023
State v. Randolph
219 So. 3d 425 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2017)
State v. Griffin
176 So. 3d 561 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2015)
State v. Castillo
167 So. 3d 624 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2014)
State v. Melancon
151 So. 3d 100 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2014)
State v. Augustine
125 So. 3d 1203 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2013)
State v. Chisolm
74 So. 3d 242 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2011)
State v. Russell
73 So. 3d 991 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2011)
State v. Smith
983 So. 2d 65 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 2008)
State v. McFarland
960 So. 2d 1142 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2007)
State v. Johnson
951 So. 2d 294 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2006)
State v. Fielding
862 So. 2d 420 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2003)
State v. Nightengale
818 So. 2d 819 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2002)
State v. Lincoln
794 So. 2d 56 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2001)
State v. Raborn
771 So. 2d 877 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2000)
State v. Brumfield
737 So. 2d 660 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1998)
State v. Hubbel
951 P.2d 971 (Montana Supreme Court, 1998)
State v. Ortiz
701 So. 2d 922 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1997)
State v. Campbell
640 So. 2d 622 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1994)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
375 So. 2d 924, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-kimble-la-1979.