State v. Knight

2000 NMCA 016, 995 P.2d 1033, 128 N.M. 591
CourtNew Mexico Court of Appeals
DecidedJanuary 10, 2000
Docket19,801
StatusPublished
Cited by24 cases

This text of 2000 NMCA 016 (State v. Knight) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New Mexico 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. Knight, 2000 NMCA 016, 995 P.2d 1033, 128 N.M. 591 (N.M. Ct. App. 2000).

Opinion

OPINION

WECHSLER, Judge.

{1} Defendant appeals from his conviction of conspiracy to traffic crack cocaine, a controlled substance. The trial evidence included taped telephone conversations obtained through a court-authorized wiretap. Defendant contends that the district court should have suppressed the tapes because the affidavit supporting the wiretap was constitfitionally inadequate and unsworn and that the evidence was insufficient to support his conviction. We affirm.

Facts

{2} On February 13, 1996, District Court Judge Stephen K. Quinn issued an order authorizing law enforcement agents to intercept, monitor, and record the telephonic communications conducted from the home of Ronnie McDonald (McDonald) and Charity Hood (Charity) in Clovis, New Mexico.

{3} The conversations leading to Defendant’s arrest took place on February 24, 1996. On that evening, the police monitored several calls between McDonald’s and Defendant’s homes. The first occurred at 10:08 p.m. when Charity Hood, McDonald’s wife, called Tammy Knight (Tammy), Defendant’s wife. Charity said that she “made it back from the store.” Tammy debated about going to McDonald’s house, and the conversation continued. Tammy asked Charity if she “bought the bag” and if it was “alright if I come get a couple” or “sit and do a couple with you.” When Charity agreed, Tammy stated that she needed a ride and told Charity she would call her back. Tammy called Charity at 10:47 p.m. and inquired about whether she could get Jerome or Cedric to “run me down there and pick them up.” The discussion included the following:

Charity: You think he gonna break his or something?
Tammy: Yea.
Charity: Cause I sent it back to him?
Tammy: Uh huh.
Charity: You think Cedric will break them?
Tammy: Huh?
Charity: You think he’ll give you his?
Tammy: Yea.
Charity: You won’t think he’ll mess with them?
Tammy: Huh uh.
Charity: Ok, tell him them.
Tammy: So, that’s cool?
Charity: Uh huh. Yea, you got some beer?

Tammy called two more times to tell Charity that she was getting a taxi. After Tammy arrived at McDonald’s house, Defendant called to speak to her. He spoke instead with Charity.

Charity: Hello. I hear you.
Defendant: Let me speak to Tammy.
Charity: Yea. Wait just minute. She just, uh, she went back outside to give him the money.
Defendant: Is she on her way?
Charity: Yea. Wait just one minute. She outside. Wait.
Defendant: Hey?
Charity: Yea?
Defendant: Cedric want two.
Charity: Oh. That’s it. I’m, I’m, I’m gonna give Tammy some to give to you. Ok?
Defendant: Alright. Where’s uh ...
Charity: Huh?
Defendant: (inaudible)
Charity: I can’t hear you.
Defendant: He want two.
Charity: Oh, uh,-1 don’t have any then.
Defendant: Alright.
Charity: Ok, then. Bye bye.

{4} The next conversation recorded was also Defendant calling Charity. Tammy had left McDonald’s house by taxicab for home. The police stopped the taxi and searched Tammy. They found four rocks of crack cocaine and a crack pipe. Defendant arrived and spoke with the police in the street and returned home to call Charity. He told her that Tammy had been “pulled” and if she “got anything” to “get rid of it” or “flush it.” Thereafter, Charity called Tammy to discuss the incident, each woman saying that they were mere users, rather than dealers of the drug.

{5} An officer at trial testified that the amount of crack cocaine that Tammy had was inconsistent with personal use.

Wiretap Order

{6} The wiretap order was based on the affidavit of Jim Skinner, Senior Special Agent for the Ninth Judicial District Attorney’s Office. Agent Skinner stated in the affidavit, inter alia, that: (1) he had extensive training and experience in criminal investigation related to the solicitation of murder and controlled substances; (2) he had good and sufficient reason to believe that McDonald “has been, is now, and will continue to be engaged in the trafficking of various controlled substances, including, but not limited to ‘Crack’ cocaine, or in an organized criminal conspiracy with other persons for the purpose of trafficking narcotics and controlled substances”; (3) he had good and sufficient reason to believe that McDonald “has been, is now, and will continue to be engaged in planning the murder of Mike Reeves, a narcotics agent with the Region V/Metro Narcotics Task Force”; (4) he had reason to believe that “telephone conversations between Ronnie McDonald and others concerning the planned murder of Mike Reeves have been, are now, and will continue to be made”; and (5) visual surveillance has proven ineffective and unsuccessful and perspective surveillance, either visual or “on-the-scene electronic surveillance” would place undercover agents at great risk.

{7} Agent Skinner based his affidavit in part upon information received from two confidential informants. The first confidential informant had contacted Agent Mike Reeves to inform him that a relative of McDonald said that McDonald “had paid subjects in Amarillo, Texas, $5,000.00 to murder Reeves.” The affidavit stated that the informant “told Reeves that the family member ... said that McDonald knew where Reeves lived and knew which vehicle Reeves drove.” Reeves told Agent Skinner that McDonald was an investigative target of the Region V/Metro Narcotics Task Force, suspected of trafficking “at least one kilogram of ‘Crack’ cocaine per month in the Clovis, NM, area.” Reeves also told Skinner that he believed that McDonald had “the resources and connections to have him ... murdered.” The affidavit stated that the first confidential informant “had provided information over the past months leading to the arrest and subsequent prosecution of no less than six defendants for felony level narcotics violations as well as probable cause for the execution of at least one search warrant.”

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Bluebook (online)
2000 NMCA 016, 995 P.2d 1033, 128 N.M. 591, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-knight-nmctapp-2000.