State v. Kris V. Zocco

CourtCourt of Appeals of Wisconsin
DecidedAugust 27, 2019
Docket2018AP001145-CR, 2018AP001146-CR
StatusUnpublished

This text of State v. Kris V. Zocco (State v. Kris V. Zocco) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Wisconsin primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Kris V. Zocco, (Wis. Ct. App. 2019).

Opinion

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COURT OF APPEALS DECISION NOTICE DATED AND FILED This opinion is subject to further editing. If published, the official version will appear in the bound volume of the Official Reports. August 27, 2019 A party may file with the Supreme Court a Sheila T. Reiff petition to review an adverse decision by the Clerk of Court of Appeals Court of Appeals. See WIS. STAT. § 808.10 and RULE 809.62.

Appeal Nos. 2018AP1145-CR Cir. Ct. Nos. 2013CF4702 2013CF4798 2018AP1146-CR IN COURT OF APPEALS STATE OF WISCONSIN DISTRICT I

STATE OF WISCONSIN,

PLAINTIFF-RESPONDENT,

V.

KRIS V. ZOCCO,

DEFENDANT-APPELLANT.

APPEALS from judgments and an order of the circuit court for Milwaukee County: DANIEL L. KONKOL and CAROLINA STARK, Judges. Affirmed.

Before Kessler, Brennan and Kloppenburg, JJ.

Per curiam opinions may not be cited in any court of this state as precedent

or authority, except for the limited purposes specified in WIS. STAT. RULE 809.23(3). No. 2018AP1145-CR 2018AP1146-CR

¶1 PER CURIAM. A jury convicted Kris Zocco of knowingly possessing sixteen recordings of child pornography. Zocco raises numerous issues on appeal. First, Zocco argues that the circuit court erroneously denied his motions to suppress evidence obtained from his apartment pursuant to two search warrants on the grounds that: (1) probable cause did not support the issuance of a warrant for the search of photos and videos on Zocco’s smartphone, the execution of which led to the issuance of a subsequent warrant to search “devices” on which the child pornography recordings were found; and (2) the seizure of an external hard drive and CDs exceeded the scope of that subsequent warrant. Second, Zocco argues that the evidence was insufficient to establish that he knowingly possessed the sixteen child pornography recordings. Third, Zocco argues that he is entitled to a Machner hearing on whether trial counsel was ineffective for not requesting a supplemental jury instruction that defined the knowledge element of the charged crime.1 Fourth, Zocco argues that the court erroneously rejected Zocco’s “other acts” objection and motion for a mistrial related to the State’s reference at trial to uncharged images of child pornography located on the CDs seized from Zocco’s apartment. Fifth, Zocco argues that he is entitled to a new trial in the interest of justice because of the errors alleged above. Sixth, Zocco argues that the court erroneously exercised its discretion in imposing sentence based on the court’s deeming Zocco to be a “consumer” of child pornography and on the aggravated nature of the contents of the recordings. Seventh, Zocco argues

1 See State v. Machner, 92 Wis. 2d 797, 285 N.W.2d 905 (Ct. App. 1979). Zocco argues in the alternative that his due process rights were violated by the circuit court’s failure to provide the supplemental jury instruction. However, he forfeited this claim by failing to request the instruction. His independent due process argument fails for the same reasons, set forth in the discussion below, that his ineffective assistance of counsel claim fails; therefore, we do not address his independent claim separately.

2 No. 2018AP1145-CR 2018AP1146-CR

that the court improperly required as a condition of extended supervision that he “not be involved in any conduct that rises to the level of a finding of probable cause that you have violated the criminal law.” For the reasons stated, we reject all of Zocco’s arguments and affirm.

BACKGROUND

¶2 Following the execution of a series of search warrants at Zocco’s Milwaukee apartment in October 2013, the State charged Zocco with drug and child pornography offenses. This appeal concerns the child pornography charges only. The complaint alleged that police “uncovered approximately 23 videos depicting child pornography” on an external hard drive and CDs that were seized from Zocco’s apartment pursuant to the search warrants. The complaint charged Zocco with seventeen counts of possession of child pornography; the first sixteen counts concerned videos on the external hard drive and the last count concerned a video on a CD.

¶3 The circuit court denied Zocco’s suppression motions challenging the search warrants, and the case proceeded to a jury trial. The jury convicted on the first sixteen counts and acquitted on the seventeenth count. After sentencing, Zocco filed a postconviction motion, which the court denied without a hearing. This appeal follows.2

DISCUSSION

¶4 We address each of Zocco’s arguments in turn.

2 The Honorable Daniel L. Konkol presided at trial and sentencing, and the Honorable Carolina Stark denied Zocco’s postconviction motion.

3 No. 2018AP1145-CR 2018AP1146-CR

I. Motions to Suppress

¶5 Zocco argues that the evidence found on the external hard drive and CDs should have been suppressed because: (1) probable cause did not support the issuance of a warrant for the search of photos and videos on Zocco’s smartphone, the execution of which led to the issuance of the warrant to search “devices” on which the child pornography recordings were found; and (2) the seizure of the external hard drive and CDs exceeded the scope of that subsequent warrant. We first summarize the standard of review and applicable legal principles; we next provide additional pertinent background; and we then explain why we conclude that Zocco’s challenges to the issuance and execution of the two search warrants fail.

A. Standard of Review and Applicable Legal Principles

¶6 “Whether a search and seizure is constitutional remains a question of law that we review de novo….” State v. LaCount, 2008 WI 59, ¶34, 310 Wis. 2d 85, 750 N.W.2d 780 (italics added).

¶7 In our review of a challenge to the issuance of a search warrant, we are limited to the record as it existed before the judge at the time the warrant was issued. State v. Sloan, 2007 WI App 146, ¶8, 303 Wis. 2d 438, 736 N.W.2d 189. The question before us is whether the judge “was ‘apprised of sufficient facts to excite an honest belief in a reasonable mind that the objects sought are linked with the commission of a crime, and that they will be found in the place to be searched.’” Id. (citation omitted). “The well-established test for probable cause is that it is ‘flexible,’ and is ‘a practical commonsense decision’ that is made considering ‘the totality of the circumstances,’” State v. Silverstein, 2017 WI App 64, ¶22, 378 Wis. 2d 42, 902 N.W.2d 550 (citations omitted), and the judge

4 No. 2018AP1145-CR 2018AP1146-CR

issuing or denying the warrant “may make the usual inferences reasonable persons would draw from the facts presented.” State v. St. Martin, 2011 WI 44, ¶16, 334 Wis. 2d 290, 800 N.W.2d 858 (citation omitted). “In reviewing whether there was probable cause for the issuance of a search warrant, we accord great deference to the determination made by the warrant-issuing [judge].” State v. Ward, 2000 WI 3, ¶21, 231 Wis. 2d 723, 604 N.W.2d 517.

¶8 In our review of a challenge to the execution of a search warrant, we are guided by the principle that “[a] search warrant’s execution must be conducted reasonably, and the search and seizure must be limited to the scope that is permitted by the warrant. Whether a seized item is properly within the search warrant’s scope depends on the search warrant’s terms and on the nature of the items that were seized.” LaCount, 310 Wis. 2d 85, ¶38 (citations omitted).

B. Additional Background

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State v. Kris V. Zocco, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-kris-v-zocco-wisctapp-2019.