State v. Rodgers

655 P.2d 1348, 134 Ariz. 296, 1982 Ariz. App. LEXIS 580
CourtCourt of Appeals of Arizona
DecidedNovember 26, 1982
Docket1 CA-CR 5344
StatusPublished
Cited by31 cases

This text of 655 P.2d 1348 (State v. Rodgers) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Arizona primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Rodgers, 655 P.2d 1348, 134 Ariz. 296, 1982 Ariz. App. LEXIS 580 (Ark. Ct. App. 1982).

Opinion

OPINION

CORCORAN, Judge.

Appellant Otis L. Rodgers was charged by indictment with twelve counts of receiving the earnings of a prostitute in violation of A.R.S. § 13-3204, one count of pandering as proscribed by A.R.S. § 13-3209 and one count of aggravated assault in violation of A.R.S. § 13-1204(A)(2) and (B), § 13-1203 and § 13-604. A jury found appellant guilty on all counts of receiving the earnings of a prostitute, guilty of pandering and not guilty of aggravated assault. Appellant filed a motion for new trial which was denied.

Four issues are raised on appeal:

1. Whether information provided by a victim-witness was sufficiently reliable to provide probable cause for issuance of a search warrant;
2. Whether evidentiary rulings made by the trial court during trial were in error requiring reversal of appellant’s convictions;
3. Whether the trial court correctly instructed the jury regarding the crimes of pandering and receiving the earnings of a prostitute;
4. Whether the trial court committed error in allowing the prosecution to allege prior convictions pursuant to A.R.S. § 13-604(H) after the trial of the consolidated counts.

We find error only in the allegation of prior convictions under A.R.S. § 13-604(H) subsequent to trial. Therefore, we affirm the convictions but remand for resentencing.

SEARCH WARRANT

On August 4, 1980 complaining witness Carla J. Williams telephoned police to report that she had been assaulted by appellant. The assault, she told police, arose out of an argument involving a pimp-prostitute relationship between appellant and herself. The complainant alleged she had been encouraged by appellant to engage in prostitution in order to obtain money to regain custody of her children. Mrs. Williams stated that her earnings as a prostitute were turned over to appellant daily and recorded in a green ledger. According to Mrs. Williams, appellant struck her with his fists, a shoe and the butt of a handgun because her earnings as a prostitute had been decreasing.

Based on the affidavit of Detective Darrell E. Graham, a city court magistrate, authorized the issuance of a warrant for a search of appellant’s home for seizure of the ledger and the gun. 1

In this appeal, Rodgers argues that the trial court incorrectly denied his motion to *300 suppress evidence obtained pursuant to search warrant because Carla Williams, a self-admitted prostitute, was not shown to be a “reliable informant” under tests set down in Spinelli v. United States, 393 U.S. 410, 89 S.Ct. 584, 21 L.Ed.2d 637 (1969) and Aguilar v. Texas, 378 U.S. 108, 84 S.Ct. 1509, 12 L.Ed.2d 723 (1964).

The Arizona Supreme Court has generally defined the two-pronged test of AguilarSpinelli as follows:

The magistrate must be informed of the underlying circumstances which formed the affiant’s belief that a crime had been committed. In addition, the affiant must disclose the basis of his belief that the informer was credible or his information reliable.

State v. Maddasion, 130 Ariz. 306, 308, 636 P.2d 84, 86 (1981). Appellant, in the opening brief, concedes that the information appears on its face to be “trustworthy” inasmuch as the complaining witness was an eyewitness to the alleged criminal acts. See United States v. Banks, 539 F.2d 14 (9th Cir.), cert. denied, 429 U.S. 1024, 97 S.Ct. 644, 50 L.Ed.2d 626 (1976). However, appellant argues that, regardless of the facial validity of the information, more is required because the “informant” was not shown to be reliable due to her prior convictions for prostitution and her self-admitted involvement in the prostitution activities in this case.

In applying the law pertaining to search warrants, Arizona courts have reasoned that warrants are to be given a common sense reading, that they will not be defeated by a hypertechnical interpretation, and that “[informant reliability need not be proved by additional facts when the informant is the victim.” State v. Robinson, 127 Ariz. 324, 328, 620 P.2d 703, 707 (App.1980), ce rt. denied, 450 U.S. 1044, 101 S.Ct. 1765, 68 L.Ed.2d 242 (1981). Further, in State v. Archer, 23 Ariz.App. 584, 534 P.2d 1083 (1975), this court stated:

[T]he informant was an eyewitness to the crimes charged and was therefore a reliable informant possessing reliable information.

23 Ariz.App. at 586, 534 P.2d at 1085. Finally, a judicial determination of probable cause for issuing a search warrant will be upheld if there was a substantial basis for the magistrate’s finding. State v. Hadd, 127 Ariz. 270, 619 P.2d 1047 (1980).

Clearly, Mrs. Williams was the alleged victim of the assault charged here. Further, contrary to appellant’s assertion in the opening brief, we can find no inference in the affidavit supporting the search warrant (see n. 1) that Carla Williams had a *301 plea bargaining motive in supplying the information. Rather, Mrs. Williams’ admissions against her own interests, that she had engaged in acts of prostitution, lend credibility to her assertions. It is uncontroverted, as well, that Mrs. Williams was an eyewitness participant in the alleged prostitution activities. 2

Based on the foregoing, we find sufficient indicia of Mrs. Williams’ reliability as a complaining witness even if she is viewed as an “informant” under the Aguilar-Spinelli line of cases. Consequently, there is probable cause to uphold the validity of the search warrant for appellant’s home. The denial of the motion to suppress was proper.

EVIDENTIARY RULINGS

Appellant next alleges that the trial court made several errors in regard to admissibility of evidence during the course of the trial, the cumulative effect of which, he argues, should require reversal of his convictions.

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Bluebook (online)
655 P.2d 1348, 134 Ariz. 296, 1982 Ariz. App. LEXIS 580, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-rodgers-arizctapp-1982.