State v. Spier

173 N.W.2d 854, 1970 Iowa Sup. LEXIS 741
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedJanuary 13, 1970
Docket53464
StatusPublished
Cited by35 cases

This text of 173 N.W.2d 854 (State v. Spier) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Spier, 173 N.W.2d 854, 1970 Iowa Sup. LEXIS 741 (iowa 1970).

Opinions

RAWLINGS, Justice.

Charged with possession of narcotics the defendant, prior to trial, moved to suppress evidence found in his automobile and seized pursuant to a search warrant.

In course of trial defendant made timely and repeated objections to introduction in evidence of material so obtained. This motion and these objections were on each occasion overruled. Trial jury returned a guilty verdict and defendant was thereupon sentenced. His motions for a new trial and in arrest of judgment were likewise overruled. He appeals. We reverse.

The sole issue here presented is whether trial court erred in overruling defendant’s motion to suppress, and objections to evidence, predicated on absence of probable cause for issuance of the search warrant.

August 9, 1968, the warrant here involved was issued by Justice of the Peace Alvin Hoard, upon application made by State Narcotics Agent B. L. McGill.

The verified affidavit by McGill, in support of his application, stated: “R.L. (sic) McGill of said County, being duly sworn, says that certain personal property of narcotics in a motor vehicle, towit: belonging to Gary Spiers (sic), License No. 77-[856]*856112522 a 1967 Chev. of the value of motor vehicles a red 1967 Chev. in the Township of Des Moines in said County, on the 9th day of August, 1968, and that this deponent suspects and verily believes and has cause to suspect and believe that one Gary Spiers (sic) has taken and stolen the same as aforesaid and that said property, or a part thereof, is now concealed in a red 1967 Chev., Lie. No. 77-112522 situated in Des Moines Township, in said County.” (Emphasis supplied).

August 12, 1968, defendant’s car was located and searched. Resultantly some marijuana, cigarette papers and a small pipe were found and seized.

By motion to suppress the fruits of this search, defendant asserted issuance of the challenged warrant violated his rights under Amendment 14, United States Constitution, and Article I, Constitution of Iowa, as did any evidentiary use of the items, seized in that no good or sufficient probable cause was shown upon which the warrant could lawfully issue.

In course of trial defendant repeatedly objected to introduction or use in evidence of the seized material upon the additional ground, issuance of the warrant, absent probable cause, contravened his rights under Amendment 4, United States Constitution.

At hearing upon the suppress motion officer McGill, as a witness for the State, on direct examination, was questioned and gave these answers: “Q. Describe to the Court what conversation took place between you and A1 Hoard there? A. I advised Mr. Hoard that I had received information from Agent McCloskey that there was narcotics in the possession of Gary Lee Spier.

“Q. Do you recall whether or not you advised him what you based this upon? A. Yes. On information received from Agent McCloskey.

“Q. Do you know what that information was, that McCloskey had? A. Yes. That Gary Spier had narcotics in his possession.

“Q. Do you know where that information came from? A. From a reliable informant.

“Q. Do you know who that reliable informant was? A. No, Sir.

“Q. Do you recall whether or not you advised Judge Hoard of this? A. No, I just advised Judge Hoard I had reliable information that narcotics were in the possession of Gary Spier.”

Then on cross-examination McGill gave these responses to the questions asked of him: “Q. Agent McGill, at the time you went to secure this Search Warrant, did you inform Justice of the Peace, A1 Hoard, of the nature of your information? A. I believe all that I advised Mr. Hoard was that I had information from a reliable source that narcotics were in the possession of Mr. Spier. (Emphasis supplied).

“Q. Did you state to him who this reliable source was ? A. No, Sir.

“Q. Do you know who the informant was ? A. No, Sir, I do not.

“Q. So at the time you did not know where the information came from? A. My information came from Agent Mc-Closkey.

“Q. And you did not know where his information came from? A. No, Sir.”

Mr. Hoard, testifying in chief for the State in the same proceedings, supplied these answers when interrogated: “Q. When Officer McGill appeared before you, what, if anything, transpired with respect to the issuance of this Search Warrant ? A. I asked him what he was searching for, he said he was searching for narcotics.

“Q. Did he tell you the name of the individual? A. Yes.

“Q. What else did he tell you? A. That’s all.

[857]*857“Q. And based upon this, you issued a Search Warrant? A. I did. The Return of the Search Warrant is on the back.

“Q. So, in other words, the information you took from him that date, was just what he was searching for? A. On the Affidavit, yes.

“Q. And no other conversation of any consequence? A. No other conversation.”

And this- is Hoard’s testimony on cross-examination: “Q. Now, this Affidavit, what was in that Affidavit? Do you remember? A. To search for narcotics.

“Q. And do you recall what grounds it was based upon, was there any conversation as to the reason for its issuance? A. There was reason to believe there was narcotics there.

“Q. He just said there was reason to believe? A. No, he said there was narcotics.

“Q. What was he basing his opinion on, do you know ? A. I couldn’t tell you that.

“Q. Do you recall whether or not h.e advised you, as to a reliable informant? A. No.

“Q. Did you find there was probable cause and reason to issue a Search Warrant? A. After he told me what he was searching for, I did, narcotics.

“Q. Did you have any other conversation with McGill ? A. No.”

Upon this record we must now determine whether Justice of the Peace Hoard, acting as a neutral and detached magistrate, had constitutionally adequate “probable cause” to issue the search warrant here in question.

I. Federal constitutional search and seizure standards are unquestionably applicable to the states.

This was made abundantly clear in Mapp v. Ohio, 367 U.S. 643, 81 S.Ct. 1684, 6 L. Ed.2d 1081. In that case the court said, loc. cit., 367 U.S. 655, 81 S.Ct. 1691: “We hold that all evidence obtained by searches and seizures in violation of the Constitution is, by that same authority, inadmissible in a state court.

“Since the Fourth Amendment’s right of privacy has been declared enforceable against the States through the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth, it is enforceable against them by the same sanction of exclusion as is used against the Federal Government. Were it otherwise, then * * the assurance against unreasonable federal searches and seizures would be ‘a form of words’, valueless and undeserving of mention in a perpetual charter of inestimable human liberties, so too, without that rule the freedom from state invasions of privacy would be so ephemeral and so neatly severed from its conceptual nexus with the freedom from all brutish means of coercing evidence as not to merit this Court’s high regard as a freedom ‘implicit in “the concept of ordered liberty.” ’ ” •

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Bluebook (online)
173 N.W.2d 854, 1970 Iowa Sup. LEXIS 741, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-spier-iowa-1970.