State v. Wilkinson

612 A.2d 926, 136 N.H. 170, 1992 N.H. LEXIS 141
CourtSupreme Court of New Hampshire
DecidedSeptember 1, 1992
DocketNo. 91-242
StatusPublished
Cited by19 cases

This text of 612 A.2d 926 (State v. Wilkinson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of New Hampshire primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Wilkinson, 612 A.2d 926, 136 N.H. 170, 1992 N.H. LEXIS 141 (N.H. 1992).

Opinion

Batchelder, J.

The defendant, Kevin Wilkinson, was found guilty by a jury (O’Neil, J.) of violating RSA 264:25, conduct after an accident. On appeal, he contends that the search of the car involved in the.accident was unlawful because the affidavit underlying the search warrant had insufficient indicia of reliability and contained material misrepresentations. Further, he argues that his wife was allowed to testify at his trial in contravention of the marital privilege. We affirm.

On May 29, 1989, at about 11:30 at night, a man was severely injured in a hit-and-run accident in front of the Meredith Station restaurant on Route 3 in Meredith. The investigation remained open until April 3, 1990, when the defendant’s estranged wife called the Meredith police, gave her identity, and reported that her husband was involved in the accident and that the car he was driving at the time was parked in the garage at her home in Pembroke. She also called the Pembroke police and told them the same information anonymously. Based on the information, the Meredith police obtained a search warrant for the car. A jury convicted the defendant of violating RSA 264:25, which requires a person knowingly involved in such an accident as occurred here to stop, report it to the police, and share certain information with any person injured.

[173]*173The defendant first contends that the fruits of the search of the automobile should be suppressed because the search violated his rights under part I, article 19 of the New Hampshire Constitution. He alleges that the affidavit supporting the warrant had insufficient indicia of reliability and contained material misrepresentations.

The law in New Hampshire on the use of informants in constructing affidavits to support a search warrant is by now clear.

“Part I, article 19 of the New Hampshire Constitution provides that search warrants shall issue only upon cause or foundation, supported by oath or affirmation. We interpret this language as a requirement for probable cause____[T]his court adopted the totality-of-the-circumstances test for determining whether probable cause exists. Under this test, elements including the informant’s veracity and basis of knowledge are important factors to be considered by judges and magistrates in determining whether probable cause exists. Other indicia of reliability, however, such as corroboration by police officers, may be used in determining the existence of probable cause to supply the missing factors relative to the informant and the informant’s information.”

State v. Caicedo, 135 N.H. 122, 125, 599 A.2d 895, 897 (1991) (quotations and citations omitted). “Probable cause to search exists if a [person] of ordinary caution would be justified in believing that what is sought will be found in the place to be searched.” State v. Doe, 115 N.H. 682, 685, 371 A.2d 167, 169 (1975).

In this case there was a sufficient basis for finding that the defendant’s wife had knowledge of the facts. The car belonged to her husband and was located in her garage. See State v. Hazen, 131 N.H. 196, 201, 552 A.2d 77, 80 (1988). Unlike State v. Davis, 133 N.H. 211, 575 A.2d 4 (1990), and State v. Carroll, 131 N.H. 179, 552 A.2d 69 (1988), where the informants were anonymous, the informant here revealed her identity and her relationship to the defendant. Although the application for the search warrant and its supporting affidavit did not precisely establish the fact of a statement from the defendant to his wife in which he implicated himself in the offense, the magistrate was, on the remaining facts, entitled to such a conclusion based upon circumstantial evidence from the wife’s statement that she “wanted to clear her conscience.” See United States v. Badessa, 752 F.2d 771, 774-75 (1st Cir. 1985).

There was also a sufficient basis for the veracity of the informant. “It is reasonable to infer the credibility of an informant [174]*174where he makes an admission against his own penal interest.” Hazen, 131 N.H. at 201, 552 A.2d at 80. The defendant’s wife’s statements to the Meredith police concerning her knowledge of the incident involving her husband’s car constituted an admission to a misdemeanor pursuant to ESA 642:3, 1(d) (“A person is guilty of an offense if, with a purpose to hinder, prevent or delay the discovery, apprehension, prosecution, conviction or punishment of another for the commission of a crime, he . . . [c]onceals . . . physical evidence that might aid in the discovery, apprehension or conviction of such person . . . .”).

Under even the most strict analysis this court has enunciated to assess the credibility of informants, State v. Mandravelis, 114 N.H. 634, 637, 325 A.2d 794, 796 (1974); State v. Carroll, 131 N.H. at 192, 552 A.2d at 77 (Batchelder, J., concurring), the affidavit here would be sufficient. Under Carroll’s totality-of-the-circumstances analysis, there is no doubt that the warrant was properly issued.

The defendant next argues that the affidavit supporting the warrant was flawed because it contained material misrepresentations made either intentionally or recklessly. State v. McGann, 128 N.H. 186, 188-89, 514 A.2d 1247, 1249 (1986). Omissions, as well as positive misstatements, can be construed as misrepresentations for purposes of an affidavit in certain cases. See State v. Jaroma, 128 N.H. 423, 426-27, 514 A.2d 1274, 1276 (1986). The materiality of an omission is a question of law which must be determined before the degree of the affiant’s intent is considered. Id. at 426, 514 A.2d at 1276; see State v. Spero, 117 N.H. 199, 205, 371 A.2d 1155, 1158 (1977). Materiality is determined by whether, if the omitted statements were included, there would still be probable cause. State v. Valenzuela, 130 N.H. 175, 191, 536 A.2d 1252, 1262-63 (1987) (an omission is material if it is “necessary for the finding of probable cause”), cert. denied, 483 U.S. 1008 (1988); see State v. Chaisson, 125 N.H. 810, 814, 486 A.2d 297, 300 (1984); State v. Renfrew, 122 N.H. 308, 311, 444 A.2d 527, 529 (1982).

The defendant alleges that there are three sets of facts which constitute material omissions. The first is that the couple’s marriage was not stable and that the affiant did not apprise the issuing judge of the possible motive of vindictiveness in informing the authorities of her husband’s conduct. However, “‘where an informant contacts authorities with a motivation other than “a sense of civic duty” the informant can still be found credible.’” Jaroma, 128 N.H. at 426, 514 [175]*175A.2d at 1276

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Bluebook (online)
612 A.2d 926, 136 N.H. 170, 1992 N.H. LEXIS 141, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-wilkinson-nh-1992.