State v. Williams

193 So. 2d 787, 250 La. 64, 1967 La. LEXIS 2750
CourtSupreme Court of Louisiana
DecidedJanuary 16, 1967
Docket48312
StatusPublished
Cited by27 cases

This text of 193 So. 2d 787 (State v. Williams) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Louisiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Williams, 193 So. 2d 787, 250 La. 64, 1967 La. LEXIS 2750 (La. 1967).

Opinion

SANDERS, Justice.

The defendants, Milton Williams and Hazel Jones, were convicted of possessing narcotics in violation of LSA-R.S. 40:962. The court sentenced Williams to a term of 25 years and Jones to a term of 10 years, in the state penitentiary. 1

The defendants have appealed, relying upon seven bills of exception.

Hazel Jones’ Bill of Exception No. 1

Hazel Jones reserved Bill of Exception No. 1 to the overruling of the motion to suppress a heroin capsule and narcotic equipment seized in a search of the Milton Williams’ apartment.

The facts surrounding the search are these: On June 20, 1964, Officer John *69 Phillips of the Narcotic Division, New Orleans Police Department, received a telephone call from a confidential informer, who had previously given him reliable information for the arrest and conviction of narcotic offenders. The informer told Officer Phillips that the preceding day he had been to an apartment at 2543 Orleans Street occupied by a Negro man known as Red Eye and had seen Red Eye selling heroin for five dollars, a capsule.

That night, Officer Phillips, Favaloro, and Spako placed the building at 2543 Orleans Street under surveillance. Watching it from an unmarked police car parked about a block away, the officers saw Milton Williams, alias Red Eye, a narcotic offender, seated on the front steps with a well-known drug addict. After a short time, another drug addict named Robert Corner arrived in an automobile. Corner and Milton Williams had a short conversation. Then the officers saw Williams go to -the rear of the building, return, and hand something to Corner.

On June 22, 1964, Officer Phillips obtained a search warrant for the search of “2543 Orleans in the downstairs rear occupied by Milton Williams @ Red Eye.,” Officers Phillips and Spako, accompanied by Assistant District Attorney John Volz, began another surveillance of the building at approximately 8:30 p. m. A few minutes later they saw Robert Corner enter the alleyway leading to Williams’ rear apartment. The officers and Volz climbed a fence and approached the apartment. Through 'a fastened screen door, the officers saw defendant Hazel Jones, Robert' Corner, and one Paul Bartholomew' seated ' on a bed, watching television.' Officer Phillips-knocked on the door and announced, “We are the police; come open the door.” Hazel Jones immediately entered the kitchen for a few seconds and returned. Meanwhile, Paul Bartholomew unlatched the screen door, and the officers entered. They observed that Bartholomew appeared to be under the influence of narcotics. They served the search warrant on Bartholomew and arrested the three for possession of narcotics.

The officers searched Williams’ apartment. Under the refrigerator in the kitchen, they found a capsule of heroin. Beneath a cedarrobe in the living room, they found a marijuana, cigarette.

At about 10:30 p. m., Officers Phillips and Spako saw Milton Williams get out of a car and enter the alleyway leading to his apartment. They saw him reach under the hood of an old car parked in the alley, lift out a package, place it in his shirt pocket, and continue toward the apartment.

Phillips and Spako informed Williams he was under arrest. They then took the package he had removed from the car. It contained narcotics paraphernalia: a rubber bulb attached to an eye dropper and two needles.

*71 Officer Spako informed Williams of what had happened during his absence and handed him the search warrant. Upon being informed that the search would continue, Williams pointed out a hiding place under a board near the door of the apartment where he said he had hidden a narcotics outfit and ten capsules of heroin. Williams retrieved a package from the hiding place. However, the officers found the hidden package contained only a narcotics outfit.

Defendant Hazel Jones alleges the officers obtained the heroin capsule and other evidence as a result of an “illegal” search and seizure. Specifically, the defendant contends the apartment could not be searched in the absence of the lessee, Milton Williams, and the search warrant had to be served on the lessee prior to the search.

Since the decision of the United States Supreme Court in Mapp v. Ohio, 367 U.S. 643, 81 S.Ct. 1684, 6 L.Ed.2d 1081 (1961), demonstrative evidence obtained by means of an unconstitutional search or seizure has been inadmissible in state criminal trials. Defendants have frequently invoked the exclusionary rule in this Court. See, e. g., State v. Green, 244 La. 80, 150 So.2d 571; State v. Calascione, 243 La. 993, 149 So.2d 417; and State v. Aias, 243 La. 945, 149 So.2d 400.

Our review discloses no infirmities in the search and seizure.

The absence of the person named in the search warrant does not invalidate a search of the premises under the warrant. Nor is there any requirement that the warrant be served before the search. LSA-R.S. 15:47; LSA-R.S. 40:972; Pennington v. State, Okl.Cr., 302 P.2d 170; 1 Varon, Searches, Seizures and Immunities, pp. 380-381 (1961); 79 C.J.S. Searches and Seizures § 83, p. 905.

Before the search in the present case, the officers served the warrant upon Paul Bartholomew, who was in the apartment. Later they served it upon Milton Williams, the apartment resident named in the warrant. Clearly, the motion to suppress is unfounded.

Hazel Jones’ Bill of Exception No. 2

Hazel Jones reserved this Bill to the denial of a motion for severance.

The state jointly charged Hazel Jones, Robert Corner, Paul Bartholomew and Milton Williams with unlawfully possessing and having under their control a narcotic drug. Hazel Jones and Robert Corner moved for a severance, alleging their defenses were antagonistic to those of the other two defendants. Specifically, Hazel Jones alleged the apartment was that of Milton Williams; that she was merely visiting the apartment at the time of the crime; and that the narcotics belonged to and were under the control of one or more of the other defendants.

*73 LSA-R.S. 15 :316 provides that persons jointly charged shall be jointly tried unless the district attorney elects to try them separately or the court orders a severance after a contradictory hearing. Under this codal article, it is well-established that the granting of a severance rests in the sound discretion of the trial judge, whose ruling will not be disturbed on appeal unless it is manifestly erroneous and injurious to the defendant. State v. Progue, 243 La. 337, 144 So.2d 352; State v. Mack, 243 La. 369, 144 So.2d 363; State v. Faciane, 233 La. 1028, 99 So.2d 333.

The motion for severance suggests that Hazel Jones was seeking to absolve herself by casting blame upon her co-defendants. But this alone is insufficient to require a severance. See State v. Goury, 184 La. 955, 168 So. 113, and the authorities therein cited.

We find no error in the ruling of the trial judge.

Hazel Jones’ Bill of Exception No. 3 and Milton Williams’ Bill of Exception No. 13

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Bluebook (online)
193 So. 2d 787, 250 La. 64, 1967 La. LEXIS 2750, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-williams-la-1967.