Vanderpool v. State

628 S.W.2d 576, 4 Ark. App. 93, 1982 Ark. App. LEXIS 713
CourtCourt of Appeals of Arkansas
DecidedFebruary 17, 1982
DocketCA CR 81-14
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 628 S.W.2d 576 (Vanderpool v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Arkansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Vanderpool v. State, 628 S.W.2d 576, 4 Ark. App. 93, 1982 Ark. App. LEXIS 713 (Ark. Ct. App. 1982).

Opinion

James R. Cooper, Judge.

The appellant, James Van-derpool, was charged in the Circuit Court of Newton County with the crime of manufacturing a controlled substance, marijuana, in violation of Ark. Stat. Ann. § 82-2617 (Supp. 1981). After a jury trial, he was found guilty and sentenced to ten years in the Arkansas Department of Corrections plus a fine of $10,000.00. From that conviction comes this appeal.

THE FACTS

The record reflects that the sheriff of Newton County, Ray Watkins, and one of his deputies discovered a field of marijuana and placed it under surveillance. The surveillance began in the early morning hours of August 8, 1979. Around dawn on August 9, 1979, the record reflects that the sheriff and his deputy observed Mr. Vanderpool coming down a path toward the marijuana with a shotgun and a grocery sack. They observed him harvesting marijuana leaves for approximately twenty minutes. The sheriff and his deputy then returned to Jasper and obtained a search warrant from the municipal judge. Appellant challenges the validity of the affidavit executed for the purpose of obtaining a search warrant. In the course of the trial, the officers testified that they executed the search warrant by returning to a cabin, located on the same property as was the field of marijuana and serving the warrant on Mr. Van-derpool. During the course of their search of the cabin for the grocery sack, there was testimony elicited that Mr. Van-derpool reached up on a refrigerator and got a pan down and then made a statement. The statement was not quoted by the sheriff. Defense counsel moved for a mistrial, and that motion was denied. (We note that the drug analyst testified there were samples tested from the pan and those samples did contain marijuana.)

During the course of the trial the appellant attempted to introduce evidence related to photographic experiments concerning the visibility of the fields from the place where the officers were allegedly concealed.

Also during the course of the trial the appellant attempted to elicit testimony concerning a later case of tampering with evidence by the sheriff of Newton County. This offer of evidence was deemed inadmissible by the court.

THE SUFFICIENCY OF THE AFFIDAVIT

In this case the appellant made a motion to suppress the fruits of the search as to both the marijuana seized within the cabin and the marijuana seized in the adjoining fields.

When we review a trial court’s ruling on a motion to suppress evidence, we must make an independent determination based upon the totality of the circumstances, with all doubts resolved in favor of individual rights and safeguards, but we will not reverse the trial court’s finding unless it is clearly erroneous. State v. Tucker, 268 Ark. 427, 597 S.W. 2d 584 (1980): Grant v. State, 267 Ark. 50, 589 S.W. 2d 11 (1979).

The State bears the burden of establishing that a search warrant was issued in compliance with the law by producing the required written evidence that was relied upon by the issuing judicial officer to establish probable cause. Beed v. State, 271 Ark. 526, 609 S.W. 2d 898 (1980); Lunsford v. State, 262 Ark. 1, 552 S.W. 2d 646 (1977). If the warrant and affidavit appear on their face to be valid, then it is presumed that everything essential to the issuance of the warrant has been done. It then becomes the defendant’s burden to show that the warrant and its supporting documentation is invalid. Thus, any statement of fact, made as such, in the affidavit must be taken to be within the personal knowledge of the affiant, unless the defendant proves otherwise. Schneider v. State, 269 Ark. 245, 599 S.W. 2d 730 (1980).

A search warrant will not be issued unless it is supported by an affidavit containing facts or circumstances, not mere conclusions. It is the function of the judicial officer, before whom the proceedings are held, to make an independent and neutral determination based on the facts as to the existence of probable cause for the search. Aguilar v. Texas, 378 U.S. 108, 84 S. Ct. 1509, 12 L. Ed. 2d 723 (1964); Miller v. State, 269 Ark. 341, 605 S.W. 2d 430 (1980).

In United States v. Ventresca, 380 U.S. 102, 85 S. Ct. 741, 13 L. Ed. 2d 684 (1965), the United States Supreme Court considered the standards by which an appellate court should approach the interpretation of affidavits supporting search warrants which have been duly issued by a judicial officer. The Court said:

[Our] decisions reflect the recognition that the Fourth Amendment’s commands, like all constitutional requirements, are practical and not abstract. If the teachings of the Court’s cases are to be followed and the constitutional policy served, affidavits for search warrants, such as the one involved here, must be tested and interpreted by magistrates and courts in a commonsense and realistic fashion. They are normally drafted by nonlawyers in the midst and haste of a criminal investigation. Technical requirements of elaborate specificity once exacted under common law pleadings have no proper place in this area. A grudging or negative attitude by reviewing courts toward warrants will tend to discourage police officers from submitting their evidence to a judicial officer before acting.
Although in a particular case it may not be easy to determine when an affidavit demonstrates the existence of probable cause, the resolution of doubtful or marginal cases in this area should be largely determined by the preference to be accorded to warrants. Jones v. United States, supra, 362 U.S., at 270, 80 S. Ct., at 735. [380 U.S. at 108, 109; 85 S. Ct. at 746; 13 L. Ed. 2d at 689],

The United States Supreme Court reaffirmed the above interpretation of affidavits in Spinelli v. United States, 393 U.S. 410, 89 S. Ct. 584, 21 L. Ed. 2d 637 (1969).

The affidavit for search warrant involved in this case states as follows:

AFFIDAVIT
STATE OF ARKANSAS, County of Newton City of Jasper
Ray Watkins being duly sworn says on his oath that one Jimmy Vanderpool did, on or about the 9th day of Aug. A.D. 1979, in Newton County, Arkansas, Unlawfully manufactured a controlled substance by going to a field of green vegetables substance located on shop creek near Rex Vanderpools cabin and picked a large brown bag of green vegetables leaves then returned to the cabin with the bag of leaves contrary to the Ordinances and Statutes in such cases made and provided, and against the peace and dignity of the State.
/s/ Ray Watkins
Subscribed and sworn to before me this 9 day of Aug. A.D., 1979.
/s/ Fred Fennell Municipal Court Judge

Appellant argues that there is nothing on the face of the affidavit to indicate whether the observations were those of Sheriff Watkins or of a third person.

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Related

Teas v. State
744 S.W.2d 739 (Court of Appeals of Arkansas, 1988)
James v. State
665 S.W.2d 883 (Court of Appeals of Arkansas, 1984)
Vanderpool v. State
633 S.W.2d 374 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1982)

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Bluebook (online)
628 S.W.2d 576, 4 Ark. App. 93, 1982 Ark. App. LEXIS 713, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/vanderpool-v-state-arkctapp-1982.