Hixson v. State, 00-140.
Decision Date | 18 October 2001 |
Docket Number | No. 00-140.,00-140. |
Citation | 2001 WY 99,33 P.3d 154 |
Parties | Gregory John HIXSON, Appellant (Defendant), v. The STATE of Wyoming, Appellee (Plaintiff). |
Court | Wyoming Supreme Court |
Sylvia L. Hackl, State Public Defender; Donna D. Domonkos, Appellate Counsel; Ryan R. Roden, Assistant Appellate Counsel; Diane E. Courselle, Director, Defender Aid Program; and Mark Scarr, Student Intern., Representing Appellant.
Gay Woodhouse, Attorney General; Paul S. Rehurek, Deputy Attorney General; D. Michael Pauling, Senior Assistant Attorney General; Theodore E. Lauer, Director, Prosecution Assistance Program; and Thomas Kelley, Student Intern., Representing Appellee.
Before LEHMAN, C.J., and GOLDEN, HILL, KITE, and VOIGT, JJ.
[¶ 1] This is an appeal from a Judgment and Sentence entered after the appellant, Gregory John Hixson, was convicted by a jury of conspiracy to manufacture a controlled substance, in violation of Wyo. Stat. Ann. §§ 35-7-1031(a)(i) and 35-7-1042 (LexisNexis 2001), a felony, and two counts of possession of a controlled substance, in violation of Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 35-7-1031(c)(i) (LexisNexis 2001), both being misdemeanors. The primary issue is the sufficiency of an affidavit that resulted in the issuance of a search warrant. The appellant also argues that the plain view doctrine is not available to the State to salvage the fruits of the search. For the reasons set forth below, we reverse.
[¶ 2] The issues before this Court are:
1. Was the affidavit sufficient to support the judicial officer's conclusion that probable cause existed for issuance of the search warrant?
2. Was the seizure of items from the appellant's home during his arrest nevertheless justified under the plain view doctrine?
[¶ 3] Analysis of this case must begin with a chronology of significant events. On August 10, 1999, law enforcement officers worked with a confidential informant (CI1) to purchase controlled substances from Jason Schibig. CI1 told Wheatland Police Officer Don London that Schibig had told her that Schibig had purchased the controlled substances from the appellant. On August 14, 1999, the police officers worked with a second confidential informant (CI2) to purchase controlled substances directly from the appellant. On August 25, 1999, an Information was filed charging the appellant with unlawful delivery of a controlled substance based on the August 14, 1999, transaction.1 Also on August 25, 1999, an arrest warrant was issued for the appellant, and Officer London signed an affidavit to support his request for a search warrant directed to the appellant's residence. The search warrant was obtained on August 26, 1999, and executed, along with the arrest warrant, on August 27, 1999. Finally, a second Information was filed on August 28, 1999, charging the appellant with the three counts that are at issue in this appeal. The charges contained in the second Information stemmed from evidence obtained during the search of the appellant's residence pursuant to the warrant, and on his person following his arrest.
[¶ 4] After being bound over to the district court for trial on all four of the charges, the appellant filed a Motion in Limine to Suppress Evidence. The gist of that motion was that Officer London's affidavit failed to provide a substantial basis from which the issuing judicial officer could conclude there was probable cause to issue the search warrant. Specifically, the appellant contended that the affidavit contained conclusions and false statements. The present appeal is from the district court's denial of the motion to suppress evidence.
33 P.3d at 146, and Vasquez, 990 P.2d at 486, to "develop our own constitutional principles under the state provision," we begin by looking to Wyo. Const. art. 1, § 4, which provides:
33 P.3d at 146; Vasquez, 990 P.2d at 485. Of significance to our analysis is the language therein requiring the probable cause finding for the issuance of a search warrant to be supported by affidavit.2 The requirement of an affidavit "strengthens" the Wyoming citizen's rights by creating a permanent record. Vasquez, 990 P.2d at 483; Davis v. State, 859 P.2d 89, 93 (Wyo.1993).
[¶ 6] Wyoming's law concerning the probable cause necessary for the issuance of a search warrant, as well as the standard for review of that decision, is succinctly stated in Davis, 859 P.2d at 94 (quoting Hyde v. State, 769 P.2d 376, 378, 379 (Wyo.1989)
; Bonsness v. State, 672 P.2d 1291, 1292 (Wyo.1983); Ostrowski v. State, 665 P.2d 471, 478 (Wyo.1983); United States v. Shelton, 742 F.Supp. 1491, 1498-99 (D.Wyo.1990); and Franks v. Delaware, 438 U.S. 154, 171, 98 S.Ct. 2674, 2684, 57 L.Ed.2d 667 (1978)):
We further delineated the nature of our scope of review in Cordova, 2001 WY 96, ¶¶ 9-15, 33 P.3d at 146-147.
[¶ 7] We traditionally review the sufficiency of an affidavit to support the issuance of a search warrant under Wyo. Const. art. 1, § 4 de novo, giving deference3 to the issuing magistrate's determination of probable cause such that it places the burden on the appellant to prove, by a preponderance of the evidence, that his rights were violated. Cordova, 2001 WY 96, ¶ 10, 33 P.3d at 148; Hall v. State, 911 P.2d 1364, 1367 (Wyo.1996); Guerra v. State, 897 P.2d 447, 452 (Wyo.1995). Review of the magistrate's decision is accomplished under a "totality of the circumstances" test, but it must not be forgotten that, in determining probable cause to issue a search warrant, the magistrate is limited to "the four corners of the proffered affidavit in determining existence of probable cause."4 Southworth v. State, 913 P.2d 444, 448 (Wyo.1996); Hall, 911 P.2d at 1368; Guerra, 897 P.2d at 453; Ostrowski, 665 P.2d at 478. Likewise, Wyoming's constitutional affidavit requirement means that "[s]upplemental testimony taken [during a suppression hearing] cannot be considered in determining whether probable cause existed at the time the warrant was issued."5 Cordova, 2001 WY 96, ¶ 9, 33 P.3d at 147. The affidavit must and the affiant must "adequately articulate the factual basis for their request...." Cordova, 2001 WY 96, ¶¶ 13-14, 33 P.3d at 148 (emphasis in original).
[¶ 8] The affidavit used to obtain the warrant to search the appellant's residence reads in full as follows:
AFFIDAVIT OF DON LONDON
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