People v. Vogel

• Decision Date: 12 April 1978
• Docket Number: No. 77-246,77-246
• Citation: 16 Ill.Dec. 377,58 Ill.App.3d 910,374 N.E.2d 1152
• Parties: , 16 Ill.Dec. 377 The PEOPLE of the State of Illinois, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. Robert VOGEL, Defendant-Appellee.
• Court: United States Appellate Court of Illinois

Page 1152

374 N.E.2d 1152

58 Ill.App.3d 910, 16 Ill.Dec. 377

The PEOPLE of the State of Illinois, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. Robert VOGEL, Defendant-Appellee.

No. 77-246.

Appellate Court of Illinois, Third District.

April 12, 1978.

Michael M. Mihm, State's Atty., Peoria County, Peoria, Linda M. Vodar, James E. Hinterlong, State's Atty., Appellate Service Commission, Ottawa, for plaintiff-appellant.

John F. Boos, Jr., O'Hern, Wombacher, Moon & Boos, Peoria, for defendant-appellee.

STOUDER, Justice:

The defendant, Robert Vogel, was charged by information with the offense of unlawful possession of a controlled substance (cocaine). The circuit court of Peoria County granted defendant's motion to suppress evidence and the State has appealed. The issues on appeal are whether the police had probable cause to arrest defendant and whether exigent circumstances justified a warrantless search of a bus locker.

At the hearing on defendant's motions the court also heard testimony relating to a motion to quash a search warrant in a case involving two other defendants, Kim and Lynn Palanza. The propriety of that search warrant was before this court on appeal in People v. Palanza, 55 Ill.App.3d 1028, 13 Ill.Dec. 752, 371 N.E.2d 687.

At the hearing on defendant's motions, the State presented evidence that a home at 400 East Illinois Street in Peoria was under surveillance by police authorities. Officer Dean Blair had been informed that there would be a drug delivery and was obtaining a search warrant for 400 East Illinois Street. Officer Jack Weinstein who was conducting the surveillance, testified that at 7:20 p. m. two white males left the residence. Officer Weinstein remained at the house while other officers followed the vehicle in which the two white males had departed. A search warrant had been obtained for 400 East Illinois Street prior to the time the two persons left the residence.

Upon obtaining the search warrant, Officer Blair proceeded to the downtown area and not to 400 East Illinois. Officer Blair had received information from the same informant who had given him the information upon which the search warrant was based. The informant stated that there would be a delivery of cocaine by two white males, that these individuals would leave 400 East Illinois Street and would go to the Union Bus Depot and that one of the white males would have cocaine in his possession. The informant stated that he had seen cocaine in the possession of one of the white males and that a person had told him that they were going to the bus depot to make a delivery. The informant had also stated that there would be three persons involved in the transaction.

Officer Blair was advised by radio that two persons had left 400 East Illinois and had driven a van to the parking lot of the bus depot. When he arrived at the parking lot, he observed the male passenger get out of the van, look inside the lobby of the depot, get back in the van and then get out again with the driver. At this point, the two persons were stopped by another officer, Officer Mitten, the defendant was searched, and a tinfoil packet of cocaine was found in his pocket.

On cross-examination Blair testified that he had no search warrant or arrest warrant. He further testified that he did not tell Officer Mitten to arrest the people at the bus depot at the time of the stop, but only told him to tail them. When first asked if he had probable cause to arrest defendant, Blair stated he didn't know. When pressed further, Blair stated that he did not have probable cause to arrest defendant.

During the search of defendant's person, the officers also found a key to a bus locker. Before attempting to open the locker, the officers solicited and obtained advice to open the locker since one of the suspects was still missing and because the informant had said there was cocaine in a post office box. Shortly after taking defendant into custody, officers opened the locker and discovered a quantity of cocaine. No search of a post office box was ever conducted.

The defendant testified that he and Lynn Palanza had left the Palanza home on May 25, 1976 and had driven to the bus depot in Peoria. He stated there was nothing unusual about his driving as he went to the bus depot. When defendant arrived at the depot, he exited the van, stood outside for awhile and got back into the van. At this juncture defendant was stopped and searched. A key to a bus locker and a tinfoil packet of white powdered substance were found in his pocket. The van defendant was riding in was parked about 20 to 30 feet from the bus depot's front door. Lynn Palanza also testified to substantially the same facts as did defendant.

At the conclusion of the testimony, the State moved to have the search warrant for 400 East Illinois Street be considered as evidence for the People in the Vogel hearing for the purpose of showing the reliability of the informant. The search warrant was so admitted. This is the same search warrant which this court has held to have been improperly issued in People v. Palanza, 55 Ill.App.3d 1028, 13 Ill.Dec. 752, 371 N.E.2d 687. The trial court granted defendant's motions to suppress the evidence seized from defendant's pocket and from the bus locker and the State appeals. We shall consider each of the two motions separately.

As to the suppression of the tinfoil packet obtained from defendant's person, the State argues that the police officers had probable cause to arrest defendant and conduct a search incident to the arrest. Defendant contends first that no probable cause to arrest in fact existed and second, that no arrest in fact occurred before the search.

Counsel for both parties agree that the test for determining probable cause to arrest is whether a reasonable and prudent man in possession of the knowledge which had come to the arresting officer would believe the defendant is guilty of an offense. (People v. Macias, 39 Ill.2d 208, 234 N.E.2d 783.) A mere suspicion in the mind of an officer not so supported will not justify a search. (People v. Henneman, 367 Ill. 151, 10 N.E.2d 649.) When the arrest is unlawful, the search incident thereto is likewise unlawful and the evidence obtained thereby must be suppressed. (Beck v. Ohio, 379 U.S. 89, 89 S.Ct. 223, 13 L.Ed.2d 142.) If an arrest is unlawful, the discovery of evidence upon search after arrest cannot relate back to operate as justification for the arrest. (People v. Galloway, 7 Ill.2d 527, 131 N.E.2d 474.) The knowledge necessary to find probable cause to arrest may be founded upon hearsay of an informant, if the informant is of previously established reliability or if his information about the offense has been independently corroborated. People v. Beattie, 31 Ill.2d 257, ...