Polk v. Williams, 89-2232

Citation565 So.2d 1387
Decision Date30 August 1990
Docket NumberNo. 89-2232,89-2232
Parties15 Fla. L. Weekly D2184 John E. POLK, etc., Appellant, v. Dorothea WILLIAMS, Appellee.
CourtCourt of Appeal of Florida (US)

Gayle S. Swedmark and Jennifer Parker LaVia of Parker, Skelding, Labasky & Corry, Tallahassee, for appellant.

William H. Morrison of William H. Morrison, P.A., Altamonte Springs, for appellee.

PETERSON, Judge.

This is a civil action arising from the execution of a search warrant alleged by Dorothea Williams to have been issued without probable cause. John E. Polk, Sheriff of Seminole County, appeals a summary judgment of liability entered against him upon Williams' complaint for false imprisonment during execution of the warrant and negligent invasion of her right of privacy. We reverse.

Williams argued that no probable cause existed for the issuance of the search warrant since it was not supported by a sufficient affidavit. Her complaint alleged that Deputy Scott, who prepared the affidavit, did not personally observe some of the events described in it, that he based his recitations on impermissible hearsay statements, and that materially he misstated facts. Deputy Scott's affidavit related that he searched and audio-"bugged" an informant and that he supplied the informant with cash for a "buy" of cocaine. The affidavit states that Officer Tolleson, a member of another law enforcement agency, drove the informant to a point in close proximity to Williams' residence at 702 Brentwood Street and watched the informant walk to the residence. The affidavit states that Scott monitored the body bug and that he heard the informant speak with someone called Lionell, after which Lionell walked into the residence, then exited it shortly thereafter, and spoke with the informant. Scott states in his affidavit that he heard a narcotics transaction between the informant and Lionell, that after the transaction the informant returned to Tolleson's car, gave Tolleson two pieces of crack cocaine, said that he had purchased them from Lionell, and that he had observed additional cocaine in Lionell's possession. Scott concluded that "[b]ased on the above facts it is the belief of your affiant that controlled substances to wit: cocaine, are being stored at and sold from [Williams' residence]...." It is important to note the affidavit indicated that Lionell exited the residence shortly after entering it.

Officer Tolleson's incident report indicated that, after he saw Lionell enter the residence, he drove around the block with the informant as a passenger, and that, when he returned to the front of the residence, Lionell was outside. The informant then exited the car and purchased the cocaine from Lionell. Scott testified that, although Tolleson had signed the incident report in the form of an affidavit, he did not base his request for a search warrant upon it. He, instead, incorporated Tolleson's oral reports into the affidavit.

Williams asserts that, after redaction of false and misleading statements in Scott's affidavit, no probable cause was shown by the affidavit. The alleged false or misleading portions of the affidavit include:

1. The affidavit contained information obtained from the informant and Tolleson without revealing the source of the information.

2. The affidavit implied firsthand knowledge on the part of Scott, and he had no such knowledge.

3. The affidavit implies continuous monitoring of the confidential informant and the suspect.

4. The affidavit does not describe a "controlled buy" since Scott did not personally observe the transaction, nor did he personally observe Lionell enter and exit the residence.

5. The reliability of the confidential informant must have been shown in the affidavit for the issuing judge to consider the veracity of the informant. (Scott's deposition indicates that he had worked with the informant at least 20 times before, believed that informant's statements were true, and was not sure why he did not mention this in the affidavit.)

While the absence of statements in an affidavit of probable cause as to the reliability of a confidential informant would normally render the affidavit deficient, there exists an exception when the informant makes a "controlled buy." An informant's reliability is established by a successful controlled buy. State v. Gieseke, 328 So.2d 16 (Fla.1976); Ryals v. State, 498 So.2d 1365 (Fla. 5th DCA 1986); State v. Cohen, 442 So.2d 346 (Fla. 5th DCA 1983). A controlled buy is one in which the confidential informant is personally supervised and constantly monitored by the affiant.

While Deputy Scott constantly monitored the informant through the body bug, he did lose sight of him during a period of time. However, Officer Tolleson did personally observe the informant when he was out of Scott's sight. Thus, the confidential informant was continually observed, overheard, and supervised through the entire incident. Could Scott validly rely upon communications from Tolleson in order to furnish the information during the gap of Scott's observation of the informant? An arresting officer is not required to have sufficient firsthand knowledge to constitute probable cause. It is sufficient if an officer initiating the chain of...

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14 cases
  • State v. Peterson
    • United States
    • Florida Supreme Court
    • June 17, 1999
    ...(Fla. 4th DCA 1997) ("This so-called fellow officer rule has been applied to search warrants as well as arrests."); Polk v. Williams, 565 So.2d 1387, 1390 (Fla. 5th DCA 1990). In Polk, the district court relied on United States v. Ventresca, 380 U.S. 102, 111, 85 S.Ct. 741, 13 L.Ed.2d 684 (......
  • State v. Irizarry
    • United States
    • Florida District Court of Appeals
    • December 22, 2006
    ...persons, not legal technicians, act. Brinegar v. U.S., 338 U.S. 160, 69 S.Ct. 1302, 93 L.Ed. 1879 (1949); see also Polk v. Williams, 565 So.2d 1387, 1390 (Fla. 5th DCA 1990). The trial court in determining probable cause must examine the four corners of the affidavit. Our duty in reviewing ......
  • Schmitt v. State
    • United States
    • Florida Supreme Court
    • November 14, 1991
    ...for concluding that a search would uncover evidence of wrongdoing, the requirement of probable cause is satisfied. Polk v. Williams, 565 So.2d 1387 (Fla. 5th DCA 1990). In the same vein, the United States Supreme Court has The task of the issuing magistrate is simply to make a practical, co......
  • Johnson v. State
    • United States
    • Florida Supreme Court
    • July 13, 1995
    ...investigating a crime is imputed to any one of their number, even those from different agencies working together. Polk v. Williams, 565 So.2d 1387 (Fla. 5th DCA 1990). This effectively means that hearsay from other officers can be repeated by the affiant officer to establish probable We bel......
  • Request a trial to view additional results
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