State v. Miller

• Decision Date: 06 June 1966
• Docket Number: No. 2302,2302
• Citation: State v. Miller, 187 So.2d 461 (La. App. 1966)
• Parties: STATE of Louisiana v. Ralph MILLER.
• Court: Court of Appeal of Louisiana

Page 461

187 So.2d 461

STATE of Louisiana v.Ralph MILLER.

No. 2302.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Fourth Circuit.

June 6, 1966.

Louis DeSonier, Jr., Parish Atty., Bruce D . Burglass, Asst. Parish Atty., for plaintiff-appellee.

James F. Quaid, Jr., New Orleans, for defendant-appellant.

Before McBRIDE, REGAN and YARRUT, JJ.

REGAN, Judge.

The defendant, Ralph Miller, was arrested and charged in the Juvenile Court by the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office with the violation of a curfew ordinance and an ordinance ¹ prohibiting the monitoring of the radio frequency used by the sheriff.

The defendant filed a motion to quash the charge under the Anti-monitoring Ordinance, Section 12--21.1 of the Code of Jefferson Parish, predicated on the contention that it violates several provisions of the Federal and State Constitutions.In addition thereto, he filed a motion to suppress certain evidence for the reason that it was obtained without a search warrant and was not incidental to a lawful arrest.

After a trial on the merits, the lower court found the defendant not guilty of the curfew violation, but concluded that he was guilty of violating the ordinance prohibiting the monitoring of the radio 'frequency' or wave length used by the sheriff's office.From that judgment, the defendant has prosecuted this appeal.

In this court, the defendant reiterates the arguments advanced in the lower court and additionally asserts that the evidence adduced herein is not sufficient to sustain a finding of guilty.

Our analysis of the record reveals that a discussion of the constitutional questions posed for our consideration by the defendant is unnecessary, in view of the fact that we are of the opinion that the record does not contain evidence upon which to base a finding of guilty.

The record discloses that on December 11, 1965, the defendant was departing from a dance hall located in Jefferson Parish when a police officer in attendance, who, significantly, was not requested to testify herein, informed two other officers that the defendant's automobile was equipped with a radio receiver capable of monitoring radio communications emanating from the sheriff's office.These two offficers followed the defendant, who was accompanied by several other young people, and when they had overtaken him, he was ordered to drive to the side of the roadway and stop.

These officers admitted at the trial hereof that the radio was not in working order when the defendant was accosted, however, they ordered him to connect several wires which were hanging loose from the receiver.

In order to connect these wires, the sheriff's deputies offered the defendant the use of one of their flashlights, and when the connections were completed, the radio was capable of receiving calls from the sheriff's office.Thereupon, the defendant was arrested and subsequently charged with violation of the Anti-monitoring Ordinance.

It is quite obvious that the forced monitoring of a radio frequency used by the sheriff at the instigation of two...