No. 14565
I N THE SUPREME COUHT OF THE S A E O MX3TANA
T T F
1979
Petitioner,
L. JOHN O S A , Sheriff of Gallatin County,
NT D
mntana; and RXER CRIST, Warden, I%x-~tana
S t a t e Prison,
Respondent.
ORIGINAL PmaEDING:
Counsel of Record:
For Petitioner:
James H. G o e t z argued, B o z m , Bbntana
F r Respondent:
o
Hon. I a e Greely, Attomey General, H e l e n a , Mntana
Allen B. C h r o n i s t e r argued, Assistant Attomey General,
Bruce E. Becker, County Attorney, Livingston, mntana
Sukmitted: March 20, 1979
Decided: 1979
Filed :
Mr. J u s t i c e Gene B. Daly d e l i v e r e d t h e O p i n i o n o f t h e C o u r t ,
T h i s i s a n o r i g i n a l p r o c e e d i n g i n which p e t i t i o n e r ,
Douglas C . Thomson, s e e k s a w r i t o f h a b e a s c o r p u s . Peti-
t i o n e r was c o n v i c t e d u n d e r s e c t i o n s 54-133 and 54-134,
R.C.M. 1 9 4 7 , now s e c t i o n s 45-9-102 and 45-9-104 l4CA, for
p o s s e s s i o n and s a l e of amphetamines, and s e n t e n c e d t o f i v e
y e a r s i n t h e s t a t e p r i s o n by t h e D i s t r i c t C o u r t o f P a r k
County. This Court affirmed p e t i t i o n e r ' s c o n v i c t i o n , hold-
i n g t h a t t h e s e a r c h o f h i s home was c o n d u c t e d p u r s u a n t t o a
v a l i d warrant. S t a t e v . Thomson ( 1 9 7 6 ) , 169 Mont. 1 5 8 , 161-
62, 545 P.2d 1070, 1071-72.
P e t i t i o n e r then sought a w r i t of habeas corpus i n t h e
F e d e r a l D i s t r i c t C o u r t f o r Montana. That Court concluded
t h a t t h e w a r r a n t a u t h o r i z i n g t h e s e a r c h o f Thomson's home
was i n v a l i d , g r a n t e d t h e w r i t o f h a b e a s c o r p u s , and o r d e r e d
a new s t a t e t r i a l . The S t a t e p e t i t i o n e d f o r a r e h e a r i n g ,
which t h e F e d e r a l C o u r t g r a n t e d . Within days a f t e r t h e
c o u r t i s s u e d i t s habeas corpus o r d e r , t h e United S t a t e s
Supreme C o u r t r u l e d t h a t " a s t a t e p r i s o n e r may n o t b e
g r a n t e d f e d e r a l h a b e a s c o r p u s r e l i e f on t h e ground t h a t
e v i d e n c e o b t a i n e d i n a n u n c o n s t i t u t i o n a l s e a r c h and s e i z u r e
was i n t r o d u c e d a t h i s t r i a l " i f t h e s t a t e c o u r t s had p r o -
v i d e d a n o p p o r t u n i t y f o r " f u l l and f a i r l i t i g a t i o n " o f t h e
p r i s o n e r ' s F o u r t h Amendment c l a i m . Stone v . Powell ( 1 9 7 6 ) ,
428 U.S. 465, 494, 96 S . C t . 3037, 3052, 49 L.Ed.2d 1067,
1088. On t h e b a s i s o f t h i s d e c i s i o n , t h e F e d e r a l D i s t r i c t
C o u r t o r d e r e d t h e w r i t withdrawn.
P e t i t i o n e r a p p e a l e d t o t h e N i n t h C i r c u i t C o u r t of
A p p e a l s , which a f f i r m e d t h e F e d e r a l ~ i s t r i c c o u r t ' s judg-
t
ment, 573 F.2d 1316, a n d t h e n s o u g h t c e r t i o r a r i r e v i e w
b e f o r e t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s Supreme C o u r t . The Supreme c o u r t
d e n i e d t h e c e r t i o r a r i a p p l i c a t i o n on t h e a u t h o r i t y o f S t o n e
v. Powell. U.S. , 99 S . C t . 1 1 7 , 58 L.Ed.2d 130.
S e e , 47 U.S.L.W. 3203 (U.S. O c t . 2, 1 9 7 8 ) (No. 77-1804).
P e t i t i o n e r now s e e k s h a b e a s c o r p u s r e l i e f i n t h i s
C o u r t , c o n t e n d i n g t h a t t h e s e a r c h o f h i s home v i o l a t e d t h e
U n i t e d S t a t e s and Montana C o n s t i t u t i o n s .
P e t i t i o n e r b r i n g s o u r a t t e n t i o n t o t h e Yontana c o n s t i -
t u t i o n a l r e q u i r e m e n t t h a t t h e i n f o r m a t i o n r e l i e d upon t o es-
t a b l i s h p r o b a b l e c a u s e must b e i n w r i t i n g . Because t h i s i s
a m a t t e r o f m a j o r c o n s t i t u t i o n a l s i g n i f i c a n c e and b e c a u s e w e
d i d not consider t h i s contention during t h e previous appeal,
w e agreed t o consider t h e p e t i t i o n . Upon r e v i e w w e c o n c l u d e
t h a t t h e s e a r c h w a r r a n t was i m p r o p e r l y i s s u e d , and t h a t a
w r i t of h a b e a s c o r p u s i s a n a p p r o p r i a t e remedy.
The f a c t s l e a d i n g t o t h e s e a r c h o f p e t i t i o n e r ' s home
a r e t h a t o n e P a u l H a l l e t t , w h i l e u n d e r a r r e s t on f r a u d u l e n t
c h e c k c h a r g e s , t o l d t h e L i v i n g s t o n , Montana, p o l i c e t h a t h e
had i n f o r m a t i o n a b o u t d r u g s a l e s by p e t i t i o n e r . The p o l i c e
summoned t h e c o u n t y a t t o r n e y , who l i s t e n e d t o H a l l e t t ' s
s t o r y , promised him f u l l immunity from p r o s e c u t i o n on any
drug-related c h a r g e s , and p r e p a r e d a n a f f i d a v i t i n s u p p o r t
o f a s e a r c h w a r r a n t a p p l i c a t i o n , u s i n g H a l l e t t ' s informa-
tion. A c i t y p o l i c e o f f i c e r signed t h e a f f i d a v i t . The
a f f i d a v i t s t a t e d t h a t H a l l e t t had e n t e r e d p e t i t i o n e r ' s home
o n e week e a r l i e r and o b t a i n e d a q u a n t i t y o f amphetamines
from p e t i t i o n e r . I t a l s o s t a t e d t h a t H a l l e t t had been
informed w i t h i n t h e p r e v i o u s 12 hours t h a t t h e r e w e r e s t i l l
amphetamines and o t h e r d a n g e r o u s d r u g s i n p e t i t i o n e r ' s home.
The c o u n t y a t t o r n e y t o o k H a l l e t t and two p o l i c e o f -
f i c e r s b e f o r e t h e d i s t r i c t judge a t t h e j u d g e ' s home d u r i n g
t h e e a r l y morning h o u r s . The judge p l a c e d H a l l e t t and o n e
o f t h e o f f i c e r s u n d e r o a t h and q u e s t i o n e d them c o n c e r n i n g
t h e i r knowledge o f t h e p e t i t i o n e r ' s d r u g - r e l a t e d a c t i v i t i e s .
F o l l o w i n g t h i s i n t e r v i e w , t h e judge s i g n e d t h e s e a r c h war-
rant. The o f f i c e r s s e a r c h e d p e t i t i o n e r ' s home, where t h e y
found a p p r o x i m a t e l y 70 p i l l s .
A t a p r e t r i a l h e a r i n g on p e t i t i o n e r ' s motion t o sup-
p r e s s t h e seized p i l l s , t h e District Court permitted t h e
judge who had i s s u e d t h e w a r r a n t t o t e s t i f y c o n c e r n i n g t h e
s t a t e m e n t s made t o him by H a l l e t t and t h e p o l i c e o f f i c e r s .
H e a l s o t e s t i f i e d t h a t h e had known from h i s own e x p e r i e n c e
t h a t p e t i t i o n e r had been i n v o l v e d i n t h e " d r u g s c e n e . "
I n t h e p r e v i o u s Thomson o p i n i o n , t h i s C o u r t h e l d t h a t
t h e a f f i d a v i t i n support of t h e s e a r c h warrant a p p l i c a t i o n
was b a s e d upon h e a r s a y i n f o r m a t i o n . 169 Mont. a t 1 6 2 , 545
P.2d a t 1072. While h e a r s a y e v i d e n c e may b e s u f f i c i e n t t o
e s t a b l i s h probable cause t o support a search warrant, t h e
p e r s o n making t h e a p p l i c a t i o n must p r o v i d e t h e i s s u i n g
m a g i s t r a t e w i t h a d d i t i o n a l f a c t s which w i l l p e r m i t t h e
m a g i s t r a t e t o determine whether probable c a u s e e x i s t s .
F i r s t , " t h e m a g i s t r a t e must b e i n f o r m e d o f some o f t h e
u n d e r l y i n g c i r c u m s t a n c e s from which t h e i n f o r m a n t c o n c l u d e d
t h a t t h e n a r c o t i c s w e r e where he c l a i m e d t h e y w e r e . "
Second, t h e m a g i s t r a t e must b e informed of "some o f t h e
u n d e r l y i n g c i r c u m s t a n c e s from which t h e [ a p p l i c a n t ] con-
cluded t h a t t h e informant . . . was 'credible' o r h i s infor-
mation ' r e l i a b l e . ' " A g u i l a r v . Texas ( 1 9 6 4 ) , 378 U.S. 108,
1 1 4 , 84 S.Ct. 1509, 1514, 1 2 L.Ed.2d 723, 729; S p i n e l l i v .
U n i t e d S t a t e s (1969) , 393 U.S. 410, 412-13, 89 S.Ct. 584,
587, 21 L.Ed.2d 637, 641-42; S t a t e v . Robey ( 1 9 7 8 ) ,
Mont . , 577 P.2d 1226, 1 2 2 8 , 35 St.Rep. 541, 544-45;
S t a t e v . T h o r s n e s s ( 1 9 7 4 ) , 165 Mont. 321, 324, 528 P.2d 692,
The a f f i d a v i t p r e s e n t e d t o t h e m a g i s t r a t e was c l e a r l y
i n s u f f i c i e n t b e c a u s e i t f a i l e d t o s e t f o r t h any c i r c u m -
s t a n c e s showing t h a t H a l l e t t was a c r e d i b l e i n f o r m a n t o r
t h a t h i s i n f o r m a t i o n was r e l i a b l e . I n d e e d , i f t h e circum-
s t a n c e s u n d e r l y i n g H a l l e t t ' s i n f o r m a t i o n showed a n y t h i n g ,
t h e y showed t h a t h e c o u l d n o t b e t r u s t e d - - h e was a r e c e n t
a r r i v a l i n L i v i n g s t o n , was u n d e r a r r e s t f o r f r a u d u l e n t c h e c k
c h a r g e s , and was wanted on s i m i l a r c h a r g e s i n a n o t h e r s t a t e .
H i s i n f o r m a t i o n was n o t r e l i a b l e - - h e stated that the l a s t
t i m e h e had been i n p e t i t i o n e r ' s home was a f u l l week
earlier. Thus, i t i s d o u b t f u l t h a t H a l l e t t ' s i n f o r m a t i o n
c o u l d have been s u f f i c i e n t t o e s t a b l i s h p r o b a b l e c a u s e f o r a
s e a r c h o f p e t i t i o n e r ' s home.
However, r e g a r d l e s s o f w h a t e v e r a d d i t i o n a l i n f o r m a t i o n
H a l l e t t p r o v i d e d t o t h e j u d g e who i s s u e d t h e w a r r a n t , t h e
f a i l u r e t o put t h a t information i n writing precludes our
c o n s i d e r a t i o n of w h e t h e r i t m i g h t h a v e c u r e d t h e i n s u f f i -
cient affidavit. This Court has previously construed
A r t i c l e 11, S e c t i o n 1 o f t h e 1972 Montana C o n s t i t u t i o n t o
1
r e q u i r e t h a t a l l t h e f a c t s r e l i e d upon by t h e i s s u i n g
m a g i s t r a t e b e i n c l u d e d i n w r i t i n g i n t h e sworn a f f i d a v i t .
S t a t e e x r e l . Townsend v . D i s t r i c t C o u r t ( 1 9 7 5 ) , 168 Mont.
357, 362-63, 543 P.2d 1 9 3 , 196. See a l s o , United S t a t e s v.
Anderson ( 9 t h C i r . 1 9 7 1 ) , 453 F.2d 1 7 4 , 177 & n . 3; P e t i t i o n
o f Gray ( 1 9 7 0 ) , 1 5 5 Mont. 510, 520, 473 P.2d 532, 537. Cf.
S t o n e v . P o w e l l 428 U . S . a t 473, n. 3 , 9 6 S . C t . a t 3042, n.
3 , 49 L.Ed.2d a t 1075, n. 3 .
The f a i l u r e t o i n c l u d e any a d d i t i o n a l f a c t s i n t h e
a f f i d a v i t leaves t h e search warrant i n s u f f i c i e n t under t h e
A g u i l a r a n d T h o r s n e s s s t a n d a r d s , and t h e e v i d e n c e o b t a i n e d
under t h a t w a r r a n t i n a d m i s s i b l e i n a p r o s e c u t i o n a g a i n s t
petitioner. Mapp v. O h i o ( 1 9 6 1 1 , 3 6 7 U . S . 643, 655, 8 1
S.Ct. 1 6 8 4 , 1 6 9 1 , 6 L.Ed.2d 1081, 1090.
P e t i t i o n e r ' s a p p l i c a t i o n f o r a w r i t of h a b e a s c o r p u s
is granted.
W e concur:
9 ; l ~ p+LL4P@
d
Chief J u s t i c e