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Miller v. State

Court of Appeals of Georgia
Sep 19, 1972
192 S.E.2d 915 (Ga. Ct. App. 1972)

Opinion

47234.

SUBMITTED JUNE 5, 1972.

DECIDED SEPTEMBER 19, 1972. REHEARING DENIED OCTOBER 6, 1972.

Drug violation. Worth Superior Court. Before Judge Gray.

Sara L. Hitchcock, for appellant.

W. J. Forehand, District Attorney, for appellee.


The defendant appeals his conviction and sentence for illegal possession of lysergic acid diethylamide. Defendant's motion to suppress the evidence of lysergic acid diethylamide, found as a result of a search and seizure of a motor vehicle possessed by him, was overruled. The State concedes that the warrant was legally defective in that the time of the illegal conduct by defendant is not set forth therein but contends that probable cause existed for the search and seizure in the absence of a valid warrant. Federal courts (Carroll v. United States, 267 U.S. 132 ( 45 SC 280, 69 LE 543, 39 ALR 790) (1924); Chambers v. Maroney, 399 U.S. 42 ( 96 SC 1975, 26 L.Ed.2d 419) (1969)), and State courts (89 ALR2d 75), including this court ( Craft v. State, 124 Ga. App. 57 ( 183 S.E.2d 371) (1971); Register v. State, 124 Ga. App. 136 ( 183 S.E.2d 68) (1971); Johnson v. State, 126 Ga. App. 93 ( 189 S.E.2d 900) (1972); Vaughn v. State, 126 Ga. App. 252 ( 190 S.E.2d 609) (1972)), have recognized the mobile nature of motor vehicles and make a distinction in the applicable search and seizure rules in exigent circumstances. Chambers v. Maroney, 399 U.S. 42, supra. In this case, where a reliable informant had reported dangerous drugs to be in the defendant's vehicle four days prior to the search, another informant reported on the day of the search the location of the vehicle and that it contained drugs, the peace officers who had the vehicle under surveillance were seen by an occupant of the premises where the vehicle was parked, and the keys were in the ignition of appellant's vehicle making it subject to movement by anyone at anytime, the officers had probable cause to believe the vehicle contained dangerous drugs and exigent circumstances existed for search and seizure of appellant's vehicle without the delay required to perfect the warrant.

The trial court did not err in overruling the defendant's motion to suppress.

Judgment affirmed. Hall, P. J., and Quillian, J., concur.

SUBMITTED JUNE 5, 1972 — DECIDED SEPTEMBER 19, 1972 — REHEARING DENIED OCTOBER 6, 1972 — CERT. APPLIED FOR.


Summaries of

Miller v. State

Court of Appeals of Georgia
Sep 19, 1972
192 S.E.2d 915 (Ga. Ct. App. 1972)
Case details for

Miller v. State

Case Details

Full title:MILLER v. THE STATE

Court:Court of Appeals of Georgia

Date published: Sep 19, 1972

Citations

192 S.E.2d 915 (Ga. Ct. App. 1972)
192 S.E.2d 915

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