Commonwealth v. McKeever
Commonwealth v. McKeever
Opinion of the Court
Opinion by
The appellant, together with his wife, was tried by Judge Cirillo without a jury on a charge of possession of dangerous and narcotic drugs. Appellant was found guilty and his wife was acquitted.
Appellant argues that he should have been acquitted because his wife was acquitted, claiming the same facts applied to both. However, as pointed out by Judge Cirillo, the appellant was the sole lessee of the apartment where the drugs were found and had on his person the key to the locker where other drugs were found.
The main thrust of appellant’s argument is directed at the search warrant and its execution. In this case the twofold requirement of a valid search warrant affidavit laid down by Aguilar v. Texas, 378 U.S. 108 (1964), was met by information furnished by the superintendent of the apartment house where appellant lived. See Commonwealth v. Soychak, 221 Pa. Superior Ct. 458, 289 A.2d 119 (1972); Commonwealth v. Rose, 211 Pa. Superior Ct. 295, 235 A.2d 462 (1967). The superintendent while in appellant’s apartment making repairs noticed a strange smell. Eleven days before the warrant issued the superintendent came to the police
The officers did not announce their identity and purpose prior to entering the apartment and for this reason appellant questions the validity of the execution of the warrant. It is true that in the absence of exigent circumstances such an announcement by the officers must precede the entry. Commonwealth v. Newman, 429 Pa. 441, 240 A.2d 795 (1968); Commonwealth v. Cerulla, 223 Pa. Superior Ct. 24, 296 A.2d 858 (1972). However, under the peculiar facts of this case, exigent circumstances existed which excused the failure to announce. The apartment in question was on the second floor while the door to the apartment was on the first floor. A flight of stairs ran from the door to the second-floor apartment. When the officers went to the door they heard noise coming from the apartment. It sounded to them like a fight. One officer knocked on the door three or four times with what he described as a hard knock. The commotion in the apartment continued and they heard a shout and something or somebody falling to the floor. When nobody responded to their knocks they became concerned that someone might be hurt upstairs and decided to force the door. However, the door was not locked and was opened by turning the knob. When they opened the
Judgment affirmed.
Concurring Opinion
Concurring Opinion by
I concur in the result reached by the majority but add a comment on the issue of the sufficiency of the evidence. The trial judge properly found appellant guilty of possessing the drugs found in the apartment, but erroneously based bis finding on the fact that appellant was the sole lessee of the apartment. Since the apartment was occupied by appellant and his wife, the charge of possession against appellant cannot rest merely upon the fact that he had a proprietary interest in the apartment. See Commonwealth v. Fortune, 456 Pa. 365, 318 A. 2d 327 (1974); Whitebread & Stevens, Constructive Possession in Narcotics Cases: To Have and Have Not, 58 Va. L. Rev. 751, 763-64 (1972). There must be further circumstances showing Ms conscious domimon over the drugs. See, e.g., Commonwealth v. Updegrove, 223 Pa. Superior Ct. 7, 296 A. 2d 854 (1972) (contraband found among defendant’s effects); Note, Possession of Narcotics in Pennsylvania: “Joint Possession,” 76 Dick. L. Rev. 499, 521 (1972). The record indicates that drugs were found in numerous places throughout the apartment, some apparently in plain view. Such evidence when coupled with appellant’s residency in the apartment supports Ms conviction. TMs conclusion is not affected by the fact that appellant’s wife was acquitted by the same judge on the same evidence. We are free to evaluate the verdict against appellant independently of the verdict rendered in favor of his wife.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Commonwealth v. McKeever, Appellant
- Cited By
- 16 cases
- Status
- Published