Commonwealth v. Koonce , 190 A.3d 1204 ( 2018 )

J-S33038-18
2018 Pa. Super. 169
COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA : IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF
: PENNSYLVANIA
:
v. :
:
:
JONATHAN KOONCE :
:
Appellant : No. 804 EDA 2017
Appeal from the Judgment of Sentence January 25, 2017
In the Court of Common Pleas of Montgomery County Criminal Division
at No(s): CP-46-CR-0000620-2016
BEFORE: OTT, J., McLAUGHLIN, J., and STEVENS*, P.J.E.
OPINION BY STEVENS, P.J.E.: FILED JUNE 15, 2018
Appellant Jonathan Koonce appeals from the judgment of sentence of
four years’ reporting probation entered in the Court of Common Pleas of
Montgomery County on January 25, 2017, following his conviction in a
stipulated non-jury trial of possession with intent to deliver (marijuana).1 We
affirm.
The trial court aptly set forth the relevant facts revealed at the
suppression hearing as follows:
The credible testimony of the Commonwealth witnesses,
Detective Christopher Schwartz of the Plymouth Township Police
Department and Detective Iran Millan of the Montgomery County
Detective Bureau established the following facts. In November of
2015, Detective Christopher Schwartz of the Plymouth Township
Police Department met with a CI2 to set up a controlled buy.
(Motion to Suppress 1/17/2017 pp. 4, 5). Detective Schwartz is
____________________________________________
135 Pa.C.S.A. § 780-113(a)(16).
2The abbreviation CI will be used throughout this Opinion in reference to the
confidential informant.
____________________________________
* Former Justice specially assigned to the Superior Court.
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an experienced police officer, with specific training and experience
in drug enforcement. Id. at 4. The detective testified that he has
worked with this CI on or about two or three prior occasions, and
that the CI has been reliable in the past. Id. at 5-6. He also
indicated that the CI had provided information to other detectives
about eight times. Id. at 5. In every case that [ ] Detective
Schwartz investigated using this CI, the information was
corroborated and led to arrests and seizure of drugs. Id. at 6.
On November 23, 2015, Detective Schwartz met with this
particular CI to establish a plan. Id. at 6. The CI informed that he
had arranged a delivery of one pound of marijuana from an
individual named Pope. Id. He and Pope met online and later
spoke by phone, and the CI provided the detective with this
individual's cell phone number. Id. The CI told Detective Schwartz
that he believed Pope was from the New York area. Id. at 7. The
detective was able to confirm that the cell phone number was a
New York number, but he was unable to identify it as having come
from a person named Pope. Id. at 21-22, 34. The CI also believed
that Pope would be traveling with a female named Ava, or some
variation of that. Id. All of the CI's information came from the
communication between the CI and Pope.
They decided to do the controlled buy. The police had the CI
come down to the police department, and as per the usual protocol
with informants on controlled buys, the Cl's person was searched
to assure that no contraband or U.S. currency was present on the
Cl. Id. The police also thoroughly searched the CI's vehicle for any
contraband or U.S. currency. Id. Neither search turned up
anything improper. Id. at 8. The CI was provided with prerecorded
U.S. currency of $3,600, which had been established as the going
price from [sic] high-end marijuana at that time. Id. at 8.
Detective Schwartz physically placed the $3,600 into a black
backpack and then placed it in the trunk of the CI's vehicle for
transport to the scene. Id. at 8. The CI was instructed that in the
event that the person from New York delivered the marijuana to
him, he was to go to the trunk, retrieve the money and get back
into his vehicle. Id. at 8-9. It was significant to this controlled buy
that the backpack with the money would be in the trunk because
it was the signal to law enforcement that the delivery transaction
took place. Id. at 8-9.
The CI never left the officers' presence. Id. at 9. The location
of the drug transaction was to be at Wendy's restaurant in
Conshohocken, Plymouth Township. Id. Several detectives
established surveillance at the meet location parking lot. Id. There
were police officers positioned across the street. Id. at 10.
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Further, Detective Schwartz was in a position to view the Cl's
vehicle and Wendy's. Id. at 9.
The detective followed directly behind the CI from the police
station to meet location. Id. The CI did not do anything he was
not supposed to do. Id. at 9-10. The CI did not make any stops
on the way and no one other than the CI was in the vehicle. Id. at
9. Detective Schwartz arrived at the Wendy's parking lot and set
up surveillance. Id. at 10. There were two main surveillance
detectives, Detective Schwartz and Detective Iran Millan from the
Montgomery County Detective Bureau. Id.
Once the CI was in the Wendy's the CI did not go to the
bathroom and the CI did not talk to anyone else. Id. at 11. The CI
did meet with the individual who was later identified as [Appellant]
inside the Wendy's. Id. The individual arrived on foot empty-
handed. Id. at 12-13. The meeting was brief. Id. at 13. [Appellant]
left the restaurant, and went back in the direction where he had
come from. Id. at 14. [Appellant] returned a short time later
carrying a black backpack. Id. at 14. He got into the CI's vehicle.
Id.
Less than three minutes after [Appellant] got into the
vehicle, the CI exited the vehicle and went to the trunk where the
backpack full of the prerecorded currency was located. Id. at 15.
After retrieving the money, the CI got back into his vehicle. Id.
The police waited less than a minute so the transaction could be
completed, then they moved in and made the arrest. Id. at 15-
16. At that time, the police found the marijuana with the CI and
the money with [Appellant]. Id. at 16-17
Detective Schwartz testified and explained that the CI's
safety would be jeopardized if the [c]ourt compelled the disclosure
of the CI's identity. Id. at 17-18.
Trial Court Opinion, filed 5/1/17, at 5-8.
Appellant filed a motion to suppress physical evidence on May 11, 2016.
Also contained therein was a motion to produce confidential informant. A
suppression hearing was held on January 17, 2017, and following the hearing,
the suppression court denied both Appellant’s motion to suppress and his
motion to produce confidential informant in separate orders entered on
January 19, 2017.
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A stipulated non-jury trial was held on January 25, 2017, at which time
the testimony obtained at the suppression hearing was incorporated and the
trial court admitted the stipulated bench trial colloquy. See N.T. Trial,
1/25/17, at 10. At the conclusion of trial, Appellant was found guilty of the
aforementioned offense and immediately sentenced as previously indicated.
Id. at 11. Appellant did not file a post-sentence motion; however, he filed a
timely notice of appeal on February 22, 2017. On February 24, 2017, the trial
court entered its Order directing Appellant to file a concise statement of the
matters complained of on appeal pursuant to Pa.R.A.P. 1926(b), and Appellant
complied on March 13, 2018, wherein he presented four claims for the trial
court’s review.
In his appellate brief, Appellant sets forth the following Statement of
Questions Presented:
1. Whether [t]rial [c]ourt committed error by not ordering
Commonwealth to disclose the identity of a confidential informant
who was the only eyewitness to defendant being in possession of
controlled substance, and was only person with knowledge of the
content of communications between confidential informant and
[Appellant]?
2. Whether the [t]rial [c]ourt committed error by finding
probable cause existed, allowing the police to seize/arrest
[Appellant], where police had not seen [Appellant] in possession
of any contraband?
Brief for Appellant at 3.
When considering Appellant’s first claim, we are mindful of the
following:
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“Our standard of review of claims that a trial court erred in
its disposition of a request for disclosure of an informant's identity
is confined to abuse of discretion.” Commonwealth v.
Washington, 63 A.3d 797, 801 (Pa.Super. 2013).
Under Pennsylvania Rule of Criminal Procedure 573, a trial
court has the discretion to require the Commonwealth to reveal
the names and addresses of all eyewitnesses, including
confidential informants, where a defendant makes a showing of
material need and reasonableness:
(a) In all court cases, except as otherwise provided in
Rule 230 (Disclosure of Testimony Before
Investigating Grand Jury), if the defendant files a
motion for pretrial discovery, the court may order
the Commonwealth to allow the defendant's
attorney to inspect and copy or photograph any of
the following requested items, upon a showing
that they are material to the preparation of the
defense, and that the request is reasonable:
(i) the names and addresses of eyewitnesses....
Pa.R.Crim.P. 573(B)(2)(a)(i).
The Commonwealth enjoys a qualified privilege to withhold
the identity of a confidential source. Commonwealth v. Bing,
[551 Pa. 659, 713 A.2d 56 (1998)]; Commonwealth v.
Roebuck, 545 Pa. 471, 681 A.2d 1279, 1283 n. 6 (1996). In order
to overcome this qualified privilege and obtain disclosure of a
confidential informant's identity, a defendant must first establish,
pursuant to Rule 573(B)(2)(a)(i), that the information sought is
material to the preparation of the defense and that the request is
reasonable. Roebuck, supra at 1283. Only after the defendant
shows that the identity of the confidential informant is material to
the defense is the trial court required to exercise its discretion to
determine whether the information should be revealed by
balancing relevant factors, which are initially weighted toward the
Commonwealth. Bing, supra at 58; Commonwealth v. Herron,
475 Pa. 461, 380 A.2d 1228 (1977).
In striking the proper balance, the court must consider the
following principles:
A further limitation on the applicability of the privilege
arises from the fundamental requirements of fairness.
Where the disclosure of an informer's identity, or of the
contents of his communication, is relevant and helpful to
the defense of an accused, or is essential to a fair
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determination of a cause, the privilege must give way.
In these situations[,] the trial court may require
disclosure and, if the Government withholds the
information, dismiss the action.
[N]o fixed rule with respect to disclosure is justifiable.
The problem is one that calls for balancing the public
interest in protecting the flow of information against the
individual's right to prepare his defense. Whether a
proper balance renders nondisclosure erroneous must
depend on the particular circumstances of each case,
taking into consideration the crime charged, the possible
defenses, the possible significance of the informer's
testimony, and other relevant factors.
Commonwealth v. Carter, 427 Pa. 53, 233 A.2d 284,
287 (1967) (quoting Roviaro v. United States, 353
U.S. 53, 60–62, 77 S. Ct. 623, 1 L. Ed. 2d 639 (1957)).
Commonwealth v. Marsh, 606 Pa. 254, 260–261, 997 A.2d 318,
321–322 (2010).
Commonwealth. v. Watson, 69 A.3d 605, 607–08 (Pa.Super. 2013)
(quotation marks omitted).
Herein, Appellant maintains:
. . . the defense theory is that the confidential informant
“framed” [Appellant], and because the confidential informant was
the only eyewitness to the transaction, this theory would be
plausibly aided by the identity of the informant.
Evidence that the CI framed [Appellant] could affect the
outcome of the trial. Therefore, [Appellant] has satisfied the
threshold requirement of materiality and reasonableness by
showing that the evidence of record supports a reasonable
possibility that the information he seeks would be helpful.
Brief for Appellant at 8. Appellant posits that “only [Appellant] and the CI saw
what changed hands in the controlled buy [which] mitigates in favor of
disclosure.” Id. at 9. Appellant stresses the Commonwealth produced no
evidence that the CI would be endangered were his identity revealed, and he
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cites to the testimony of Detective Schwartz that conceded Appellant had not
been threatened and indicated an uncertainty as to any danger to Appellant
were the identity of the CI revealed. Id. at 9. Appellant further notes the
chance of possible threats is lessened by the fact that he and the CI met for
the first time on the day of the drug buy, as Appellant was from New York,
and he had known nothing about the CI previously. Id.
Upon our review of the record, we find the suppression court did not
abuse its discretion in finding Appellant had failed to make the threshold
presentation of materiality and reasonableness. Appellant does not pursue a
misidentification defense. Instead, he baldly asserts that he was “framed,”
and, therefore, as the CI was the only eyewitness to the transaction, he should
have had the opportunity to confront the CI. The record belies Appellant’s
claim, for the CI’s trustworthiness was established through the credible
testimony of Officer Schwartz who stated he and other officers had gained
valuable information from the CI which led to narcotics arrests in the past.
N.T. Suppression, 1/17/17, at 5-6.
Also, the testimony of Officers Schwartz and Millan concerning their
personal observations of the transaction substantiated the information the CI
had provided. Moreover, as the suppression court explains, most problematic
with Appellant’s claim is that “[a]lthough the CI was the only witness to the
actual hand-to-hand drug transaction, the police, both Detective Schwartz and
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Detective Millan saw every other aspect of the transaction.” Trial Court
Opinion, 5/1/17, at 11.
Even had Appellant satisfied the threshold presentation of materiality
and reasonableness before the suppression court, he has neither presented
record support for his defense he was “framed” nor provided a plausible
explanation as to how the CI’s testimony could have benefitted him. See
Watson, supra, at 609. It is clear that “allegations alone do not supplant
the need to make an actual evidentiary showing” that disclosure of a witness's
identity is material to a defense. Marsh, 606 Pa. at 261, 997 A.2d at 322.
“[B]efore disclosure of an inform[ant's] identity is required in the face of the
Commonwealth's assertion of privilege, more is necessary than a mere
assertion by the defendant that such disclosure might be helpful in
establishing a particular defense.” Commonwealth v. Herron, 475 Pa. 461,
466, 380 A.2d 1228, 1230 (1977) (holding that the defendant failed to provide
a “sufficient factual foundation to enable the trial judge to conclude that
knowing the inform[ant]'s identity might be helpful in establishing an
entrapment defense” where defendant failed to establish specific facts
supporting entrapment through witnesses or, at a minimum, an offer of proof).
Cf. Commonwealth v. Payne, 540 Pa. 54, 60, 656 A.2d 77, 80 (1994)
(holding that where a single police officer is the only eyewitness to a crime
other than the CI, the arrest was not made shortly after the crime, and the
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defendant has presented evidence supporting a mistaken identity defense,
justice requires the disclosure of the CI's identity).
While cross-examination of the Commonwealth's witnesses may be
enough in some cases to lay an evidentiary foundation for materiality and
reasonableness, the cross-examination herein was insufficient to meet the
defense's burden. To the contrary, Appellant’s questioning of Officers
Schwartz and Millan failed to show how the revelation of the CI’s identity and
his or her subsequent testimony would have aided Appellant’s defense or
otherwise exonerated him. Moreover, unlike the defendant in Payne, supra,
Appellant failed to offer any other evidentiary showing that would demonstrate
the identity of the CI was material to his defense.
Appellant is correct that the only witness to the actual transaction in the
CI’s vehicle was the CI; however, multiple police officers observed Appellant
and the informant in relatively close range during daylight hours in the
moments leading up to and immediately after the transaction both inside the
Wendy’s restaurant and in the area surrounding the vehicle in which the
transaction occurred. The CI met with no other individual other than Appellant
in Wendy’s, and Officers had searched the CI and his vehicle prior thereto to
ensure he was not in possession of any contraband or U.S. currency. N.T.
Suppression, 1/17/17, at 7-17, 48, 52-55. In addition, the vehicle was under
constant police surveillance, and no one other than Appellant and the CI
approached or entered the automobile. Id. at 15-16. Appellant was arrested
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moments after the drug buy, at which time only Appellant and the CI were
inside the car. The CI was in possession of a black backpack which contained
a sealed bag of approximately one pound of marijuana, and Appellant
possessed $3,600.00 belonging to law enforcement. Id. at 17. Under these
circumstances, Appellant’s position he was framed is wholly untenable.
Furthermore, Detective Schwartz testified he believed the CI’s safety
would be jeopardized were the trial court to compel the disclosure of his
identity. The Detective explained, “this informant has worked on several cases
beyond [Appellant’s] case. Was a valuable asset that led to what I would
deem significant seizures. He has directly told myself and my partner his fear
in cooperating, his fear of retaliation, and I find it to be extremely reasonable.”
N.T. Suppression, 1/17/17, at 18. Therefore, based on the foregoing, we find
no abuse of discretion in the suppression court’s determination that disclosure
was not mandated in light of Appellant’s failure to make a threshold showing
of materiality and in its finding that revealing the identity of the CI would
jeopardize his or her safety. See Trial Court Opinion, filed 5/1/17, at 11.
Thus, Appellant’s first claim lacks merit.
Appellant next contends officers lacked probable cause to arrest him.
Appellant reasons that there was insufficient evidence the CI’s tip was reliable
and no corroborating evidence existed to substantiate the information the CI
had provided, other than Officer Schwartz’s representations that this CI had
been reliable in the past and had provided information that led to arrests and
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seizure of narcotics. Brief for Appellant at 10. Appellant argues the paucity
of information the CI provided, coupled with the lack of support of any
investigation which is evident in the fact that officers were unable to
corroborate cell phone information, lacked a physical description of Appellant,
and never observed him with contraband either prior to or at the time of
arrest, reveals no probable cause existed to justify a warrantless arrest. Id.
at 10-11.
When considering the instant claim, we are mindful of the following:
Our standard of review ... is whether the record supports the trial
court's factual findings and whether the legal conclusions drawn
therefrom are free from error. Our scope of review is limited; we
may consider only the evidence of the prosecution and so much
of the evidence for the defense as remains uncontradicted when
read in the context of the record as a whole. Where the record
supports the findings of the suppression court, we are bound by
those facts and may reverse only if the court erred in reaching its
legal conclusions based upon the facts.
Commonwealth v. Galendez, 27 A.3d 1042, 1045 (Pa.Super. 2011) (en
banc) (citation omitted), appeal denied, 615 Pa. 753, 40 A.3d 120 (2012).
Additionally, “[a]ppellate courts are limited to reviewing only the evidence
presented at the suppression hearing when examining a ruling on a pretrial
motion to suppress.” Commonwealth v. Bush, 166 A.3d 1278, 1281-82
(Pa.Super. 2017) (citation omitted), appeal denied, 176 A.3d 855. “It is within
the suppression court's sole province as factfinder to pass on the credibility of
witnesses and the weight to be given their testimony.” Id. at 1282 (citation
omitted).
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In evaluating Appellant's argument that he was unlawfully arrested
because officers did not corroborate the unreliable information they had
received from the CI, and, therefore, the evidence recovered pursuant to his
arrest should be suppressed, we take note that law enforcement authorities
must have a warrant to arrest an individual in a public place unless they have
probable cause to believe that (1) a felony has been committed; and (2) the
person to be arrested is the felon. See Commonwealth v. Martin, 101 A.3d
706, 721 (Pa. 2014). As we have stated:
Probable cause is made out when the facts and circumstances
which are within the knowledge of the officer at the time of the
arrest, and of which he has reasonably trustworthy information,
are sufficient to warrant a man of reasonable caution in the belief
that the suspect has committed or is committing a crime. The
question we ask is not whether the officer's belief was correct or
more likely true than false. Rather, we require only a probability,
and not a prima facie showing, of criminal activity. In determining
whether probable cause exists, we apply a totality of the
circumstances test.
Commonwealth v. Thompson, 614 Pa. 198, 203, 985 A.2d 928, 931 (2009)
(emphasis in original) (citations and quotation marks omitted).
An officer’s determination of probable cause based upon information
received from a confidential informant depends upon the informant's reliability
and basis of knowledge viewed in a common sense, non-technical manner.
Commonwealth v. Gagliardi, 128 A.3d 790, 795 (Pa.Super. 2015) (citing
Commonwealth v. Clark, 611 Pa. 601, 28 A.3d 1284, 1288 (2011).
Information provided by a CI “may constitute probable cause where police
independently corroborate the tip, or where the informant has provided
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accurate information of criminal activity in the past, or where the informant
himself participated in the criminal activity.” Id. at 795-96.
Herein, the suppression court found:
the information that the police possessed and the manner in
which they carried out the investigation supports an abundant
finding of probable cause. Initially, the CI [ ] gave to Detective
Schwartz the source of his information. In other words, the
detective knew how the CI got his information, and it was from
the direct communication between the CI and [Appellant]. In
addition, the controlled buy happened in the way that the police
had planned it. Detective Schwartz was told by the CI that the
buy had taken place when he went to the trunk, retrieved the
backpack with the $3,600 in prerecorded U.S. currency and got
back into his car. The police observed conduct consistent with
illegal drug activity by [Appellant], and based on that at the bare
minimum, they certainly had reasonable suspicion that criminal
activity was afoot, justifying the brief detention. This quickly
ripened into probable cause upon the finding of the marijuana with
the CI and the money with [Appellant].
Trial Court Opinion, filed 5/1/17, at 8.
The record supports the suppression court's findings that Appellant's
arrest was supported by probable cause that he was involved in the felonious
sale of drugs to the CI, and thus, we are bound by those findings. See
Galendez, supra. The information from the CI, who had provided accurate
information to Detective Schwartz in the past, coupled with and substantiated
by the officers' direct observation of the conduct of Appellant and the CI, was
sufficient to warrant a person of reasonable caution to believe that Appellant
delivered to the CI the marijuana officers discovered in the black backpack in
the vehicle. See id.; see also Gagliardi, supra. Thus, Appellant's
warrantless arrest was lawful, and the contraband seized was admissible.
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Judgment of sentence affirmed.
Judgment Entered.
Joseph D. Seletyn, Esq.
Prothonotary
Date: 6/15/18
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