McClintock, Bradley Ray
2014 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 1466
| Tex. Crim. App. | 2014Background
- Appellant McClintock challenged the search warrant for marijuana evidence as lacking probable cause.
- Warrant affidavit included a drug-dog alert and odor detection from the inside stairwell to the upstairs residence.
- Trial court denied suppression; one appellate panel later held Jardines tainted the dog-sniff information, leaving insufficient probable cause.
- This Court granted discretionary review to address good-faith exception and the probable-cause issue after excluding tainted information.
- The Court vacated the appellate judgment and remanded to consider the good-faith issue first, pending further analysis.
Issues
| Issue | Plaintiff's Argument | Defendant's Argument | Held |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whether good-faith exception applies to exclude tainted evidence | State argues good-faith reliance on binding precedent | McClintock argues exclusion applies due to tainted evidence | Remand to decide good-faith issue first |
| Whether probable cause remains after excluding dog-sniff information | State contends odor evidence plus other facts suffice | McClintock contends ambiguity prevents probable cause | Ambiguity means probable cause not clearly established; remand instructed |
Key Cases Cited
- Florida v. Jardines, 133 S.W.3d 1409 (2013) (dog-sniff information taints probable-cause analysis)
- Davis v. United States, 131 S. Ct. 2419 (2011) (reasonable reliance on precedent; exclusionary rule limitations)
- Castillo v. State, 818 S.W.2d 803 (Tex. Crim. App. 1991) (when tainted information purges, magistrate’s probable-cause assessment may fail)
- United States v. Kolodziej, 712 F.2d 975 (5th Cir. 1983) (magistrate’s review not appropriate where affidavit tainted)
- Jones v. State, 364 S.W.3d 854 (Tex. Crim. App. 2012) (deference to magistrate’s probable-cause assessment; context matters)
- Griffith v. Kentucky, 479 U.S. 314 (1987) (retroactivity of new constitutional rules; Griffith applies to direct-review context)
- Franks v. Delaware, 438 U.S. 154 (1978) ( Franks issue not before Court; limited to affidavit challenges)
- State v. Gobert, 275 S.W.3d 888 (Tex. Crim. App. 2009) (remedies and appellate posture when reviewing trial rulings)