77 A.D.2d 778 | N.Y. App. Div. | 1980
Judgment unanimously reversed, on the law and facts, motion to suppress granted in accordance with memorandum, and new trial granted. Memorandum: On' appeal from a judgment on a jury verdict convicting him of four counts of rape in the first degree and one count of sodomy in the first degree, defendant’s chief contention is that it was error to admit into evidence items seized during the warrantless search of his apartment by his parole officer and two police officers. The charges arise out of an incident in Auburn, New York, in the early morning of March 24, 1978 during which defendant allegedly entered the complainant’s apartment at approximately 3:00 a.m. and, threatening to kill her and her two children, forced her to engage in several acts of sexual intercourse and oral sodomy. Later the same day, defendant’s parole officer and two police officers searched defendant’s apartment. At the pretrial hearing on defendant’s motion to suppress the evidence seized during the search, defendant’s parole officer, Mr. Szczech, testified that on March 24, 1978 while in the District Attorney’s office on another matter he learned that a rape had occurred early that morning. He stated that he believed he might be of assistance because of his acquaintance with a number of parolees in the area and, accordingly, went to the police station. At approximately 1:00 p.m. he and Detective Cioffa proceeded to defendant’s apartment but left when no one answered the door. At about 3:00 p.m. Mr. Szczech returned to defendant’s apartment in a police car accompanied by Detective Cioffa and another police officer, Detective Quinn. Again, there was no answer, but in order to "see if Mr. Mackie was home, possibly to talk with him”, Mr. Szczech persuaded defendant’s landlady to let them in. The landlady testified that she remained in defendant’s apartment during the search, that the three men opened drawers and closets and looked through the garbage, and that they remained in the apartment for about 20 minutes. Although he denied that he or Detective Cioffa or Officer Szczech opened any drawers, Detective Quinn conceded that they looked in the various rooms to see if defendant was there and that he found paper napkins and a washcloth on the kitchen floor which he retained. No evidence was adduced at the hearing connecting defendant with this crime or any other crime. Nor was there any testimony indicating that defendant had failed to report to his parole officer or to comply with- any other condition of his parole or