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People v. Ramos, Docket No. 4,080 (Mich. Ct. App. May 29, 1969)

Factual and Procedural Background

John Vasquez Ramos was tried before the court without a jury and convicted of carrying a concealed weapon in violation of CL 1948, § 750.227 (Stat Ann 1962 Rev § 28.424). The conviction was appealed to the Michigan Court of Appeals (Docket No. 4,080). The case was submitted January 8, 1969, at Grand Rapids and decided May 29, 1969. The trial judge was John T. Letts in Kent County. The panel on appeal comprised Levin, P.J., and Holbrook and Danhof, JJ.

Pertinent facts: On the evening of February 4, 1967, defendant's wife complained to police that her husband had threatened her, that he had a revolver, and that he had gone to the 503 Bar. Police transmitted this information; an officer who knew the defendant approached Ramos at the bar, asked "Where is the gun, John?"; after an initial denial Ramos pointed toward his belt and said "It is in my belt." The officer reached under Ramos' coat and seized a .38 Smith & Wesson revolver. Ramos was arrested and later convicted of carrying a concealed weapon without a license. On appeal Ramos raised four specific questions (detailed below).

Legal Issues Presented

  1. Should the Smith and Wesson .38 revolver have been suppressed as evidence because it was obtained as the result of an unreasonable search and seizure?
  2. Should the defendant's reply to officer Jaeger that the gun was in his belt have been suppressed because of the Fifth and Sixth Amendments to the United States Constitution as applied to the State of Michigan under the Fourteenth Amendment?
  3. Did the trial judge improperly refuse to hear testimony in support of defendant's motion to suppress?
  4. Was the testimony of Sidney W. Nastaj concerning a radio report from the Michigan State police post in East Lansing, Michigan, as to the fact that no permit had been issued to defendant to carry a concealed weapon, hearsay, and if so, was it prejudicial?

Arguments of the Parties

Defendant's Arguments

  • Police should have given Miranda warnings before asking "Where is the gun, John?" and thus the question and any evidence derived from it (the revolver) should have been suppressed.
  • The defendant's verbal reply that the gun was in his belt should be suppressed under the Fifth and Sixth Amendments (as incorporated by the Fourteenth Amendment).
  • The trial judge improperly refused to hear further testimony in support of the motion to suppress.
  • The testimony by Sidney W. Nastaj about a radio report that no permit had been issued to defendant was hearsay and prejudicial.

Table of Precedents Cited

Precedent Rule or Principle Cited For Application by the Court
Miranda v. Arizona (1966), 384 U.S. 436 (86 S Ct 1602, 16 L Ed 2d 694, 10 ALR3d 974) Requirement to advise suspects of constitutional rights before custodial interrogation. The court held Miranda warnings were not required in the circumstances because officers reasonably believed the defendant was armed and dangerous and acted to disarm him to prevent harm; thus suppression on Miranda grounds was not warranted.
Terry v. Ohio (1968), 392 U.S. 1 (88 S Ct 1868, 20 L Ed 2d 889) Police may act on "specific and articulable facts" to investigate and take measures for officer safety (stop and protective search principles). The court applied Terry's reasoning to uphold the officers' investigation, the limited search/disarming effort, and the admissibility of the defendant's statement identifying the gun's location.
People v. Braswell (1968), 12 Mich. App. 685 Context of admissibility/proof regarding concealed weapon licensing (as cited by the court). Used by the court in discussing admissibility and prejudice of hearsay testimony about a license inquiry; the court concluded admitting the radio report was error but not prejudicial under the governing licensing proof rules.

Court's Reasoning and Analysis

Issue 1 (search and seizure): The court determined the officers had reasonable cause to believe defendant was armed and dangerous, based on the wife's report. Because the officers reasonably relied on that information and faced a potential risk, they were permitted to attempt to disarm the defendant without issuing Miranda warnings first. The court emphasized that police need not take unnecessary risks in performing their duties. On that basis the court ruled the revolver need not be suppressed.

Issue 2 (defendant's statement): The court applied the same reasoning as for issue 1. The officers were making a proper investigation based on "specific and articulable facts" (citing Terry v. Ohio). The inquiry was proper and the defendant's statement that the gun was in his belt was admissible. The trial judge properly refused to suppress both the statement and the gun. The court also cited Const 1963, art 1, § 11 in this context.

Issue 3 (refusal to hear further testimony): The trial judge concluded that further testimony would not have produced a basis for a favorable ruling on the suppression motion. The Court of Appeals agreed, finding the complaint to police sufficient to justify the officers' investigation and noting the officers had a duty to investigate under the circumstances.

Issue 4 (hearsay and prejudice): The court held that the proffered testimony about a radio report from the Michigan State police post could not be received as substantive evidence that the defendant lacked a license; it was only admissible to show that an inquiry was made. Admission of the report was error, but the court found it was not prejudicial because the prosecution's burden was only to show the defendant lacked a license in his county of residence (CL 1948, § 769.26), not in every county. The county clerk's records, which showed no record of a concealed weapon license for the defendant in the county, were properly received and supported the prosecution's case.

Overall, after reviewing the record, the court found no prejudicial error in the trial proceedings.

Holding and Implications

Affirmed.

Holding: The Court of Appeals affirmed the conviction, concluding (1) the revolver was properly seized and not subject to suppression, (2) the defendant's statement identifying the gun's location was admissible, (3) the trial judge did not err in refusing further suppression testimony, and (4) the erroneous admission of the radio report was not prejudicial in the context of the record.

Implications: The direct effect is that the defendant's conviction for carrying a concealed weapon without a license was upheld. The opinion applies established authorities (including Miranda and Terry) to the facts but does not purport to establish a new legal rule beyond those applications; no broader precedent was announced by the court beyond its application of existing precedents to these facts.

PEOPLE v. RAMOS

HOLBROOK, J.

The defendant herein appeals his conviction before the court without a jury of the crime of carrying a concealed weapon in violation of CL 1948, § 750.227 (Stat Ann 1962 Rev § 28.424).

"Any person who shall carry a dagger, dirk, stiletto or other dangerous weapon except hunting knives adapted and carried as such, concealed on or about his person, or whether concealed or otherwise in any vehicle operated or occupied by him, except in his dwelling house or place of business or on other land possessed by him; and any person who shall carry a pistol concealed on or about his person, or, whether concealed or otherwise, in any vehicle operated or occupied by him, except in his dwelling house or place of business or on other land possessed by him, without a license to so carry said pistol as provided by law, shall be guilty of a felony, punishable by imprisonment in the state prison for not more than 5 years, or by fine of not more than 2,500 dollars."

He raises on appeal four questions which will be stated and dealt with herein.

Pertinent facts appear to be as follows: Sometime in the early evening of February 4, 1967, a complaint was made by the defendant's wife to the police which occasioned a visit by a policeman to the residence situated at 1064 Caulfield avenue, S.W., in the city of Grand Rapids. She reported to the policeman that her husband had threatened her, that he had a revolver and had left for the 503 Bar situated at 503 S. Division in the city of Grand Rapids. The policeman dispatched this information over the radio. Other officers proceeded to the 503 Bar to investigate the complaint and one of the officers who knew the defendant testified in part:

"Q. Did you have occasion at that time then to go up to Mr. Ramos?

"A. Yes, I did. I walked up to Mr. Ramos. I said, `Where is the gun, John?' and he stated, `I don't have any gun.' I said, `Come on now, where is it?' He said, `It is in my belt,' and he pointed down toward the belt.

"Q. The person that you had the conversation with that you just testified about, is he present in the court room this morning?

"A. Yes, he is.

"Q. Would you point to him, please?

"A. The gentleman sitting to Mr. Miner's right.

"Mr. Brander: May the record show the witness has identified the defendant in this case, your Honor?

"The Court: So ordered.

"Q. After Mr. Ramos directed your attention to his belt area, what did you do?

"A. I reached in under his coat and grabbed the .38 revolver from his belt."

Defendant thereupon was placed under arrest and taken to police headquarters. 1. Should the Smith and Wesson .38 revolver have been suppressed as evidence because it was obtained as the result of an unreasonable search and seizure?

It is the defendant's claim that before asking the question "Where is the gun, John?" the police should have warned him of his constitutional rights under the decision of Miranda v. Arizona (1966), 384 U.S. 436 ( 86 S Ct 1602, 16 L Ed 2d 694, 10 ALR3d 974). We do not think the police had any such obligation. The police had reasonable cause to believe that the defendant was armed and dangerous. This belief was based on information received from the defendant's wife. They had a right to rely on this information for it appeared to them to be reliable information. The police were not obligated to advise the defendant of his constitutional rights before making an effort to disarm him to prevent him from injuring the police officers or someone else present. Police officers are not required to take unnecessary risks in the performance of their duties. 2. Should the defendant's reply to officer Jaeger that the gun was in his belt have been suppressed because of the Fifth and Sixth Amendments to the United States Constitution as applied to the State of Michigan under the Fourteenth Amendment?

Terry v. Ohio (1968), 392 U.S. 1 ( 88 S Ct 1868, 20 L Ed 2d 889).

This Court rules that the reasoning that we applied to the first issue raised by defendant is also applicable to this issue. The police officers were making a proper investigation as to the complaint that they had received as to "specific and articulable facts." The inquiry was a proper one and the answer of the defendant was properly admissible. We rule that the trial judge properly refused to suppress either the defendant's statement to the police concerning the location of the gun or the gun itself. See also, Const 1963, art 1, § 11.

Terry v. Ohio, supra.

Terry v. Ohio, supra.

3. Did the trial judge improperly refuse to hear testimony in support of defendant's motion to suppress?

It did not appear to the trial judge that any testimony that might have been the basis for a favorable ruling on the defendant's suppression motion would have been forthcoming had further testimony been allowed. We agree with the trial judge that the complaint made to the police was sufficient for the police to make further investigation under the facts in this case. The police had a duty to investigate the facts of the complaint under the circumstances and they are commended for having done so.

4. Was the testimony of Sidney W. Nastaj concerning a radio report from the Michigan State police post in East Lansing, Michigan, as to the fact that no permit had been issued to defendant to carry a concealed weapon, hearsay, and if so, was it prejudicial?

The proffered testimony could not be received as substantive evidence to establish the fact that the defendant did not have such a license in the State of Michigan. The testimony could only be offered to show that an inquiry was made but the results of the inquiry, i.e., the report was inadmissible. It was error to so admit it but not prejudicial because the people did not have the burden of proving that the defendant did not have a license to carry a concealed weapon in any county of the State, but only that he did not have a license in the county of his residence. CL 1948, § 769.26 (Stat Ann 1954 Rev § 28.1096). See also, People v. Braswell (1968), 12 Mich. App. 685.

Mr. William H. Fitzsimmons, a keeper of the county clerk's records testified as follows: "Q. Do you maintain files on those persons who are entitled to carry concealed weapons?

"A. Yes.

"Q. Did you have occasion to check those files recently?

"A. Yes.

"Q. Were you able to determine whether the defendant in this case, Mr. John Ramos, had a license to carry a concealed weapon?

"A. We haven't any record of him having obtained a concealed weapon license through our office.

"Q. Does he have a license to carry a concealed weapon for purposes of hunting and target practice?

"A. Nothing as far as our records show.

"Q. There is nothing on your records to indicate he had a concealed weapon permit?

"A. That's right.

"Mr. Brander: I have no further questions.

"Cross-examination

"By Mr. Miner: "Q. You are only testifying as to what your records show, is that correct?

"A. Yes."

MCLA § 28.426 (Stat Ann 1969 Cum Supp § 28.93) provides in part as follows:

"The prosecuting attorney, the sheriff and the commissioner of the Michigan state police, or their respective authorized deputies, shall constitute boards exclusively authorized to issue licenses to applicants residing within their respective counties, to carry pistols concealed on the person and to carry pistols, whether concealed or otherwise, in any vehicle operated or occupied by said applicants."

There was evidence in the case showing that Mrs. Ramos who made the complaint to the police was residing in the city of Grand Rapids at 1064 Caulfield avenue, S.W. From this and other evidence it could be inferred that Mr. and Mrs. Ramos were residents of the city of Grand Rapids, residing at 1064 Caulfield avenue, S.W., of Kent county.

After a careful review of the record in this case we are constrained to rule that there was no prejudicial error.

Affirmed.

All concurred.

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PEOPLE v. RAMOS
(May 29, 1969)