TDCAA    TDCAA Community  Hop To Forum Categories  Criminal    Grand jury testimony as PC
Go
New
Find
Notify
Tools
Reply
  
Grand jury testimony as PC Login/Join 
Member
posted
Hypothetical: I am the prosecutor for a case being investigated by a grand jury. Uncooperative witness is subpoenaed to grand jury. In the grand jury, witness provides testimony that establishes probable cause to believe that physical evidence is located in a particular private residence at the current time. Upon leaving grand jury room, witness refuses to answer any further questions from me or other invetigators.

Assuming the only information I have to support the conclusion that the evidence is to be found at the stated location, can I obtain a search warrant based on the testimony given in the grand jury proceedings? Art. 20.02 says I can disclose it to do my duty, but I have to inform any person to whom I disclose it that it is secret. I could tell the judge who issues the search warrant not to disclose the information, but the PC affidavit is supposed to be a public record.

Any thoughts?
 
Posts: 622 | Location: San Marcos | Registered: November 13, 2003Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
posted Hide Post
have the affiant disclose the facts but not that the source of those facts was grand jury testimony
 
Posts: 130 | Location: Texas | Registered: October 12, 2006Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
posted Hide Post
To be on the safe side, I would attach an order to the search warrant affadavit for the judge to sign ordering disclosure of the grand jury testimony. Once the information is in the affadavit and the affadavit is executed, all of the information in the affadavit becomes public record. I would be reluctant to expose myself to the attack that I dad revealed secret grand jury testimony without a court order to do so.
 
Posts: 126 | Location: Bryan, Texas | Registered: October 31, 2001Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
posted Hide Post
quote:
Originally posted by DJC:
have the affiant disclose the facts but not that the source of those facts was grand jury testimony


I don't think that works. If that were the case, the oath of secrecy would be pretty hollow if all you had to do to talk about it was omit the fact that you were in the grand jury when you heard it.

quote:
Originally posted by Shane Phelps:
To be on the safe side, I would attach an order to the search warrant affadavit for the judge to sign ordering disclosure of the grand jury testimony.


Shane, does the judge have the authority to issue an order permitting the State to make grand jury testimony public? I know the defendant can ask for it to be disclosed, but I don't see a provision for the State to do the same thing.
 
Posts: 622 | Location: San Marcos | Registered: November 13, 2003Reply With QuoteReport This Post
  Powered by Social Strata  
 

TDCAA    TDCAA Community  Hop To Forum Categories  Criminal    Grand jury testimony as PC

© TDCAA, 2001. All Rights Reserved.