State v. Westbrook

Defendant appeals from conviction of illegal possession of narcotics. Defendant was arrested in the home where he had lived for several years, at a time when officers executed a search warrant. The state contended that defendant operated a “shooting gallery” — a place where drug addicts come to purchase shots of narcotics, administered on the premises.

The testimony of one officer was that as he broke through the rear door of the residence he saw defendant throw papers from one of his pockets, and that one such paper contained heroin. Other heroin was found in balloons that were in a…