State v. Mahlin

After trial to a jury, the defendant, Bruce R. Mahlin, was found guilty of possession of a controlled substance, cocaine, and of operating a motor vehicle to avoid arrest, and was sentenced to 3 years’ probation. He has appealed and assigned as error that the trial court erred in (1) overruling his pretrial motion to suppress and (2) communicating orally with the jury after submission of the case.

The record shows that on March 12,1988, five officers of the Columbus Police Department and Platte County Sheriff’s Department were on special assignment in and near the parking lot of Wishbones, a…