Aragon v. Dalton

CourtDistrict Court, D. Utah
DecidedAugust 15, 2023
Docket2:18-cv-00620
StatusUnknown

This text of Aragon v. Dalton (Aragon v. Dalton) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Utah primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Aragon v. Dalton, (D. Utah 2023).

Opinion

THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT DISTRICT OF UTAH

JESUS ELDON ARAGON, MEMORANDUM DECISION AND ORDER Plaintiff, • OVERRULING [129] PLAINTIFF’S v. OBJECTION TO REPORT AND RECOMMENDATION LONNIE COLLINGS, an individual; BRIAN • ADOPTING [128] REPORT AND DANIELSON, an individual; and DOES RECOMMENDATION 1–10, • GRANTING [114] DEFENDANTS’ SECOND MOTION FOR Defendants. SUMMARY JUDGMENT

Case No. 2:18-cv-00620-DBB-DAO

District Judge David Barlow

Before the court is Plaintiff Jesus Eldon Aragon’s (“Mr. Aragon”1) Objection to Report and Recommendation.2 Mr. Aragon objects to the magistrate judge’s recommendation3 to grant Defendants Lonnie Collings (“Officer Collings”) and Brian Danielson’s (“Officer Danielson”) (collectively “Defendants”) Second Motion for Summary Judgment.4 Having reviewed the briefing and law, the court finds that oral argument would not materially assist the court in reaching a decision.5 For the reasons below, the court overrules Mr. Aragon’s objection, adopts the Report and Recommendation, and grants summary judgment in favor of Defendants.

1 Mr. Aragon is sometimes referred to as “Jesse” in Defendants’ depositions. See, e.g., Dep. of Brian Danielson (“Danielson Dep.”) 29:9–22, ECF No. 114-5, filed Dec. 20, 2022. 2 Pl. Obj. to R. & R. (“Obj. to R. & R.”), ECF No. 129, filed July 12, 2023. 3 R. & R. to Grant Defs. Second Mot. for Summ. J. (“R. & R.”), ECF No. 128, filed June 28, 2023. 4 Second Mot. for Summ. J. (“Second MSJ”), ECF No. 114, filed Dec. 20, 2022. 5 See DUCivR 7-1(g). BACKGROUND Mr. Aragon’s mother (the “homeowner”) owned a home (the “Residence”) in Tooele, Utah.6 On April 30, 2014, Mr. Aragon’s brother Robert Daniel Aragon (“Robert”7) informed Tooele City Police Department that Mr. Aragon had broken into the Residence.8 Dispatch relayed to officers a burglary in progress.9 The homeowner informed officers that Mr. Aragon had been evicted from the Residence two weeks earlier and that officers had arrested him for trespassing the previous night.10 She did not want Mr. Aragon in her house and demanded officers remove him.11 Additionally, she told Officer Collings that she was afraid of Mr. Aragon because he had threatened to hurt her.12 She notified officers she had a protective order against Mr. Aragon.13 And she gave officers a house key.14

Robert warned officers “to be careful” because there were knives “stashed around the house” and Mr. Aragon was likely carrying a “big knife.”15 Robert informed Officer Collings Mr. Aragon was “acting crazy, . . . destroying the house, . . . was violent”; and Robert was “very

6 Incident Report 6, ECF No. 114-1, filed Dec. 20, 2022. 7 To avoid confusion, the court refers to the plaintiff as “Mr. Aragon” and the plaintiff’s brother as “Robert.” 8 Incident Report 6, 9; Danielson Dep. 41:13–20. 9 Dep. of Lonnie Collings (“Collings Dep.”) 35:19–24, ECF No. 114-3, filed Dec. 20, 2022. 10 Incident Report 9; Danielson Dep. 41:14–15; Collings Dep. 44:11–14. 11 Incident Report 8; Collings Dep. 41:1–7 (“[She] was insistent that we remove him from the home.”); 45:1–2 (“demanding that we remove [him] from the home”). Mr. Aragon contends these conversations are hearsay. Pl. Resp. in Opp’n to Def. Second Mot. Summ. J. (“Opp’n”) 5, ECF No. 116, filed Jan. 30, 2023. But the statements are not hearsay because they are being offered to show the effect on the listener. See, e.g., United States v. Murry, 31 F.4th 1274, 1292 (10th Cir. 2022), cert. denied sub nom. Ramcharan v. United States, 143 S. Ct. 245 (2022). 12 Collings Dep. 43:25–44:6. 13 Id.; Incident Report 8–9. 14 Incident Report 6, 8–9. 15 Danielson Dep. 42:7–11. concerned about [officers] going into the home.”16 Even so, the homeowner and Robert insisted

officers remove Mr. Aragon from the Residence.17 Officers commanded Mr. Aragon to leave the home.18 Officers also deployed a robot into the house to reconnoiter.19 Through the robot, Robert tried to convince Mr. Aragon to leave.20 Officer Danielson described Mr. Aragon’s responses as “super[-]fast gibberish kind of talking that [he] . . . couldn’t make sense of . . . .”21 Later, officers heard loud banging noises from the home.22 After the unsuccessful attempts to persuade Mr. Aragon to exit, officers discussed removing him in “the most tactful” way.23 Ultimately, they decided to enter the Residence.24 Defendants knew Mr. Aragon was in a bathroom25 but they did not know if he had a weapon or his intentions.26 Officers elected to shoot about twenty-five pepper balls at the bathroom ceiling.27 They hoped the pepper would cause Mr. Aragon to exit.28 About thirty

16 Collings Dep. 39:12–20, 42:6–16; see Danielson Dep. 47:5–8. 17 Collings Dep. 40:5, 41:4–5, 45:1–2, 46:20–47:12, 99:4–1; Danielson Dep. 41:19–20. Mr. Aragon contends these conversations are hearsay. Opp’n 5. The statements are not hearsay because they are offered to show effect on the listener. 18 Collings Dep. 48:8–9. 19 Danielson Dep. 47:17–19. 20 Collings Dep. 40:12–23; Danielson Dep. 47:20–48:8. 21 Danielson Dep. 48:4–8; see Incident Report 6 (“Jesse’s conversation inside the residence was completely irrational, and incoherent making absolutely no sense. Jesse stated he was Jesus Christ, and had been alive for over 2000 years. . . . Jesse again started rambling incoherently, his speech was extremely fast and almost impossible to understand. While Jesse spoke it seemed as if he was talking with two different people, answering his own questions and arguing with himself.”). 22 Collings Dep. 41:5–7, 98:11–24; Collings Bodycamera Footage (“Collings Video”) 0:00–0:25, ECF No. 114-2, filed Dec. 20, 2022 (on file with the Clerk of Court). Officers observed that a sink had been forcibly removed from the bathroom wall. Collings Dep. 60:12–14. 23 Collings Video 0:38–00:42; Collings Dep. 99:4–11 (“I said we’re trying to do this the easiest way without hurting anybody, the most tactful way without damaging anything.”). 24 Collings Dep. 47:10–18. 25 Id. at 46:22–47:3; Danielson Dep. 50:15–17. 26 Collings Dep. 48:3–4; Danielson Dep. 46:19–47:8. 27 Collings Video 4:35–4:45; Collings Dep. 47:22–24. The active ingredient in pepper balls is oleoresin capsicum. Its use is intended to induce coughing, mucus production, and eye irritation. Collings Dep. 50:11–14. 28 Collings Dep. 48:17–18. seconds later, Officer Collings asked, “you want some more, or are you going to come out? Jesse, come out.”29 Mr. Aragon remained in the bathroom.30 About three minutes later, officers decided to breach the bathroom and arrest Mr. Aragon.31 Officers still did not know if he had a knife or other weapon.32 Officer Collings entered the bathroom first with a police shield.33 Mr. Aragon was in the bathtub.34 Officer Collings put the shield over Mr. Aragon to keep him from “swinging or swinging anything[.]”35 At the bottom of the bathtub, Officer Collings saw a hammer or mallet and a drill bit that looked like a shiv.36 Water was spraying and Officer Danielson’s flashlight provided the only light.37 Officers struggled to take Mr. Aragon into custody for over ninety seconds.38 Officer Collings commanded Mr. Aragon to show his hands39 and another officer shouted, “stop resisting.”40 Officer Danielson testified that Mr. Aragon was “kicking, thrashing, [and] rolling.”41

Officer Collings testified that Mr. Aragon pushed on the shield, pulled his hands into his body, and rolled toward the hammer and drill bit, making the officer “very, very nervous.”42 He tried to get control of Mr. Aragon’s hands to apply handcuffs.43 About the same time, Mr. Aragon

29 Collings Video 5:18–5:27. 30 See id. at 5:27–8:13. 31 Collings Dep. 56:4–5. 32 Id. at 48:3–18, 57:8–10 (Q. And you said . . . you were concerned about being stabbed? A. Yes.”), 57:21–58:8; Collings Video 6:17–6:21 (“He didn’t have any weapons, right? We don’t know”). 33 Collings Dep. 56:8–10, 60:6–7; Collings Video 8:06–8:17. 34 Danielson Dep.

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Aragon v. Dalton, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/aragon-v-dalton-utd-2023.