Branson v. Newburgh Police Department

849 F. Supp. 2d 802, 2011 WL 2845589
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Indiana
DecidedJuly 18, 2011
DocketNo. 3:09-cv-00154-RLY-WGH
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 849 F. Supp. 2d 802 (Branson v. Newburgh Police Department) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Indiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Branson v. Newburgh Police Department, 849 F. Supp. 2d 802, 2011 WL 2845589 (S.D. Ind. 2011).

Opinion

ENTRY ON DEFENDANTS NEW-BURGH POLICE DEPARTMENT’S AND TOWN OF NEW-BURGH’S MOTION FOR PARTIAL SUMMARY JUDGMENT

RICHARD L. YOUNG, Chief Judge.

Defendants, Newburgh Police Department (“NPD”) and the Town of Newburgh (the “Town”) (collectively, “Defendants”), move for partial summary judgment as to all claims except Plaintiff Kara Branson’s (“Branson”) state law tort claim for assault. Specifically, Defendants claim first, that no grounds for imposing civil liability exist, because Defendants did not violate the Fourth Amendment of the United States ■ Constitution; second, that due to the absence of any unconstitutional policy, practice or custom, no basis for imposing municipal liability exists; and third, that any state law tort claims, other than Bran-son’s state law tort claim for assault, are not cognizable or are barred by immunity under the Indiana Tort Claims Act (“ITCA”). For the reasons set forth below, the court GRANTS in PART and DENIES in PART Defendants’ motion for partial summary judgment.

[806]*806I. Facts

1. Brett E. Sprinkle (“Chief Sprinkle”) is Chief of Police with the Newburgh Police Department. (Affidavit of Brett E. Sprinkle (“Sprinkle Affidavit”) ¶ 1).

2. On November 10, 2007, Chief Sprinkle investigated and interviewed a suspect (the “Informant”) regarding his involvement in the crimes of robbery and cocaine possession. (Id. at ¶ 2).

3. After conducting an initial interview with the Informant, which was transcribed (Exhibit 1 to Sprinkle Affidavit), Chief Sprinkle interviewed the Informant again. (Id. at ¶¶ 3-4).

4. During the second interview, the Informant told Chief Sprinkle that he purchased the cocaine that was in his possession earlier from Josh Price (“Price”) at 214 Washington Street, Newburgh, Indiana (the “Residence”), where Branson resided. (Id. at ¶4). The $300 used to purchase the cocaine was obtained earlier in a robbery at Knob Hill Tavern. (Id.). Branson was at the Residence when the Informant purchased the cocaine from Price. (Id.). The Informant knew cocaine would be at the Residence, because he had seen Branson walking down the street earlier, stopped her to ask whether Price was at the Residence, and was told that Price would be there later. (Id.).

5. After the second interview, Chief Sprinkle orally applied for a warrant to search the Residence, and conveyed to the Honorable Keith A. Meier (“Judge Meier”) the information conveyed to him by the Informant. (Sprinkle Affidavit ¶ 5; Exhibit 2 to Sprinkle Affidavit (“Transcript of Hearing”)).

6. Judge Meier issued a search warrant for the Residence. (Sprinkle Affidavit ¶ 6; Exhibit 3 to Sprinkle Affidavit (“Search Warrant”)). The warrant authorized officers executing the search to enter with force if the officers are not admitted following an announcement of their authority and purpose. (Search Warrant, at 2).

7. On November 11, 2007, at approximately 11:30 p.m., Chief Sprinkle executed the search warrant along with Officers Chad Bailey (“Officer Bailey”), Jon Scully (“Officer Scully”), Mike Perry (“Officer Perry”), and Sergeant Darrel Healy (“Sgt. Healy”). (Sprinkle Affidavit ¶ 4). Chief Sprinkle and Officers Bailey and Scully approached the front door, while Sgt. Healy watched the back of the apartment. (Id.). At the front door, Chief Sprinkle knocked loudly four times and announced “Police Search Warrant” twice, after which Officer Bailey began to count out loud for ten (10) seconds. (Id.).

8. After the countdown, Chief Sprinkle began to kick the front door of the Residence to gain entry, but before forcible entry could be achieved, a white male opened the door. (Sprinkle Affidavit ¶ 8).

9. Upon gaining entry, Chief Sprinkle and Officers Bailey and Scully performed a quick sweep to find the Residence’s occupants, Branson and Farmer, who identified themselves. (Id. at ¶¶ 9-10). Branson was wearing a pair of boxer shorts and a t-shirt with no bra and no panties. (Affidavit of Kara Branson (“Branson Affidavit”) ¶ 4).

10. Chief Sprinkle read Branson and Farmer their Miranda rights and had each of them read an Advice of Rights form. (Sprinkle Affidavit ¶ 10; Affidavit of Chad Bailey (“Bailey Affidavit”) ¶3). After representing that they understood the form, Branson and Farmer signed the forms. (Sprinkle Affidavit ¶ 10). At this time, Chief Sprinkle also provided Branson and Farmer with a copy of the search warrant. (Id. at ¶ 11).

11. Branson then voluntarily told Chief Sprinkle that she had some marijuana in [807]*807her dresser drawer. (Sprinkle Affidavit ¶ 12; Bailey Affidavit ¶ 4).

12. After Branson became upset at the discovery of sex toys and videos, because they were unrelated to the marijuana she admitted having in her apartment (Bran-son Affidavit ¶ 10), Chief Sprinkle alleges that Branson was taken to a patrol car with the heat running. (Sprinkle Affidavit ¶ 13). Although Farmer initially cooperated, Chief Sprinkle alleges that he became argumentative when confronted with evidence that he had not been truthful; therefore, he was also taken to a patrol car with the heat running. (Id.). Chief Sprinkle also alleges that Sgt. Healy watched Branson and Farmer in the patrol cars while Chief Sprinkle and Officers Scully, Bailey, and Perry searched the Residence. (Id. at ¶ 14).

13. Branson disputes ever being placed in the patrol car with the heat running, instead alleging that she was never allowed to leave the Residence. (Branson Affidavit ¶ 9).

14. Branson also contends in her version of the events that “police busted in the door to [her] apartment, began searching and tearing everything up, accusing [her] and [her] boyfriend of dealing drugs, kicked [her] cat, spat in her sink, assaulted [her], and told [her] [her] boyfriend was going to jail if [she] did not admit to possessing marijuana,” but told her no one would go to jail if she just admitted to -it. (Defendants Exhibit C (“Branson’s Answer to Interrogatories”), at 3; Branson Affidavit ¶ 3).

15. Finally, Branson alleges that Officer Bailey patted her down, starting at her shoulders, moving under her arms and around her breasts, taking longer than necessary with her breasts. (Branson’s Answer to Interrogatories, at 4-5; Bran-son Affidavit ¶ 4). Then, he patted down her waist, down the outside of her legs to her bare feet, and then down the inside of her legs, starting in the groin area all the way down to her feet. (Id.) Officer Bailey’s fingers went under her boxer shorts to bare flesh, and he penetrated her vaginal area with his fingers, smirking the whole time. (Id.) He also stated that he thought she lived there alone and that he heard Sammy had moved out. (Id.)

16. Chief Sprinkle denies any knowledge of any touching or search of the person of either Branson or Farmer, because their night clothes did not present a .threat to the officers.

17. The search of the residence uncovered the following: an automatic knife, a wooden box commonly used to hold marijuana, a clear plastic bag containing a green, leafy substance for which a field test was positive for marijuana, a pill identification book, and a brass smoking pipe commonly used to smoke marijuana with a burnt residue smelling of marijuana, all found in the bedroom, and a metal cigarette case containing a Bic pen casing, small scales, and an Allen wrench with marijuana residue found in a file, cabinet in the kitchen.

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