Harris v. Friedline

585 F. Supp. 734, 1983 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10515
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Virginia
DecidedDecember 22, 1983
DocketCiv. A. No. 83-0640-R
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 585 F. Supp. 734 (Harris v. Friedline) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Virginia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Harris v. Friedline, 585 F. Supp. 734, 1983 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10515 (E.D. Va. 1983).

Opinion

OPINION

WARRINER, District Judge.

This action was filed on 20 October 1983. Essentially plaintiff alleges a claim in the nature of false imprisonment when he was charged, arrested and held in jail pending a preliminary hearing on rape, burglary, and robbery. To this common law claim asserted under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 plaintiff appends an assertion that he is a black person and the victim of the rape was a white person. He alleges, without elaboration, that “[t]he willingness of the defendants to effect, tolerate, and continue the false imprisonment” was based upon the racial circumstance.

Named as a defendant was the police officer, Friedline, who investigated the crime, swore out the arrest warrant, and executed the warrant for the arrest of plaintiff. Also named a defendant is the Chesterfield County Chief of Police, Pittman. Next plaintiff names as a defendant the Sheriff of Chesterfield County, Wingo, who, pursuant to orders issued by appropriate judicial officers, confined plaintiff in the Chesterfield County Jail. Next, plaintiff named as a defendant an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney, Shaffer, who argued before the Court on a bail reduction motion that the bail should not be reduced. Plaintiff also named Shaffer’s superior, the Commonwealth Attorney for the County of Chesterfield, Watson.

On 5 December the defendants filed their several motions for summary judgment adequately supported by briefs, affidavits, and exhibits.1 Plaintiff has failed to respond within the time required by Local Rule 11(F). The Court will consider the motions on the present state of the record.

Defendants adequately summarized the factual basis for their several motions and in setting forth the undisputed facts I will largely paraphrase defendants’ briefs.

It is undisputed that Mrs. Emily Coleman, age 73, was asleep on the sofa in her daughter’s home on Hickory Road in Chesterfield County between 4:00 and 4:30 a.m. on 8 August 1982. She awoke to find a person pressing down upon her as she lay on the sofa. He put a knife to her throat [736]*736and told her he would kill her if she did not submit to him. For the next 30 to 40 minutes he proceeded to rape her. Following this bestial act, he placed a cover over Mrs. Coleman’s face and warned her that if she looked out from under the cover he would kill her. He robbed her of a gold necklace around her neck and stole some other articles in the room. While he was doing this Mrs. Coleman, with great pluck, looked out from under the cover and observed her assailant.

When he left, the county police were immediately contacted. The assailant was described as a black male approximately six feet tall, young, and wearing a white shirt open at the collar. The police responded immediately and spotted an automobile in the neighborhood containing as a passenger a black male generally meeting the description. When the officer turned on his light the automobile sped off, ran a stop light without slowing, turned in a residential driveway, and finally stopped at the rear of the dwelling. The officer followed and there encountered plaintiff. While plaintiff was not wearing a white shirt open at the collar, he was wearing a white jacket open at the collar. It gave the appearance of being a shirt.

At the officer’s request plaintiff consented to go to the police station for examination to obtain evidence which might inculpate him or exculpate him in the burglary, rape, and robbery. At the police station plaintiff permitted the taking of an oral swab, pubic hair combings and other such types of material. He also consented to take a lie detector test but before that could be set up he stated that he wanted to go home. He was thereupon taken home. He and the driver of the car later did take lie detector tests. The driver of the automobile gave indications that he was lying when he said that he had been with plaintiff during the relevant period. Plaintiff gave indications that he was lying when he denied his participation in the crimes.

Plaintiff was photographed at the station house. His photograph was set in a photographic array containing the photographs of six other persons similar in appearance. This array was taken to Mrs. Coleman later in the day and she identified plaintiff’s photograph as being that of her assailant. Officer Friedline then appeared before a magistrate and swore to the facts known to him at the time. On that basis the magistrate issued a warrant for plaintiff’s arrest. He was arrested the same day. The next morning plaintiff was taken before a magistrate, informed of the charges against him, and a bond was set.

Material taken from plaintiff at the station house and material taken from the scene of the rape were sent to the State forensic unit for evaluation. A hearing was set for 29 September before the General District Court for a determination as to whether probable cause existed to bind plaintiff over to the grand jury. In the meantime, counsel was appointed to represent plaintiff and plaintiff was lodged in the Chesterfield County jail.

On motions for a reduction in bond and on motions for continuances, plaintiff was removed from the jail and taken before a judicial officer on 9 August, 29 September, 1 October, 3 November, 10 November, and 15 November. The continuances were occasioned by delay in obtaining a report from the forensic unit and as a result of the incapacity of Mrs. Coleman to appear and testify. Mrs. Coleman experienced a rapid deterioration in her health following the rape. She suffered from chronic kidney poisoning requiring continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis. In addition she suffered from hypertension and diabetes, intermittent episodes of fainting, moderately severe anemia, and depression. Her medical condition was reported by her treating physician as being “quite serious.”

In light of plaintiff’s inability to make even the modest bond set and in view of Mrs. Coleman’s inability to appear, on 15 November plaintiff was released on his personal recognizance.

Mrs. Coleman had been removed to Pensacola, Florida, but at the expense of the Commonwealth she was flown to Chesterfield, along with her daughter, for the con[737]*737tinued preliminary hearing set for 1 December. On direct examination at the hearing Mrs. Coleman pointed out plaintiff as the man who had raped and robbed her. Later she became confused and on cross-examination she was unable to describe her attacker and she stated she was “not sure” whether it was Harris. Mistakenly or not, the general district court judge determined there was not probable cause to send the matter on to the grand jury. He dismissed the charges. Apparently the Commonwealth’s Attorney has not chosen to present the matter to the grand jury on his own authority.

One has to almost catch his breath upon realizing that upon the above undisputed facts, plaintiff seeks damages against the defendants in the sum of $100,-000. One would think he would be ashamed to file suit in the face of facts replete with constitutional, statutory, and common law regularity, order, and process. The most that plaintiff can claim, under these facts, is that he was subject to misidentification. Nothing in the Constitution protects us from this manifestation of human frailty. See Baker v. McCollan, 443 U.S. 137, 99 S.Ct. 2689, 61 L.Ed.2d 433 (1979).

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Related

Harris v. Friedline
745 F.2d 51 (Fourth Circuit, 1984)

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Bluebook (online)
585 F. Supp. 734, 1983 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10515, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/harris-v-friedline-vaed-1983.