Powell v. Nunley

682 F. Supp. 2d 1260, 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3060, 2010 WL 152142
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Oklahoma
DecidedJanuary 14, 2010
DocketNo. CIV-08-0753-HE
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 682 F. Supp. 2d 1260 (Powell v. Nunley) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Powell v. Nunley, 682 F. Supp. 2d 1260, 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3060, 2010 WL 152142 (W.D. Okla. 2010).

Opinion

ORDER

JOE HEATON, District Judge.

The claims in this case arise from the execution of an otherwise valid search warrant on the wrong house. Law enforcement officials obtained a search warrant for 110 W. Osage in Marlow, Oklahoma, correctly believing that to be the address of the person they were investigating. Through circumstances discussed more fully below, the warrant was executed by a search on the adjacent property — 106 W. Osage — occupied by plaintiffs Tim and Heather Powell.

Plaintiffs assert claims against Todd Nunley, an agent of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (“ATF”), seeking redress for alleged constitutional violations pursuant to Bivens v. Six Unknown Agents of Federal Bureau of Narcotics, 403 U.S. 388, 91 S.Ct. 1999, 29 L.Ed.2d 619 (1971). They assert similar constitutional claims against Rodney Richards, then a Stephens County deputy sheriff, and against the Sheriff of Stephens County, pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983. The amended complaint references violations of the First, Fourth, and Fourteenth Amendments to the Constitution.1 Plaintiffs also assert state law claims for trespass, intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress, and assault and battery against all defendants. The individual state defendants are sued in both their individual and official capacities. All defendants have moved for summary judgment.

Summary Judgment Standard

Summary judgment should be granted where — in light of the pleadings, discovery materials, and any affidavits — there is no “genuine issue” as to any “material fact” and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Fed. R. Civ. Pro. 56(c)(2). The court must review the evidence, and draw all reasonable inferences therefrom, in the light most favorable to the nonmoving party. In re Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., 395 F.3d 1177, 1189 (10th Cir.2005). The court may not make determinations of credibility nor weigh evidence, and must disregard all evidence favorable to the movant that the trier of fact would not be required to believe. Gossett v. Oklahoma, 245 F.3d 1172, 1175 (10th Cir.2001). Mere conclusory allegations, without evidentiary support, do not create a genuine issue of fact. L & M Enters., Inc. v. BEI Sensors & Sys. Co., 231 F.3d 1284, 1287 (10th Cir.2000).

Summary judgment “necessarily implicates the substantive evidentiary standard of proof that would apply at the trial on the merits.” Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 252, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986). Where the nonmoving party bears the burden of proof at trial, as the plaintiff does in this case, he cannot rely on his pleadings to defeat summary judgment; instead, he must put forth evidence sufficient to create a genuine issue of material fact. Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 322, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986). Nevertheless, the moving party must demonstrate its entitlement to judgment as a matter of law.

Factual Background

The facts in this case are, for the most part, undisputed. There is no dispute [1264]*1264that, in May 2007, the Duncan, Oklahoma, police department was investigating the burglary of a residence. The items stolen included several firearms, including a machine gun, leading to the eventual involvement of Agent Nunley and the ATF in the investigation. The investigation led to a suspected participant in the burglary, Jody Mitchell, who eventually told officers that he participated in the burglary along with Gary Shannon. According to Mitchell, Shannon had the stolen weapons at his house located in Marlow. Mitchell did not know the street address but identified it on a map which he drew of the immediate area. He also described the location to the officers, based on its relationship to a nearby railroad track, a stop light, a curve in the road, an alley, and the presence of a trailer-type outbuilding or camper behind the Shannon residence.

After the interview with Mitchell, Duncan detective John Byers contacted two other police officers who were more familiar with the Marlow area to locate and identify the Shannon residence. According to Byers, one officer (Marlow P.D. Officer Smith) identified the road that Shannon lived on (Osage Road) and the second (Duncan P.D. Officer Williams) confirmed the street, indicated he thought Shannon lived there with his mother, and described the location as (in Byer’s words) “the second house from the curve....”2 During this same general time frame, defendant Richards, who also attended the initial interview with Mitchell, asked another deputy sheriff (Aguilera) to contact his wife, who worked for the Marlow Utilities Department, and verify where Shannon had utility service. Richards and Aguilera testified that Aguilera’s wife confirmed that Shannon received utility service at 110 W. Osage.3 Plaintiffs do not dispute that the above information was shared with Agent Nunley.

Some time after the Mitchell interview, Agent Nunley and a Duncan P.D. captain (Evans) drove to Marlow to locate the Shannon house. They identified what they thought was 110 W. Osage based on Mitchell’s description of the house and the location on the map he drew.4 They noted the existence of a trailer located in back of, and situated somewhere between, what they thought was 110 W. Osage and the residence to the west, but could not determine to which property the trailer belonged. They noted that the property they thought was 110 W. Osage (but which was in fact 106 W. Osage) had an unkept [1265]*1265or rundown look to it,5 while the adjacent property (actually 110 W. Osage) was well groomed. Both officers testified they did not observe street numbers on the property.6 They took a picture of the property they thought was the target location.

Based on the above and other information, Nunley secured a no knock search warrant from a federal magistrate judge. The warrant identified the property to be searched as “the residence of [Shannon] located at 110 W. Osage Road, Marlow,” attached a copy of the photo taken by the officers, and included directions as to how to get to the property.

At approximately midnight on the evening of June 27, 2007, the search warrant was executed by forced entry into the Powell home at 106 W. Osage. The tactical team from the Stephens County Sheriffs office was enlisted to make entry into and secure the residence, with the expectation that Nunley would conduct the actual search. Nunley waited outside while the house was entered. The tactical team broke open the front door and entered with weapons drawn, loudly shouting for Shannon in addition to giving other shouted instructions. Mr. and Ms. Powell were in bed, unclothed and asleep, when the officers forced their way into the house. Mr.

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Bluebook (online)
682 F. Supp. 2d 1260, 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3060, 2010 WL 152142, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/powell-v-nunley-okwd-2010.