Shroyer v. United States

904 F. Supp. 2d 914, 2012 WL 5267995, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 151874
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Indiana
DecidedOctober 23, 2012
DocketCivil No. 1:10-CV-211-TLS
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 904 F. Supp. 2d 914 (Shroyer v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Indiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Shroyer v. United States, 904 F. Supp. 2d 914, 2012 WL 5267995, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 151874 (N.D. Ind. 2012).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

THERESA L. SPRINGMANN, District Judge.

The Plaintiff, Crystal M. Shroyer, on behalf of herself and her minor children, J.S. and S.S., has sued the United States of America, the City of Fort Wayne, and individual officers of the Fort Wayne Police Department (FWPD). She claims that on May 1, 2009, agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and officers from the FWPD surrounded her home and seized her in violation of the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution and the tort laws of the State of Indiana. The Defendants have moved for summary judgment.

BACKGROUND

The Plaintiff initiated this lawsuit on June 28, 2010, and filed a First Amended Complaint on December 27, 2010. The Plaintiff has sued the United States of America in its representative capacity for the actions of its agents, which she alleges violated the tort laws of the state of Indiana. The three ATF officers that the Plaintiff sued in their individual capacities, ATF Special Agent (SA) Sean T. Skender, Task Force Officer (TFO) Miguel G. Riv[917]*917era, and TFO Michael C. Tapp, were previously dismissed for insufficient service of process. The Amended Complaint also names the City of Fort Wayne and several FWPD officers in their individual capacities: Sergeant Joel C. Squadrito; Officer Eric M. Thompson; Sergeant Gregory L. Stier; and Detective Matthew Harrison. The Plaintiff alleges that these individual officers are hable to her under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 for participating in an unlawful seizure in violation of the Fourth Amendment. She alleges that the City of Fort Wayne is hable under Indiana law for the torts of its police officers.

On March 2, 2012, the United States of America filed its Motion for Summary Judgment [ECF No. 61] and Memorandum in Support [ECF No. 62], with attached exhibits. Defendants Squadrito, Stier, Harrison, Thompson, and the City of Fort Wayne also moved for summary judgment [ECF No. 63] and filed a Memorandum in Support [ECF No. 64], The Plaintiff filed a Response in Opposition [ECF No. 65] and Answer Brief [ECF No. 66]. Both the United States and the Fort Wayne Defendants filed a Reply [ECF Nos. 71, 72], The Fort Wayne Defendants also filed a Supplemental Designation of Evidence [ECF No. 73]. In response to this supplemental evidence and the Defendants’ reply briefs in support of summary judgment, the Plaintiff filed a Sur-Response [ECF No. 78].

MATERIAL FACTS

Steven Shroyer is the Plaintiffs husband. In May 2008, the ATF began an investigation focused on Mr. Shroyer’s suspected illegal activities. On March 23, 2009, ATF agents arrested Mr. Shroyer on charges related to firearms and narcotics. In addition, members of law enforcement believed that he was a participant in the white supremacist movement. On Thursday, April 30, one such officer, FWPD Officer Frederick Ray, spoke to Mr. Shroyer while he was detained at the jail. According to Officer Ray, Mr. Shroyer told him that “his people” had six cases of C-4 military explosives,1 and that there were a large number of skin heads in Fort Wayne who were armed and would not hesitate to shoot law enforcement officers. When Officer Ray referenced the recent influx of skin heads, Mr. Shroyer stated that things were going to get crazy. He told Officer Ray to talk to his wife, Crystal, for more specific details.

After finishing his conversation with Mr. Shroyer, Officer Ray went to the Shroyer house, which is located in a residential area of Fort Wayne, to speak to the Plaintiff about the white supremacist movement in the Fort Wayne area and the report of C-4 explosives. Officer Ray contends that the Plaintiff and three young men with shaved heads came to the door. Officer Ray told the Plaintiff that he had talked to her husband. She did not provide him any information in response to questions about the local white supremacist movement but, according to Officer Ray, nodded her head in an affirmative motion when he mentioned C-4 explosives.

[918]*918The Plaintiff remembers that Officer Ray talked to her about a gang coming to town, but maintains that he did not say anything about explosives. (C. Shroyer Dep. 106, ECF No. 65-1 at 12.) Mr. Shroyer also denies that he said anything about having C-4 explosives to Officer Ray. (S. Shroyer Dep. 4, ECF No. 65-5 at 1.)

Officer Ray relayed his conversations with the Shroyers to Detective Harris who, in turn, told SA Skender. SA Skender was already familiar with Mr. Shroyer from the ATF investigation that preceded his arrest. On July 3, 2008, during the course of the ATF investigation, SA Skender was listening to a conversation between Mr. Shroyer, an undercover ATF agent, and a confidential informant when he heard Mr. Shroyer say that he was trying to obtain some C^4 explosives. SA Skender had also personally observed tattoos on Mr. Shroyer, a swastika and SS bolts, which he believed suggested affiliation with a white power movement. Detective Harris told SA Skender that when Officer Ray attempted to talk to the Plaintiff, the three men remained at the door and she was hesitant to speak. SA Skender contacted Sergeant Stier, the Hazardous Devices Unit Supervisor for the Fort Wayne Police Department, and briefed him on the situation. They determined that it was important to contact the Plaintiff about the C-4 and perhaps search the residence to eliminate the potential safety threat to her and the other residents in the area. SA Skender requested that Fort Wayne police officers serve as back-up for a “knock and talk” with the Plaintiff at her home.2 On Friday, May 1, SA Skender, TFO Rivera, and TFO Tapp went to the Shroyers’ residence on behalf of the ATF. Officer Thompson, Detective Harris, and Sergeant Squadrito provided back-up by assisting in securing a perimeter around the Plaintiffs house. Sergeant Stier was also present.

Between 9:30PM and 10:00PM, the officers approached the house and situated themselves on three sides. TFO Tapp and Officer Thompson were carrying long guns in the low ready position. Another agent was in the front of the house on the far side of the sidewalk behind a tree with his firearm pointed toward the ground. SA Skender and Sergeant Squadrito approached the front door with their guns holstered. Inside the house were the Plaintiff and her two children, William Martin, Jessica Brown (Martin’s girlfriend), Andrew Snyder (the Plaintiffs brother), Felicia Sthrol (the Plaintiffs cousin) and Danielle Campbell, a friend who also had her elementary age daughter with her. Another friend’s young daughter was also visiting at the time. The Plaintiffs brother was the first to notice the officers outside, and exclaimed that there was a guy outside pointing a gun at the window of the room where the kids were playing. Martin went to the front door and spoke briefly with the officers, who requested to speak with the Plaintiff. Martin called for the Plaintiff to come outside because there were cops at the door for her, and the Plaintiff went out on the front porch to talk to SA Skender.

SA Skender identified himself to the Plaintiff and advised that he was there because the ATF and FWPD had information that the house possibly contained some explosives, C-4, and he wanted to come in, find it, and remove it for safety concerns. The Plaintiff denied there was any C-4 in the house and said that the [919]*919officers could not come in without a warrant. Over the course of the next hour,

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Bluebook (online)
904 F. Supp. 2d 914, 2012 WL 5267995, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 151874, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/shroyer-v-united-states-innd-2012.