State v. Pickens

2012 Ohio 2901
Ohio Court of Appeals·Decided June 22, 2012·No. 11CAA090085·Published·Cited by 2 cases

Opinion

[Cite as State v. Pickens, 2012-Ohio-2901.]

COURT OF APPEALS DELAWARE COUNTY, OHIO FIFTH APPELLATE DISTRICT

STATE OF OHIO : JUDGES: : : Hon. Patricia A. Delaney, P.J. Plaintiff-Appellee : Hon. William B. Hoffman, J. : Hon. Julie A. Edwards, J. -vs- : : Case No. 11CAA090085 MARCUS A. PICKENS : : : Defendant-Appellant : OPINION

CHARACTER OF PROCEEDING: Appeal from the Delaware County Court of Common Pleas, Case No. 10CR-I-04-0253

JUDGMENT: AFFIRMED

DATE OF JUDGMENT ENTRY: June 22, 2012

APPEARANCES:

For Appellant: For Appellee:

DAVID H. BIRCH CAROL O’BRIEN 286 South Liberty St. DELAWARE COUNTY PROSECUTOR Powell, OH 43065 DOUGLAS DUMOLT 140 N. Sandusky St., 3rd Floor Delaware, OH 43015 [Cite as State v. Pickens, 2012-Ohio-2901.]

Delaney, J.

{¶1} Appellant Marcus A. Pickens appeals from the judgment of the Delaware

County Court of Common Pleas overruling his motion to suppress. This appeal is

related to State v. Tywhon L. Butler, Fifth District Court of Appeals, Delaware County

case number 11CAA100092. Appellee is the state of Ohio.

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

{¶2} The following facts are adduced from a two-part suppression hearing.

The state’s testimonial evidence at the suppression hearing came from two witnesses:

Detective Jason Doty of the Delaware Police Department, whose investigation and

surveillance led to the traffic stop challenged in this appeal, and Sgt. Larry Dore of the

Delaware County Sheriff’s Department, who performed the traffic stop upon

information provided by Doty.

Surveillance of Steven Simpkins

{¶3} This case arose when law enforcement targeted an individual named

Steven Simpkins for investigation. Simpkins is a black male with a light complexion;

he is described as less than six feet tall and weighs approximately 180 pounds.

{¶4} Over the course of two days in April, 2010, Detective Jason Doty

conducted surveillance on Simpkins throughout Marion, Columbus, and Delaware

County, Ohio. Doty had located a vehicle he believed Simpkins drove, but he had not

actually seen Simpkins. Doty learned the address of Simpkins’ girlfriend, Chiquita

Brown, and officers decided to watch the house. Delaware County, Case No. 11CAA090085 3

{¶5} On April 22, 2010, Doty looked for Simpkins in Marion, Ohio. On West

Center Street,1 Doty saw a black male come out of a house wearing a black cap, white

shirt, and black pants. Doty took pictures of this individual, and another detective,

Detective Cox, identified the man in the pictures as Simpkins.

{¶6} Doty was not personally familiar with Simpkins and did not recognize him

on sight, therefore he showed the picture to Cox for confirmation of Simpkins’ identity.

Cox also told Doty Simpkins had a warrant for his arrest.

{¶7} Doty took several pictures of Simpkins as he walked down the street.

Eventually Simpkins was picked up by someone driving a Chevy Malibu. Chiquita

Brown was known to drive a Malibu. Doty lost sight of Simpkins and the Malibu

briefly.

{¶8} Doty then followed the Malibu to East Mark Street, where it stopped at

the house known to be Chiquita Brown’s. He did not see the occupants of the Malibu

get out and go inside, but they did because the car was empty. Doty set up

surveillance on Brown’s house, waiting for the black male to leave.

{¶9} As he watched, Doty saw a “smaller vehicle,” later described as a black

Hyundai, drive eastbound on East Mark Street and perform a U-turn in front of

Brown’s house. A black male came out of the house wearing a black cap, white shirt,

and black pants. This individual got into the right front passenger seat of the car and it

drove away. Doty, trying not to attract attention, did not look into the car as it passed

him and was therefore unable to describe the occupants of the car.

1 Testimony on this point is confusing to this Court, just as it was to the trial court. It is unclear whether Doty initially saw the subject exit a house on West Mark Street or West Center Street, but this point ultimately proves insignificant in the analysis. Delaware County, Case No. 11CAA090085 4

{¶10} Doty radioed to other officers in the area that Simpkins was in the car,

leaving the area, and the surveillance team began to follow the car through Marion,

southbound on U.S. Route 23 to the city of Delaware. At one point the car stopped

and picked up another black male dressed in all red that got into the rear left

passenger seat.

{¶11} Doty advised the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office by radio that Simpkins

was in the right front passenger seat of the car and had a warrant for his arrest for

robbery. Doty and the surveillance team wanted sheriff’s deputies to make the stop so

their surveillance vehicles would not be detected. Doty personally stayed out of the

area when the traffic stop was made and did not see the stop effectuated.

The Traffic Stop

{¶12} Sgt. Larry Dore of the Delaware County Sheriff’s Department was

working on April 22, 2010, when he heard a call on the radio from the Simpkins

investigators. The information Sgt. Dore received was that an individual named

Simpkins, a black male, was a passenger in the right front seat of a maroon2 vehicle

southbound on U.S. Route 23, and Simpkins had a warrant for robbery.

{¶13} Sgt. Dore spotted the vehicle and saw it pull into a gas station. Sgt.

Dore’s cruiser was one of three immediately on the scene, and Sgt. Dore was the first

to approach the vehicle.

{¶14} He walked up to the front passenger seat and escorted the passenger

out of the vehicle. Sgt. Dore was focused on this individual because he believed him

to be the robbery suspect described over the radio. Sgt. Dore observed the individual

reaching into his waistband, so Sgt. Dore grabbed his wrist and pinned him to his 2 This apparent discrepancy is addressed infra. Delaware County, Case No. 11CAA090085 5

cruiser. Sgt. Dore then removed a loaded 9-millimeter handgun from the individual’s

left waistband.

{¶15} Another loaded weapon was found in the rear seat of the car, tucked

underneath the driver’s seat, in front of the rear passenger seat from which another

black male had been removed.

{¶16} Sgt. Dore continued to pat down his suspect, and in addition to the

loaded handgun, found marijuana, powder cocaine, and a rock of cocaine.

{¶17} At some point, Sgt. Dore stated to the individual, “You are wanted for

robbery.” At the suppression hearing, Sgt. Dore did not remember that the man had

any response; he recalled that the individual made no statements to him. The man did

not resist the arrest.

{¶18} At some point, the individual Sgt. Dore removed from the car was

identified as appellant Marcus A. Pickens. The rear male passenger was identified as

co-defendant Tywhon Butler.

{¶19} Steven Simpkins was not in the vehicle.

The Aftermath of the Traffic Stop

{¶20} A car from the surveillance team pulled up at the scene of the traffic

stop. When they learned Simpkins was not in the car, they left immediately.

{¶21} When Doty learned Simpkins was not in the suspect vehicle, he and

other officers on the surveillance team drove back to Marion and made contact with

the Marion Police Department and Marion County Sheriff’s Department. Marion

detectives knocked on Chiquita Brown’s door and were given permission to enter. Delaware County, Case No. 11CAA090085 6

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