United States v. Anderson

CourtCourt of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
DecidedMay 30, 1997
Docket96-3221
StatusPublished

This text of United States v. Anderson (United States v. Anderson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Anderson, (10th Cir. 1997).

Opinion

F I L E D United States Court of Appeals Tenth Circuit PUBLISH MAY 30 1997 UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS PATRICK FISHER Clerk TENTH CIRCUIT

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,

Plaintiff - Appellee, v. No. 96-3221 ANTHONY E. ANDERSON,

Defendant - Appellant.

APPEAL FROM THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF KANSAS (D.C. NO. 95-CR-40065)

Derek M. Wright, Atlanta, Georgia, for Appellant.

James E. Flory (Jackie N. Williams, United States Attorney, and T. G. Luedke, Assistant United States Attorney, on the brief), Topeka, Kansas, for Appellee.

Before ANDERSON, TACHA, and BRORBY, Circuit Judges.

ANDERSON, Circuit Judge.

Defendant Anthony Anderson was indicted on September 20, 1995, for knowingly

possessing with intent to distribute approximately six kilograms of cocaine, in violation of

21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1). His motion to suppress evidence and his motion for discovery were denied by the district court. He then pleaded guilty to the offense, reserving the

right to appeal the denial of his motion to suppress, and received a 120-month prison

sentence. We affirm.

BACKGROUND

On April 8, 1995, Mr. Anderson was driving a Chevy Suburban, with California

license plates, eastbound on Interstate 70 in Saline County, Kansas. Because of

construction on the Interstate, traffic going each direction was routed into a single lane.

At approximately 11:20 a.m., Kansas Highway Patrol Trooper David Heim observed the

Chevy Suburban traveling eastbound in the single lane of traffic. As recorded by the

video-audio tape running in Trooper Heim’s police car,1 the officer believed the Suburban

was being operated in violation of Kansas vehicular laws because it was following too

closely the car in front of it.2 Trooper Heim pulled the Suburban over. He told the driver,

Mr. Anderson, that he had stopped him because he was “less than a second off the vehicle

Trooper Heim’s camera was mounted just right of center at the top of his 1

windshield. Tr. of Mots. Hr’g at 50, 107, Appellant’s App. Tab T. 2 Kan. Stat. Ann. § 8-1523(a) provides as follows:

The driver of a motor vehicle shall not follow another vehicle more closely than is reasonable and prudent, having due regard for the speed of such vehicles and the traffic upon and the condition of the highway.

Trooper Heim testified at the suppression hearing that he was particularly concerned about cars following too closely in a construction zone, because accidents are more likely to occur. Tr. of Mots. Hr’g at 16-17, Appellant’s App. Tab T.

-2- that was in front of you.” Tr. of Videotape at 1, Appellant’s App. Tab VT. During the

course of the stop, Mr. Anderson essentially admitted that he had been following the car

in front too closely.3

The trooper asked Mr. Anderson if the car belonged to him, to which Mr.

Anderson responded that it was his uncle’s car. Trooper Heim then asked Mr. Anderson

to step out of the vehicle and sit in the officer’s patrol car. The female passenger in the

Suburban remained in the vehicle. When Mr. Anderson left the Suburban, Trooper Heim

3 The transcript of the audio portion of the encounter contains the following:

DRIVER: And what they did, they kind of slowed up and he kind of caught me up a little bit, but I was only going 45. .... DRIVER: Well, I was -- you know, he -- they slowed up, I been -- you know, he kind of hit his brakes and he came off and he kind of caught me up on him, but I --. .... OFFICER [HEIM]: I just put you on a watch there, and there for a while you were a second and all the sudden I think you were less than one second.

DRIVER: Yeah, because I think he got choked up ahead.

OFFICER [HEIM]: Uh-huh.

DRIVER: And then that caused everybody to kind of back up a little bit and I caught myself being a little bit closer to him, that’s why I backed off of him again, because they broke -- I had broken down back and forth.

Tr. of Videotape at 1-3, 6, Appellant’s App. Tab VT.

-3- noticed he was wearing a pager. Mr. Anderson and the trooper sat inside the officer’s

patrol car.

Trooper Heim asked for and received Mr. Anderson’s driver’s license and vehicle

registration papers. A computer check indicated all were valid. When asked where he

was going, Mr. Anderson said that he was going to visit a nephew in Ohio. Trooper Heim

returned to the Suburban to check its vehicle identification number, and, while there,

asked the female passenger, later identified as Francina Herd, where they were driving.

She stated “Oh, well, he’s going to see about a job at J.B. Hunt and Company.” Id. at 3.

The following interchange then occurred:

OFFICER [HEIM]: Oh, where’s that at?

PASSENGER: I’m not sure.

OFFICER [HEIM]: You don’t know where you guys are going?

PASSENGER: Well, we’re going through -- I guess we’re going through Alabama.

PASSENGER: And -- I’m not sure. You’ll have to ask him, all I’m doing is riding.

OFFICER [HEIM]: Oh. Who are you to him?

PASSENGER: I’m his girlfriend. Id. at 4. While talking to Ms. Herd, Trooper Heim noticed a cellular phone, a radar

detector and a CB radio in the Suburban and detected the scent of air fresheners.

-4- Trooper Heim then returned to his patrol car and began writing a warning citation.

He told Mr. Anderson that he could return to his car, and Mr. Anderson replied, “Oh,

that’s okay. I’ll just -- you know, because I’m applying for (inaudible). I’m applying

with J. B. Hunt.” Id. Mr. Anderson remained in the patrol car. Trooper Heim asked for

another officer to come to his location as back-up, telling the dispatcher that “[t]he traffic

is kind of heavy behind me, kind of keep them off of me.” Id. at 5. The trooper and Mr.

Anderson then discussed the traffic violation, and the officer asked Mr. Anderson how

long they were going to be on their trip, to which Mr. Anderson responded they would

probably be gone “to next weekend . . . . probably about six more days.” Id. at 6.

When he finished writing the citation, Trooper Heim returned Mr. Anderson’s

driver’s license and registration papers. He told Mr. Anderson the citation was “just a

written warning.” Id. at 7. The officer then asked Mr. Anderson if he was carrying any

narcotics. Mr. Anderson responded that he was not. The officer asked if he could search

the Suburban, stating “[w]e got a lot of drugs coming out of California.” Id. Mr.

Anderson answered, “Yeah, well, we’re not drugs (sic). I’m a commercial truck driver

and I’m trying to apply with J.B. Hunt in Arkansas, so4 -- and she’s 45 years old. And

you can -- if you want to scout around, fine.” Id. Both the officer and Mr. Anderson got

out of the patrol car.

At this point in the conversation, Officer Heim actually interrupted Mr. Anderson 4

with another request to search: “Okay. Well, can I take a look in your vehicle?” Tr. of Videotape at 7, Appellant’s App. Tab VT.

-5- During his search of the car, Trooper Heim noticed missing screws in the back of

the Suburban, and the floor “built up.” Id. at 8. When he had difficulty opening the

tailgate, Mr. Anderson assisted him in trying, unsuccessfully, to open the tailgate. When

the trooper looked underneath the vehicle, he noticed fresh paint, new hoses and clamps,

and fresh tool marks on and around the gas tank. Mr. Anderson then said, “[W]hat’s the

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