United States v. Clark

294 F. Supp. 44, 1968 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 7971
CourtDistrict Court, District of Columbia
DecidedJune 17, 1968
DocketCrim. No. 605-66
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 294 F. Supp. 44 (United States v. Clark) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, District of Columbia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Clark, 294 F. Supp. 44, 1968 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 7971 (D.D.C. 1968).

Opinion

FINDINGS OF FACT AND CONCLUSIONS OF LAW

GASCH, District Judge.

Pursuant to an order of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, filed March 21, 1968, this Court held an evidentiary hearing in the above-captioned case to augment the trial record with respect to those points enumerated in the remand order. At this hearing, held May 13, 1968, the Court heard the testimony of the following witnesses : Mr. Frank Alberstadt, Mr. Lenard G. Kragh, Lt. Alexander P. Fury, Mrs. Jessie B. Clark, Det. Martin J. Han-non, Det. James K. Kelly, and the defendant David E. Clark. Having considered the totality of the testimony elicited, and having weighed the inconsistencies in the testimony with the Court’s evaluation of each witness, the Court will proceed to render its findings of fact and conclusions of law, in the order indicated by the Court of Appeals.

(1) Time, place, circumstances and legality of appellant’s arrest.

Sometime in the mid-afternoon of Sunday, March 6, 1966, between 2 and 3 o’clock in the vicinity of Logan Circle in northwest Washington, Det. Martin J. Hannon, awaiting the return of Det. James K. Kelly, observed the defendant on the street. He had previously met the defendant at 14th and U Streets, N. W., one day in the preceding month, and believing at that time the defendant was wanted in connection with a matter unrelated to the instant case, had arrested him. When it became apparent that defendant had been mistakenly arrested, Det. Hannon apologized and in the company of Det. Bracey, drove the defendant to his place of employment, the dining room of the Westchester Apartment complex. Upon arriving at the Westchester, Hannon, Bracey, and the defendant engaged in extended conversation over dinner, which conversation included some discussion of the defendant’s troubles with narcotics. Det. Bracey offered to put defendant in touch with a clergyman who he felt could be of some help to the defendant.

When Det. Hannon saw defendant near Logan Circle on March 6, he inquired of him as to why he had not called Bracey about his narcotics problem and offered to drive defendant down to the Metropolitan Police Robbery Squad so that further steps might be taken to bring defendant and the clergyman together. As Det. Kelly had not returned to the car, Hannon and defendant engaged in further conversation about guns, a subject of interest to the defendant Clark. Han-non offered to allow defendant to look at a book maintained by the Robbery Squad [47]*47devoted to this subject. In addition, defendant volunteered the information that he knew of a house nearby where one “Dog” had been filing serial numbers off guns and further that “Dog” and his wife “Vicky” had been dealing in narcotics at this address. When Det. Kelly returned to the car, the three men drove to the Robbery Squad, detouring past a house pointed out by defendant as being the residence of “Dog.” The Court notes that defendant, consistent with the testimony of the officers, admitted this detour but claimed that its purpose was to point out the house where an acquaintance, Jerry Bog, had threatened suicide. While the defendant steadfastly denies agreeing to accompany the detectives to the Robbery Squad, the Court finds that he did in fact do so. Det. Hannon had in mind the dual purpose of cheeking out defendant as a suspect in the instant ease and then attempting, if possible, to use defendant, whom he knew to be acquainted with a segment of the city’s criminal element, as a police agent, defendant having volunteered the information concerning “Dog.” The testimony of Det. Hannon and defendant is absolutely irreconcilable on the matter of defendant’s voluntary agreement to come to headquarters, but the Court notes that at no time until he was identified by Mr. Alberstadt did defendant communicate any desire to any other person either to refrain from coming to the Robbery Squad or to leave once he was there.

During the 1-1y2 hours that defendant spent at the Robbery Squad prior to being identified by Mr. Alberstadt, he was permitted to look at the gun book, and engaged in conversation by the officers present. He Spoke with Det. Bracey on the telephone and began a like conversation with his mother. All of the testimony indicates that defendant was not under any form of spoken or unspoken restraint, but rather that the atmosphere was essentially informal and that no restraint was imposed.

In the meantime, without notifying the defendant, Det. Hannon had requested Mr. Alberstadt, the victim of the robbery in the instant case, to come to the Robbery Squad to view a suspect. This call was made after the arrival of Han-non, Kelly and the defendant. Upon his arrival, at about 4:30 that afternoon, Mr. Alberstadt accosted and identified defendant. Immediately thereafter defendant was arrested.

The Court finds that to some extent, Det. Hannon perpetrated a ruse on defendant in securing his presence for purposes of identification by Mr. Alberstadt. However, as defendant was not under restraint at the time, this ruse is of no consequence. See United States v. Chibbaro, 361 F.2d 365 (3rd Cir. 1966).

In arguing that he was under arrest prior to the identification by Mr. Alberstadt, defendant places great reliance on his subjective opinion of his status at the Robbery Squad. Defendant recognizes not only that subjective beliefs are not necessarily controlling, Hicks v. United States, 127 U.S.App.D.C. 209, 382 F.2d 158 (1967), but also that the Court should consider “what a reasonable man, innocent of any crime, would have thought had he been in the defendant’s shoes,” United States v. McKethan, 247 F.Supp. 324, 328 (D.D.C.1965), affirmed by order (D.C.Cir. No. 20,059, 1966). The Court concludes, upon consideration of these circumstances of defendant’s presence at the Robbery Squad, that the “reasonable man” in McKethcm would not have considered himself under restraint, and moreover that the words and conduct of Det. Han-non and his fellow officers demonstrate the actual absence of an arrest status. Defendant demonstrated an unduly suspicious nature through his unsubstantiated assertions that he was viewed by many others on Sunday, March 6, but more importantly, by his own testimony, convinced the Court that he himself did not- consider himself under arrest that afternoon before being identified by Mr. Alberstadt. Defendant’s demeanor makes it adequately clear that he is not the type of man who would be intimi[48]*48dated into putting up with a situation with which he is not entirely satisfied. However, he made no effort to enlist the aid of his mother or the attorney who had represented him in prior involvements with the law. If he had considered himself under arrest at the time, it is reasonable to expect that he would have sought assistance promptly either from his mother or his attorney. Defendant’s call to his mother, placed immediately before the arrival of Mr. Alberstadt, did not become a call in the nature of a request for assistance until after he knew that he was about to be identified by the victim of the crime. Having observed the defendant testify both at trial and at the remand hearing, the Court is convinced that some form of vocal or physical restraint would have been necessary to hold David Eugene Michael Clark at the Robbery Squad had he not been there of his own free will. There is no evidence of any such restraint.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

State v. James
677 A.2d 734 (Supreme Court of New Jersey, 1996)
United States v. MacIo Singleton
702 F.2d 1159 (D.C. Circuit, 1983)
Middleton v. United States
401 A.2d 109 (District of Columbia Court of Appeals, 1979)
United States v. Noble
2 M.J. 672 (U S Air Force Court of Military Review, 1976)
United States v. Joseph Russell Johnson, Jr.
502 F.2d 1373 (Seventh Circuit, 1974)
United States v. Frank W. Winston
447 F.2d 1236 (D.C. Circuit, 1971)
Donald Wayne Searles v. State of Minnesota
428 F.2d 1188 (Eighth Circuit, 1970)
Grant v. State
446 S.W.2d 620 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1969)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
294 F. Supp. 44, 1968 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 7971, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-clark-dcd-1968.