United States v. Damond Wiley, Jr.

Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit·Decided August 6, 2026·No. 24-2744·Published·Ripple

Opinion

In the

United States Court of Appeals For the Seventh Circuit ____________________ No. 24-2744 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff-Appellee, v.

DAMOND K. WILEY, JR., Defendant-Appellant. ____________________

Appeal from the United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois. No. 3:22-cr-30111 — Stephen P. McGlynn, Judge. ____________________

ARGUED JANUARY 29, 2026 — DECIDED AUGUST 6, 2026 ____________________

Before RIPPLE, LEE, and KOLAR, Circuit Judges. RIPPLE, Circuit Judge. Damond K. Wiley, Jr., conditionally pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm as a felon. He reserved the right to appeal the district court’s de- nial of his motion to suppress evidence obtained during a traf- fic stop as well as the denial of his later motion to reconsider the district court’s refusal to hold an evidentiary hearing on the suppression motion. He now renews those contentions in 2 No. 24-2744

this court. For the reasons set forth in this opinion, we affirm the judgment of the district court. I BACKGROUND A Illinois State Police Troopers Renner and Schlau were on patrol on September 22, 2022, in East St. Louis, Illinois. They observed a blue BMW, driven by Mr. Wiley, turning onto a side street. The troopers followed the BMW as it turned down two more streets. The BMW then backed onto what appeared to be a driveway or a front lot of a property at 439 N. 21st Street. The property was “in a ramshackle state and [did] not have a roof.”1 The BMW pulled slightly forward, onto the street, then backed up again. While the BMW was backing up, the troopers’ cruiser came to a stop near the BMW. The cruiser’s emergency lights were illuminated. After the troopers’ cruiser came to a stop, the BMW ceased movement. At that point, the BMW was po- sitioned with its front wheels slightly on the street and its body totally blocking the sidewalk. 2 The BMW had dark tinted windows, a violation of the Illinois Vehicle Code. 625 Ill. Comp. Stat. 5/12-503. Immediately after the BMW stopped, Mr. Wiley exited the car from the front driver’s seat and closed the door. One of the troopers then told him to get back into the car. Mr. Wiley

1 R.34 at 5 n.1.

2 App. R.25, Ex. 1 at 00:59–01:09 (Dash Camera) [hereinafter Dash Cam-

era]. No. 24-2744 3

instead ran off, away from the street and behind houses along train tracks. Both troopers began to pursue him on foot, but Trooper Renner quickly stopped, returned to the BMW, and opened its front door. Then he walked to his patrol car and radioed for assistance. He also told at least one onlooker to stay away from the BMW. Trooper Renner then returned to the BMW, leaned inside, and retrieved a black .40 caliber pis- tol, which was in plain view on the driver’s seat. After he retrieved the gun, he heard that Trooper Schlau had apprehended Mr. Wiley. Trooper Renner returned to his patrol car again, and while doing so told an onlooker, “Do not touch this car, please.” 3 The onlooker’s response is inaudible, but Trooper Renner then said, “I didn’t know if you knew him.” 4 Trooper Renner then drove the patrol car a few houses down to assist Trooper Schlau. While Trooper Renner was looking in the BMW’s front seat and radioing for help, Trooper Schlau had continued the chase for Mr. Wiley. The two ran behind a few houses and along train tracks. Mr. Wiley then changed directions and turned back toward the street. Trooper Schlau, who had warned Mr. Wiley that he would tase him if he did not stop, then tased Mr. Wiley. Mr. Wiley fell, and Trooper Schlau at- tempted to detain him in a front lot a few houses away from the BMW. Trooper Renner arrived. Trooper Schlau then subdued Mr. Wiley after a few moments of noncompliance and hand- cuffed him. Trooper Renner then radioed for emergency

3 App. R.25, Ex. 2 at 01:38 (Trooper Renner Body Camera).

4 Id. at 01:40. 4 No. 24-2744

medical services because of Mr. Wiley’s wounds from the taser. While waiting for EMS to arrive, some of Mr. Wiley’s relatives approached the scene to speak with the troopers and Mr. Wiley. Trooper Renner told one family member that he had stopped Mr. Wiley because his car had illegal window tinting. 5 Once EMS arrived and began treating Mr. Wiley, he asked the troopers, “What did I do?” 6 Trooper Schlau told him he was “flying down this road,” and they were trying to catch up to him. 7 Mr. Wiley said that he had just “bought the car.”8 Trooper Schlau asked him why he had been driving so fast. Mr. Wiley said, “I’m trying to make sure nothing was wrong with the car.”9 Trooper Schlau told him that was why they stopped him. 10 About two minutes later, Mr. Wiley added, “I didn’t even make it up the street. I was just trying to see how fast it goes. See and make sure nothing’s wrong with it.” 11 He also said that he is “not to have police contact,” that he is “on papers” (probation), and that he is “on bond.” 12

5 Dash Camera, supra note 2, at 07:04.

6 App. R.25, Ex. 3 at 18:40 (Trooper Schlau Body Camera).

7 Id. at 18:44.

8 Id. at 18:48.

9 Id. at 18:54.

10 Id. at 18:56.

11 Id. at 21:09.

12 R.34 at 9. No. 24-2744 5

While Troopers Renner and Schlau were with Mr. Wiley, another Trooper, Wells, conducted a “probable cause search” of the BMW “[d]ue to the odor of raw cannabis emitting from inside the vehicle.” 13 He recovered 289.6 grams of cannabis and a black digital scale with cannabis residue. No weapons or contraband were found on Mr. Wiley’s person. Trooper Renner confirmed through a record check that Mr. Wiley was out on bond for armed violence, unlawful possession of a fire- arm by a felon, and manufacture and delivery of cannabis. He also had been convicted of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon in St. Clair County. After Mr. Wiley’s arrest, the BMW was towed from the scene, “consistent with ISP proto- col.” 14 An inventory search was conducted. After the troopers took Mr. Wiley to jail, Trooper Renner filled out a police report documenting the arrest. The report recites that the troopers first observed the BMW making a right turn without a turn signal. As Trooper Renner followed, the BMW “clearly accelerated at a high rate of speed and was traveling faster than the 35 mile per hour (mph) speed limit ….” 15 Then Trooper Renner saw the BMW make a left turn onto another street, not using a turn signal and failing to stop at a stop sign. As Trooper Renner followed, he saw the BMW backing into the yard of 439 N. 21st Street. Trooper Renner described the BMW as “backing into a yard in front of an abandoned home.” 16 Trooper Renner activated the emer- gency lights as he pulled up to the BMW. Although Trooper

13 R.37-4 at *7.

14 R.34 at 10.

15 R.37-4 at *6.

16 Id. 6 No. 24-2744

Renner told a family member that he pulled Mr. Wiley over for illegal window tinting, the window tint was not men- tioned in the report. However, in a “Prelog Questionnaire” for the Forensic Sciences Command of the Illinois State Police, a copy of which was attached to the arrest report, Trooper Ren- ner described the “case circumstances” as a “[t]raffic stop for illegal window tint and speeding ….” 17 B On September 24, 2022, the Government filed a complaint against Mr. Wiley in the Southern District of Illinois. It charged him with one count: possession of a firearm by a felon, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1). On October 18, 2022, a grand jury indicted Mr. Wiley for the same offense. Then, on December 21, 2022, Mr. Wiley filed a motion to sup- press the evidence obtained during his arrest and the state- ments that he had made afterwards. 18 He also requested an evidentiary hearing on the ground that his motion established material factual disputes with the Government’s position.

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