United States v. Fernandes

161 F. Supp. 3d 1081, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 17933, 2016 WL 591770
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Oklahoma
DecidedFebruary 12, 2016
DocketCase No. 15-CR-185-JED
StatusPublished

This text of 161 F. Supp. 3d 1081 (United States v. Fernandes) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Fernandes, 161 F. Supp. 3d 1081, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 17933, 2016 WL 591770 (N.D. Okla. 2016).

Opinion

[1083]*1083OPINION AND ORDER

JOHN E. DOWDELL, UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

I. Background

Defendant, Elton John Fernandes, is charged with knowingly and intentionally possessing, with intent to distribute, ABFUBINACA (Count One) and XLR11 (Count Two), both of which are listed as Schedule I controlled substances, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(C). Those substances are also known as synthetic cannabinoids. Before the Court are defendant’s two motions to suppress. Defendant requests that the Court enter an order suppressing evidence that was seized during a traffic stop (Doc. 17) and evidence thereafter seized from his residence (Doc. 16). The government responded (Doc. 21, 22). A hearing on the motions was held on February 10 and 11, 2016, and the following witnesses testified: Broken Arrow Police Detective Craig Brown; Broken Arrow Police Detective Michael Jackson; Sapulpa Police Officer Robert Glenn; the defendant’s wife, Vallery Soares; Broken Arrow Traffic Officer John Daniels; and the defendant, Mr. Fernandes.

II. Suppression Proceedings

A motion to suppress is recognized and governed by Rule 12. See Fed. R. Crim. P. 12(b)(3)(C). Pursuant to Rule 12(d), “[w]hen factual issues are involved in deciding a motion, the court must state its essential findings on the record.” This Opinion and Order shall serve as the Court’s essential findings on defendant’s motions to suppress. The purpose of a suppression hearing is to “determine preliminarily the admissibility of certain evidence allegedly obtained in violation of defendant’s rights under the Fourth and Fifth Amendments.” United States v. Merritt, 695 F.2d 1263, 1269 (10th Cir.1982). When making a preliminary determination of the admissibility of evidence, “the court is not bound by evidence rules, except those on privilege.” Fed. R. Evid. 104(a); see also Merritt, 695 F.2d at 1269-70. Thus, “the law is clear that hearsay evidence is admissible at suppression hearings.” United States v. Sanchez, 555 F.3d 910, 922 (10th Cir.2009) (citing United States v. Miramonted, 365 F.3d 902, 904 (10th Cir.2004)).

III.The Suppression Hearing

As the suppression hearing unfolded over the course of two days, the credibility of certain law enforcement witnesses was called into serious question. The events of the second day of the hearing were extraordinary: (1) The government reopened its evidentiary presentation in order to correct materially inaccurate testimony provided by its law enforcement witnesses the day before; and (2) the government had to acknowledge that the testimony of the first defense witness — which was diametrically opposed to the testimony of the government’s law enforcement witnesses on day one — was, in fact, the truth. The Court’s view of the live testimony of all of the witnesses, and its perceptions of the credibility of each, has played a crucial role in the Court’s essential findings of fact herein and, thus, the ultimate result.1

[1084]*1084On day one of the suppression hearing, the government presented the testimony of Detectives Brown and Jackson of the Broken Arrow Police Department and Sapulpa Police Officer Glenn. All three officers are members of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Task Force. Their testimony was largely in lock step as to the October 7, 2014 initiation of a traffic stop of the defendant, the search of his vehicle, the execution of a search warrant upon his home, and the entry of law enforcement into the defendant’s home after the warrant was signed. Detectives Brown and Jackson testified that they were aware of other officers’ surveillance of the defendant’s house the day before, on October 6, 2014, during which other officers had witnessed the defendant retrieve a box from his garage and load it into a newer model Chrysler 300 and then witnessed the defendant travel to four different convenience stores in the Tulsa area.

Brown and Jackson were not involved in the October 6 surveillance, although Jackson had been involved in previous surveillance relating to the defendant in 2013. Jackson testified that he could not recall any evidence of any drug distribution by defendant between June 2013 and October 6-7, 2014, and the Court was not presented any evidence that the officers believed that the events in 2013, standing alone, provided them cause to arrest the defendant or initiate a search of his car or residence in 2014 or, for that matter, back in 2013.

From the early morning hours of October 7, 2014, between 6 and 8 officers were • involved in conducting surveillance of defendant’s home.2 Unlike the day before, Detectives Brown and Jackson were involved in the surveillance. They were aware that several convenience stores had been raided or were being raided that morning by other state and local law enforcement agencies, but the testifying officers were not involved in those raids, and the government did not present any evidence that any items seized in the convenience store raids were illegal or had any specific nexus to the defendant. Brown testified that, from approximately 5 or 6 a.m. to about 11 a.m. on October 7, he was positioned approximately a quarter to a half mile away from defendant’s home, at the intersection of Queens Street and Elm Place in Broken Arrow. The officers knew, from prior police surveillance of defendant’s home, that Brown’s location would be directly in the path of the route that the defendant was known to take out of his neighborhood.

Detective Jackson notified Brown that the defendant was observed exiting through his garage with a white plastic bag, which he placed in his vehicle, and that defendant was headed eastbound toward Brown’s location. Brown testified that he observed defendant fail to signal a turn from Queens Street to Elm Place and thus Brown initiated a traffic stop. Defendant stopped his vehicle and pulled over, and Brown then approached the driver’s side window and asked defendant for his driver’s license and insurance verification. The defendant complied, and Brown asked him to exit the vehicle and join Brown at the rear of defendant’s vehicle.

Jackson arrived one or two minutes after Brown stopped defendant’s vehicle. There were also two uniformed patrol officers who arrived at the scene of the traffic stop while Jackson, Brown, and the defen[1085]*1085dant were standing at the back of defendant’s car. Thus, during much of the stop, there were two unmarked and one marked police vehicles — all with flashing police lights — behind defendant’s car where the defendant was standing by Jackson and Brown. Brown described one of-the two uniformed patrol officers as a rookie and his training officer, whom he did not identify by name, and they stood from 10 to 12 feet behind Jackson, Brown, and defendant.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
161 F. Supp. 3d 1081, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 17933, 2016 WL 591770, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-fernandes-oknd-2016.