United States v. Gonzalez-Guytan

419 F. App'x 848
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
DecidedApril 6, 2011
Docket10-5090
StatusUnpublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 419 F. App'x 848 (United States v. Gonzalez-Guytan) 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. Gonzalez-Guytan, 419 F. App'x 848 (10th Cir. 2011).

Opinion

ORDER AND JUDGMENT **

TIMOTHY M. TYMKOVICH, Circuit Judge.

Juan Gonzalez-Guytan was convicted of possession with intent to distribute marijuana and conspiracy to commit the same. A law enforcement officer had stopped Gonzalez-Guytan after observing his failure to yield to an emergency vehicle while driving. Evidence uncovered during the traffic stop was presented at his trial. On appeal, he challenges the district court’s denial of his motion to suppress evidence from the traffic stop and argues the officer who stopped his vehicle lacked probable cause.

After a careful review of the record, we conclude the district court properly denied the motion to suppress. Gonzalez-Guytan failed to yield and immediately pull over after an officer driving behind him activated his emergency lights and siren, as required by Oklahoma law. The traffic stop was valid based upon this observed traffic violation. Having jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1291, we AFFIRM.

I. Background

Based on a tip from a confidential informant, the Tulsa County Drug Task Force identified an apartment as a distribution point for the storage and sale of large quantities of methamphetamine and marijuana. The informant also told officers to expect a load of marijuana to be transported in a white van from the apartment. He identified one of the drug dealers as a Hispanic male.

During surveillance of the apartment, a blue pickup truck stopped at the apartment complex, and a Hispanic man entered the apartment. Later, two Hispanic men left the apartment, with one driving off in a white van and the other following in a blue pickup.

The surveillance team decided not to immediately stop the vehicles but followed them in hopes of gaining additional information. Due to heavy traffic and a concern they could lose the vehicles, the officers decided to stop the white van, which they believed contained contraband marijuana. An officer in a nearby patrol car *850 pulled into traffic with two vehicles between him and the white van and blue pickup. The officer activated his vehicle’s emergency lights and siren, and the two vehicles quickly moved out of the way, leaving only the white van followed by the blue pickup ahead.

At that point, the blue pickup did not yield or immediately pull over. The officer followed for approximately one half-mile before he could drive around the blue pickup truck and stop the white van. The driver was taken into custody and a search of the van revealed five bales of marijuana (approximately 500 pounds), freezer bags, and scales.

A second officer, following behind the first officer, observed him activate his vehicle’s lights and siren and noticed the blue pickup did not immediately pull over. After the blue pickup finally pulled over, the second officer stopped it for failure to yield to an emergency vehicle. Gonzalez-Guy-tan was driving the blue pickup truck. During the stop, he could not produce a driver’s license and stated he was in the United States illegally. He was taken into custody and a visual inspection of the vehicle revealed several rolls of vacuum sealing plastic and a digital scale.

Gonzalez-Guytan was indicted on one count of possession with intent to distribute marijuana and one count of conspiracy to commit the same. He filed a motion to suppress the evidence and statements obtained as a result of the traffic stop, arguing the stop was not supported by probable cause or a reasonable articulable suspicion that a traffic violation had occurred. A magistrate judge held a hearing on-the motion to suppress and issued a report and recommendation, recommending the motion be denied. After considering Gonzalez-Guy-tan’s objections, the district court adopted the report and recommendation.

A jury found Gonzalez-Guytan guilty on both counts and he was sentenced to 78 months’ imprisonment. He timely appealed.

II. Discussion

Gonzalez-Guytan argues the officer who stopped his vehicle lacked probable cause. We disagree. The traffic stop was valid because the officer observed Gonzalez-Guytan’s failure to yield to an emergency vehicle that had activated its emergency lights and siren, as required by Oklahoma law.

“When reviewing a district court’s denial of a motion to suppress, we accept the district court’s factual findings unless clearly erroneous and consider the evidence in the light most favorable to the government.” United States v. Hams, 369 F.3d 1157, 1165 (10th Cir.2004). “However, the ultimate determination of reasonableness under the Fourth Amendment is a question of law we review de novo.” Id.

We assess the legality of a traffic stop under the principles established in Terry v. Ohio, 392 U.S. 1, 88 S.Ct. 1868, 20 L.Ed.2d 889 (1968). United States v. Polly, 630 F.3d 991, 997 (10th Cir.2011). Generally, we conduct two inquiries: (1) whether the traffic stop “was justified at its inception,” and (2) whether “the resulting detention was reasonably related in scope to the circumstances that justified the stop in the first place.” Id. (quotations omitted). Gonzalez-Guytan only challenges the legality of the traffic stop, and thus we must examine whether the stop was justified at its inception.

“A traffic stop is justified at its inception if an officer has (1) probable cause to *851 believe a traffic violation has occurred, or (2) a reasonable articulable suspicion that a particular motorist has violated any of the traffic or equipment regulations of the jurisdiction.” United States v. Winder, 557 F.3d 1129, 1134 (10th Cir.2009). “[A]n individual officer’s subjective intentions are irrelevant to the Fourth Amendment validity of a traffic stop that is justified objectively by probable cause to believe that a traffic violation has occurred.” City of Indianapolis v. Edmond, 531 U.S. 32, 45, 121 S.Ct. 447, 148 L.Ed.2d 333 (2000); see also United States v. Orduna-Mar-tinez, 561 F.3d 1134, 1137 (10th Cir.2009) (“The trooper’s subjective intent or good faith do not affect the reasonableness of the stop.”). Even if an officer has a subjective motive for a traffic stop, this “will not ‘invalidate[ ] objectively justifiable behavior under the Fourth Amendment.’ ” Polly, 630 F.3d at 997 (quoting Whren v. United States, 517 U.S. 806, 812, 116 S.Ct. 1769, 135 L.Ed.2d 89 (1996)) (alteration in original).

Oklahoma law provides:

Upon the immediate approach of ...

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Bluebook (online)
419 F. App'x 848, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-gonzalez-guytan-ca10-2011.