United States v. Haynesworth

879 F. Supp. 2d 305, 2012 WL 3043007, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 102998
District Court, E.D. New York·Decided July 24, 2012·No. No. 12-CR-86 (WFK)·Published·Cited by 2 cases

Opinion

DECISION AND ORDER

WILLIAM F. KUNTZ, II, District Judge.

INTRODUCTION

The United States Supreme Court held in Mapp v. Ohio, 367 U.S. 643, 81 S.Ct. 1684, 6 L.Ed.2d 1081 (1961) that no evidence obtained as a result of an unlawful search and seizure may be used in a criminal prosecution. Judge, later Justice, Benjamin Cardozo summarized the exclusionary rule in his iconic phrase: “The criminal is to go free because the constable has blundered.” People v. Defore, 242 N.Y. 13, 21, 150 N.E. 585 (1926). The motion to suppress the gun discovered and the statements made after arrest present the question of whether or not the constables blundered. After hearing the parties and the witnesses to the events in this case, after assessing the credibility of those witnesses, after reviewing the authorities cited by counsel and after determining the facts material to the resolution of the motion, this Court has a one word answer to the question presented: No. These constables did not blunder. This criminal does not go free. The motion to suppress is denied.

BACKGROUND

Defendant Roy Haynesworth (“Defendant”) was indicted on January 30, 2012 on one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm in violation of 18 U.S.C § 922(g)(1). Defendant moves pursuant to Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure 12(b)(3) and 41(h) to suppress the firearm, ammunition, and statements made by Defendant.

The Court held a suppression hearing on May 3 and 4, 2012 (the “Hearing”). The Government presented four witnesses: New York City Police Department (“NYPD”) Officers Robert Schmidt (“Offi[307] cer Schmidt”), Gerard Maharaj (“Officer Maharaj”), Astrida Reid (“Officer Reid”), and Lieutenant Patrick Welsh (“Lieutenant Welsh”). Defendant presented six witnesses: NYPD Officers Schmidt and Lakisha Langley (“Officer Langley”); Aron Coleman (“Coleman”), the manager of the Rite Aid pharmacy located at 1679 Bed-ford Avenue in Brooklyn (the “Rite Aid”); Special Agent Patricia McGrane of the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (“Special Agent McGrane”); Phillip Martin (“Martin”), an investigator for the Federal Defenders of New York; and Defendant himself.

Upon consideration of the motion, evidence, and post-hearing briefing, this Court denies the motion by Defendant in its entirety for the reasons stated below.

FINDINGS OF FACT

At approximately 9:30 a.m. on December 28, 2011, Coleman placed a 911 call to report two black males had stolen cold medicine from the Rite Aid. Gov’t Ex. 8; Suppression Hearing Transcript (“Tr.”), at 301:20-21. Coleman described one of the men as wearing a blue jacket and blue pants and the other as wearing a black hat and black pants. Gov’t Ex. 8. Coleman stated the two men exited the store and fled in the direction of Empire Boulevard. Id.

The NYPD. radio dispatcher relayed the information from Coleman’s 911 call over the dispatch system at approximately 9:31 a.m. Gov’t Ex. 9, at 0:45-2:00. The dispatcher relayed a larceny in progress at the Rite Aid involving medication and not involving weapons. Id.; Tr., at 13:1-10. At the time of the dispatch, Officer Maharaj and Officer Schmidt were patrolling the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn where the Rite Aid was located. Tr., at 10:8-12:9. The area surrounding the Rite Aid is predominately African-American. Tr., at 50:6-7.

Officers Schmidt and Maharaj responded to the Rite Aid and spoke briefly with Coleman.. Tr., at 13:19-14:22; 35:13-18; 81:24-82:12. Coleman provided the officers with additional descriptions of the two perpetrators. Id. At the Hearing, Officer Schmidt testified Coleman stated one of the men wore a red hat and the other wore a shiny, blue bubble jacket. Tr., at 14:25-15:1; 39:11-18. Officer Maharaj testified Coleman stated one of the men wore a red hat, but could not recall any additional description. Tr., at 82:2-12. Coleman testified he could not recall the descriptions he provided the officers in the Rite Aid. Tr., at 303:6-25; 315:11-317:19. The officers did not ascertain at that time the amount of medication stolen and therefore were not in a position to determine whether the larceny was a felony or a misdemeanor. Tr., at 38:10-11; 127:11-24. After speaking briefly with Coleman, the officers left the Rite Aid to canvass the area. Tr., at 16:5-22.

Upon leaving the Rite Aid, approximately seven minutes after Coleman’s 911 call. Officer Schmidt radioed that the suspects ran south towards Sullivan Place and east towards Nostrand Avenue. Gov’t Ex. 9, at 5:30-6:40. Officer Schmidt provided further description of “male, black red baseball hat blue shiny bubble jacket.” Id. Officer Schmidt testified he “should have given a description of two individuals, one wearing a red baseball hat and the other wearing a shiny blue bubble jacket. But the way [he] put it over the radio, it sounded like it was for one individual.” Tr., at 65:22-66:1.

While canvassing the area in their patrol car,' Officers Maharaj and Schmidt observed Defendant walking east on Sullivan Place between Bedford Avenue and Stoddard Place, away from the Rite Aid. Tr., at 17:13-18:2; 46:12-15. Defendant was alone. Tr., at 47:1-2. Defendant was [308] wearing a red baseball hat, grey hooded sweatshirt with black trim, blue jeans, red sneakers, and carrying a Burger King bag. Tr., at 47:3-17; Def.’s Ex. A; Gov’t Ex. 5A. The officers circled the block and, when they saw Defendant again, he had turned up another street, Stoddard Place, and raised the hood of his sweatshirt over his head. Tr., at 19:15-20:9. It was suspicious to the officers that Defendant raised his hood over his red hat. Tr., at 20:7-9. Because Defendant partially matched the description provided to the officers, was in the vicinity of the Rite Aid shortly after the alleged larceny, and behaved in a manner the officers found suspicious by raising the hood of his sweatshirt over his head, the officers stopped the Defendant to conduct a show-up. Tr., at 19:6-20:9; 25:12-26:2; 85:9-86:14.

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United States v. Haynesworth, 879 F. Supp. 2d 305, 2012 WL 3043007, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 102998 (E.D.N.Y. 2012).

879 F. Supp. 2d 305 (United States v. Haynesworth) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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