United States v. Locklear

237 F. Supp. 895, 1965 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9396
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. California
DecidedJanuary 29, 1965
DocketCrim. No. 39893
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 237 F. Supp. 895 (United States v. Locklear) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Locklear, 237 F. Supp. 895, 1965 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9396 (N.D. Cal. 1965).

Opinion

OLIVER J. CARTER, District Judge.

Defendant has made a motion to suppress certain evidence, to wit, six United States Treasury notes, which he claims ■came into the possession of the United State through an illegal search by two •agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The evidence adduced at the hearing was to the effect that through an informer the F.B.I. had learned that someone at 3639 B Folsom Street in San Francisco was trying to dispose of treasury notes to the San Francisco underworld. The informer had further stated that the seller of the notes had arranged to sell them on the morning of September 29, 1964, at the above mentioned address to a Mr. Armstrong, a man allegedly in the financial business. On the morning of the prescribed day two federal agents, Deardorff and Galloway arrived at the Folsom Street address armed with a fictitious business card in the name of J. A. Armstrong. The agents knocked on the door. It was opened by Locklear’s wife. Deardorff identified himself as Armstrong and the agents were taken to the defendant in the next room. They asked the defendant if he had anything for them. He replied that he did not. Agent Galloway then produced a treasury note and asked the defendant if he had any similar notes. The defendant left the room and returned with the six notes now in question. He gave the notes to the agents to inspect saying that he took the notes from the bank. They immediately checked the serial numbers against a list of notes which had been reported as either stolen or lost by a local bank and found that these were the missing notes. The agents then arrested defendant for possession of stolen bank property 18 U.S.C. § 2113(e), and advised him of his constitutional rights.

The defendant contends that the entry into his home by subterfuge was an illegal entry which then made the subsequent search illegal, even though the agents may have had probable cause for the search. He argues that the agents in order to make a valid search of defendant’s residence had to get a search warrant, or had to have made the search pursuant to a valid arrest. In either ease they would then have had to announce their purpose and authority before entry. As authority for this position defendant cites Jones v. United States, 357 U.S. 493, 78 S.Ct. 1253, 2 L.Ed.2d 1514 (1957); Johnson v. United States, 333 U.S. 10, 68 S.Ct. 367, 92 L.Ed. 436 (1947); Gouled v. United States, 255 U.S. 298, 41 S.Ct. 261, 65 L.Ed. 647 (1920); and Fraternal Order of Eagles Lodge No. 778 v. United States, 57 F.2d 93 (3rd Cir. 1932).

[897]*897In the Gouled ease, supra, a federal agent gained access to the defendant’s premises through feigned friendship for the purpose of searching through defendant’s files to find evidence of fraud on the part of defendant in the sale of uniforms to the army. The court held that entry by means of a ruse for the purpose of search was a violation of the defendant’s constitutional guaranties against illegal search. But in that case the government conceded that the agent went onto the premises for search, and directed its main argument to the fact that prior to this case only searches conducted by means of actual force or under color of legal authority had been proscribed.

In the Eagles case, supra, federal agents secured access to the defendant’s premises by means of forged membership cards. Again the court found that the purpose of the entry was to conduct a search for evidence. The court held that a subsequent search warrant procured on the basis of the sworn affidavits of the officers as to the conditions they had observed on their prior visit was invalid, and thé search conducted pursuant to the warrant was held to be an illegal search. But again it was the finding of the court that the first entry was made for purposes of search.

In the Johnson case, supra, federal agents smelled opium coming from the defendant’s apartment. They announced their identity and the door was opened. They then saw the defendant and after determining that she was the sole occupant of the premises they said “[C]onsider yourself under arrest because we are going to search the room.” The search turned up opium and an opium smoking apparatus. The court held that the entry, search, seizure and arrest were illegal. The court found that the search could only be legal if the arrest was legal, but the arrest depended upon the fact that defendant was the sole occupant which fact was only learned through the entry gained under color of legal authority. The court felt that since there was no threat that evidence would be destroyed, and since the agents were possessed with sufficient information to secure a search warrant they should have waited until one was secured before entry.

In the Jones case federal agents had secured a daytime warrant for search. They did not execute it immediately but surveyed defendant’s home and waited for more evidence. About nine p. m. after dark they saw a truck disappear behind the house. Later it returned toward the road but got stuck in defendant’s driveway. Agents searched the truck, found illegal alcohol, and arrested the driver and attendant. They then went to the house for the purpose of searching it for evidence of an illegal still. They were barred at the door by defendant’s wife. They identified themselves as federal officers and demanded admission. The wife asked to see their warrant. They replied that they did not need one and entered the premises. The court found that the only reason for entry was the belief that evidence of illegal activity would be found. This was held not to be sufficient to justify entry without warrant. The court emphasized that this night time raid on the home of defendant was the very type of activity which the Fourth Amendment sought to avoid.

But in the case at bar the entry was not made under color of legal authority as in Johnson and Jones, supra. The agent here did not have “probable cause” on which a search warrant could be secured as in Johnson and Jones, supra. The entry here was made in the daytime and not in the night time as in Jones, supra. But most importantly the agents here did not enter the premises for purposes of arrest or search as was found to be the case in all of the above cases. As a result the rules set out in those cases have no application to the situation involved in the instant case. In the case at bar the agents did not know whom they would find on the premises or whether there were any notes on the premises. The information in their possession, however, was sufficient to merit further in[898]*898quiry, and this is what they set about to do.

Certain types of inquiry, surveillance and observance while they might invade personal privacy, have long been held not to violate the constitutional protection against illegal searches and seizures. Thus in United States v. Bush, 283 F.2d 51 (6th Cir. 1960), cert. denied 364 U.S. 942, 81 S.Ct. 461, 5 L.Ed.2d 373, a federal agent posing as a tourist seeking to buy liquor was invited into defendant’s home and was shown sample jars of non-tax paid whiskey.

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Related

Mullaney v. State
246 A.2d 291 (Court of Special Appeals of Maryland, 1968)
State v. Miller
220 A.2d 409 (Supreme Court of New Jersey, 1966)
United States v. Epstein
240 F. Supp. 80 (S.D. New York, 1965)

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Bluebook (online)
237 F. Supp. 895, 1965 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9396, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-locklear-cand-1965.