United States v. Martinez

696 F. Supp. 2d 1216, 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 21585, 2010 WL 965521
CourtDistrict Court, D. New Mexico
DecidedFebruary 25, 2010
DocketCR 09-2439 JB
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 696 F. Supp. 2d 1216 (United States v. Martinez) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. New Mexico primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Martinez, 696 F. Supp. 2d 1216, 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 21585, 2010 WL 965521 (D.N.M. 2010).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

JAMES O. BROWNING, District Judge.

THIS MATTER comes before the Court on the Defendant’s Motion' to Suppress and Supporting Brief, filed December 1, 2009 (Doc. 46). The Court held an evidentiary hearing on October 29, 2009. The primary issues are: (i) whether Defendant Joseph Martinez’ statements were attenuated from the taint of the Fourth-Amendment violation and were not a fruit of the poisonous tree; (ii) whether the evidence found within Martinez’ house would have inevitably been discovered notwithstanding the Fourth-Amendment violation; and (iii) whether the good-faith exception to the exclusionary rule applies. The Court finds that the taint of the illegal search was not attenuated at the time that Martinez made his confession, that the police would not have inevitably discovered Martinez’s confession or the evidence from his home if *1224 not for the illegal search, and that the good-faith exception does not apply when law enforcers violate the constitution and then pass off the illegally acquired information to another officer to put into the search warrant that is eventually found invalid. The Court will thus grant Martinez’ motion to suppress.

FACTUAL BACKGROUND

Rule 12(d) of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure requires the Court to state its essential findings on the record when deciding a motion that involves factual issues. See Fed.R.Crim.P. 12(d) (“When factual issues are involved in deciding a [pretrial] motion, the court must state its essential findings on the record.”). The findings of fact in this Memorandum Opinion and Order shall serve as the Court’s essential findings for purposes of rule 12(d). The Court makes these findings under the authority of rule 104(a) of the Federal Rules of Evidence, which requires a judge to decide preliminary questions relating to the admissibility of evidence, including the legality of a search or seizure and the voluntariness of an individual’s confession or consent to search. See United States v. Merritt, 695 F.2d 1263, 1269-70 (10th Cir.1982), cert. denied, 461 U.S. 916, 103 S.Ct. 1898, 77 L.Ed.2d 286 (1983). In deciding such preliminary questions, the other rules of evidence, except those with respect to privileges, do not bind the Court. See Fed.R.Evid. 104(a). Thus, the Court may consider hearsay in ruling on a motion to suppress. See United States v. Merritt, 695 F.2d at 1269-70.

A. THE INITIAL SWEEP.

1. The Court incorporates by reference its factual findings in the Memorandum Opinion and Order which resolved Martinez’ first motion to suppress. See Memorandum Opinion and Order, 686 F.Supp.2d 1161, 1167-77 (D.N.M.2009); Transcript of Hearing at 4:3-24 (taken January 21, 2010)(Court, Rees, Bregman)(“Jan. 21 Tr.”)(stipulating to the testimony and exhibits proffered as evidence in the prior motion to suppress). 1

2. Sergeant Robert Lind (# 208) and Deputy Nathan Kmatz (# 252) were both with the Bernalillo County Sheriffs Office (“BCSO”). See Jan. 21 Tr. at 119:1-12 (Bregman, Hartsock).

3. According to the Computer Aided Dispatch (“CAD”) sheet and Lind’s and Kmatz’ testimony, Lind and Kmatz entered Martinez’ residence at 2:00 p.m. and exited at approximately 2:05 p.m. See Government Exhibit 2 (“CAD Sheet”) at 1 (dated September 9, 2009); Transcript of Hearing at 63:3-65:3 (taken October 29, 2009)(Rees, Lind)(“Oct. 29 Tr.”); Oct. 29 Tr. at 180:19-181:3 (Torrez, Kmatz).

4. Lind and Kmatz gained entry into Martinez’ house by opening an unlocked sliding glass door on the second-story balcony. See Oct. 29 Tr. at 58:3-13 (Rees, Lind); id. at 86:11-12 (Rees, Lind); Government Exhibit 16.

5. Lind and Kmatz secured Martinez’ residence, and, at approximately 2:26 p.m., asked for a detective to respond to the residence. See CAD Sheet at 1 (“... 14:26 208 [Lind] ... PER S10. CONTACT SVU AND HAVE THEM 21 @ CELL”).

6. Lind and Kmatz based their entry and search on what they believed were exigent circumstances. See Oct. 29 Tr. at 64:17-65:3 (Rees, Lind).

*1225 B. DETECTIVES ARRIVE TO INVESTIGATE.

7. Detective Kyle Hartsock (# 201) is a BCSO employee. See Jan. 21 Tr. at 7:6-12 (Rees, Hartsock).

8. Since the October 29, 2009 hearing on Martinez’ first motion to suppress, Hartsock has changed assignment within the BCSO from working with the Special Victims Unit to working for the Regional Computer Forensics Lab, a task force run jointly with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and local law-enforcement agencies. See Jan. 21 Tr. at 7:6-18 (Hartsock).

9. Before Hartsock arrived, Lind told him by telephone about the entry into the house, the reasons for the entry, the contraband items that Lind and Kmatz had seen inside, and where they had seen those items. See Oct. 29 Tr. at 82:5-83:16 (Rees, Lind); id. at 212:17-213:12 (Rees, Hart-sock).

10. Hartsock arrived at the residence to take a physical description for purposes of a search-warrant application at approximately 3:42 p.m. See Jan. 21 Tr. at 12:8-11 (Rees, Hartsock); CAD Sheet at 1 (“15:42 Stat SO/201 [Hartsock] ... Location]: 10 DAIRY LN”).

11. When Hartsock arrived, he went up to the balcony of Martinez’ home, where the sliding glass door that Lind and Kmatz used to gain entry to Martinez’ house was still standing open. See Jan. 21 Tr. at 12:23-13:10 (Rees, Hartsock); id. at 134:8-23 (Court, Hartsock).

12. While on the balcony of Martinez’ home, Hartsock could smell marijuana while standing by the open sliding glass door. See Jan. 21 Tr. at 12:23-13:10 (Rees, Hartsock); id. at 134:24-135:2 (Court, Hartsock)(“THE COURT: And from that position of being outside the open door you could smell marijuana? THE WITNESS: I could smell marijuana standing right there.”).

13. From the smell of marijuana at the doorway, Hartsock could have, and would have, gone and acquired a search warrant to search Martinez’ house for illicit drugs and paraphernalia. See Jan. 21 Tr. at 13:2-14:10 (Rees, Hartsock).

14. If officers had searched the house looking for illicit drugs and drug paraphernalia, they would have found the photographs of child pornography during the search. See Jan. 21 Tr. at 15:8-16:17 (Rees, Hartsock); id. at 50:17-20 (Rees, Hartsock).

C.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
696 F. Supp. 2d 1216, 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 21585, 2010 WL 965521, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-martinez-nmd-2010.