United States v. McLevain

CourtCourt of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
DecidedNovember 12, 2002
Docket01-5151
StatusPublished

This text of United States v. McLevain (United States v. McLevain) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Sixth 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. McLevain, (6th Cir. 2002).

Opinion

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(/(&7521,& &,7$7,21  )(' $SS 3 WK &LU )LOH 1DPH DS with criminal activity, the item is not immediately incriminating." United States. v. Byrd, 211 F.3d 1270, 2000 WL 491511, **3 (6th Cir. 2000) (unpublished opinion). 81,7('67$7(6&28572)$33($/6 Based on the Beal factors this Court has used before and this statement in Byrd, we find the evidence against McLevain )257+(6,;7+&,5&8,7 was not "intrinsically incriminating, and it was not BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB "immediately apparent" that the evidence provided probable cause that it was contraband. 81,7(' 67$7(6 2) $0(5,&$ ; E. 3ODLQWLII$SSHOOHH   The final aspect of the "plain view" doctrine requires that  1R an officer have a lawful right of access to the object at issue. Y  We said in Coolidge, "plain view alone is never enough to !  justify the warrantless seizure of evidence." 403 U.S. at 468. 52*(5 '$/( 0&/(9$,1  As noted in Horton, this requirement of a lawful right of 'HIHQGDQW$SSHOODQW  access means that generally an officer should get a warrant if 1 possible before he seizes an item in plain view. He cannot seize absent exigent circumstances. If he could obtain a $SSHDOIURPWKH8QLWHG6WDWHV'LVWULFW&RXUW warrant, then the he cannot use the "plain view" exception for IRUWKH:HVWHUQ'LVWULFWRI.HQWXFN\DW2ZHQVERUR the evidence. 496 U.S. at 137, fn 7. 1R²-RVHSK+0F.LQOH\-U'LVWULFW-XGJH

Acquisito had before him the cut cigarette filter, the twist $UJXHG6HSWHPEHU tie, and a spoon with residue on it, if not the prescription bottle, when he field-tested the spoon. Before seizing the 'HFLGHGDQG)LOHG1RYHPEHU spoon and testing it, he suspected the items were drug paraphernalia. He should have sought a warrant at that time. %HIRUH0$57,1&KLHI&LUFXLW-XGJH0225(&LUFXLW The evidence was not going anywhere. McLevain was in -XGJH:,6(0$16HQLRU'LVWULFW-XGJH custody, and his girlfriend and two children were still in the house. Acquisito should have taken his evidence of probable BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB cause to a magistrate rather than attempting to seize it under the "plain view" exception. Acquisito had no lawful right of &2816(/ access to the items. $5*8('7RQ\D65DJHU0F&2<:(67)5$1./,1 ,,,  %($/ /H[LQJWRQ .HQWXFN\ IRU $SSHOODQW  (UZLQ 5REHUWV $66,67$17 81,7(' 67$7(6 $77251(< )RUWKHIRUHJRLQJUHDVRQVZH5(9(56( /RXLVYLOOH.HQWXFN\IRU$SSHOOHH21%5,()-RKQ.

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:HVW0F&2<:(67)5$1./,1 %($//H[LQJWRQ experiences as law enforcement agents that led them to .HQWXFN\IRU$SSHOODQW(UZLQ5REHUWV7HUU\0&XVKLQJ believe that the seemingly quotidian objects were actually $66,67$1781,7('67$7(6$77251(<6/RXLVYLOOH drug paraphernalia. The connection between these items and .HQWXFN\IRU$SSHOOHH illegal activities, however, is not enough to render these items intrinsically incriminating. The connection is not enough to BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB make their intrinsic nature such that their mere appearance gives rise to an association with criminal activity. 23,1,21 BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB The final Beal factor examines whether "the executing officers can at the timeRIGLVFRYHU\RIWKHREMHFWRQWKHIDFWV %2<&( ) 0$57,1 -5 &KLHI &LUFXLW -XGJH  5RJHU WKHQ DYDLODEOH WR WKHP GHWHUPLQH SUREDEOH FDXVH RI WKH 'DOH 0F/HYDLQ DSSHDOV his conviction and sentence for REMHFW VLQFULPLQDWLQJQDWXUH´ 810 F.2d at 577 (emphasis in violation of 21 U.S.C. §841(a)(1) on the grounds that (1)the original). In United States v. Szymkowiak, 727 F.2d 95, 95 district court erred in denying McLevain’s motion to (6th Cir. 1984), the United States had a warrant to search suppress, (2)the district court erred in admitting several pieces Szymkowiak’s home for a television set and some jewelry, of evidence of prior bad acts, (3)the communication between and the officers executing the warrant found and seized two the court and jury outside defense counsel’s presence violated guns. The officers thought that the guns had been illegally McLevain’s rights, and (4)the district court misapplied adjusted to rapidly fire. Id. The officers had to call an agent Apprendi v. New Jersey, 530 U.S. 466 (2000), in sentencing. from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms to %HFDXVH ZH ILQG WKDW WKH GLVWULFW FRXUW HUUHG LQ DGPLWWLQJ determine whether the guns were illegal. Id. at 96. We said, HYLGHQFHWKDWVKRXOGKDYHEHHQVXSSUHVVHGZH5(9(56( "From the facts available to the executing officers in the case , before us, they could not determine whether they had discovered evidence of a criminal nature." Id. at 99. On December 28, 1999, Gary Cauley failed to return from Similarly, from the facts available to the officers in work release at the Daviess County Detention Center in McLevain’s home, at the time of discovery, they could not Daviess County, Kentucky. Based on information from a determine if they had seen evidence of criminal activity. confidential informant, the Daviess County Jailer Harold Taylor sought a search warrant for Roger Dale McLevain’s ,QDYHU\UHFHQWFDVHIURPWKLV&RXUWZHKHOG³when an house at 8865 Sacra Drive, Maceo, Kentucky, in the early item appears suspicious to an officer but further investigation afternoon of December 29. McLevain is the defendant now is required to establish probable cause as to its association before us. The affidavit supporting the search warrant suggested a  2WKHU FLUFXLWV GLVSXWH WKLV IDFWRU DV WR ZKHWKHU SUREDEOH FDXVH PXVW connection between McLevain and Cauley’s girlfriend, Lydia DULVH XSRQ YLHZLQJ WKH REMHFW RU PD\ DULVH ODWHU 7KH &RXUW RI $SSHDOV Bell. The informant told the police that Bell had been staying IRU WKH )LUVW &LUFXLW IRU H[DPSOH VD\V SUREDEOH FDXVH PD\ DULVH LQ OLJKW at McLevain’s residence, and she had been picked up from RI RWKHU REMHFWV ODWHU GLVFRYHUHG 8QLWHG 6WDWHV Y -RKQVWRQ  )G     7KH &RXUW RI $SSHDOV IRU WKH 7HQWK &LUFXLW KRZHYHU there by a friend on the night Cauley escaped. She went to VDLG YHU\ UHFHQWO\ ³XSRQ YLHZLQJ WKH REMHFW WKH RIILFHU PXVW DW WKDW Cauley’s mother’s house, where she received a call from PRPHQW KDYH SUREDEOH FDXVH WR EHOLHYH WKH REMHFW WR EH FRQWUDEDQG RU Cauley at the Detention Center. Bell then borrowed Cauley’s HYLGHQFH RI LOOHJDO DFWLYLW\´ 8QLWHG 6WDWHV Y 7XFNHU  :/   WK &LU  HPSKDVLV DGGHG   8QLWHG6WDWHVY0F/HYDLQ 1R 1R 8QLWHG6WDWHVY0F/HYDLQ 

or a bottle that makes it immediately apparent that those items mother’s car and returned it about an hour and a half later. are contraband. In McLernon, a room was searched pursuant The affidavit contained no information as to McLevain to a cocaine conspiracy, and agents seized a note pad and himself, but Cauley and McLevain were known to be friends. calendar from a desk, under the "plain view" exception. 746 On the basis of this information, Taylor sought a search F.2d at 1104. We said, in that case, these items "were hardly warrant for McLevain’s house. $ VWDWH FRXUW MXGJH ‘intrinsically’ incriminating. Indeed such items are found in GHWHUPLQHG WKDW 7D\ORU KDG SUREDEOH FDXVH WR EHOLHYH WKDW plain view of virtually every desk across this country.

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Related

United States v. Leon
468 U.S. 897 (Supreme Court, 1984)
Arizona v. Hicks
480 U.S. 321 (Supreme Court, 1987)
Horton v. California
496 U.S. 128 (Supreme Court, 1990)
Apprendi v. New Jersey
530 U.S. 466 (Supreme Court, 2000)
United States v. Dennis R. Szymkowiak
727 F.2d 95 (Sixth Circuit, 1984)
United States v. David M. Beal
810 F.2d 574 (Sixth Circuit, 1987)

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Bluebook (online)
United States v. McLevain, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-mclevain-ca6-2002.