United States v. Micky Joe Vaandering, United States of America v. Jeffrey Wayne McMillan

50 F.3d 696, 95 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 2031, 95 Daily Journal DAR 3469, 1995 U.S. App. LEXIS 5484, 1995 WL 114542
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
DecidedMarch 20, 1995
Docket93-30280, 93-30294
StatusPublished
Cited by113 cases

This text of 50 F.3d 696 (United States v. Micky Joe Vaandering, United States of America v. Jeffrey Wayne McMillan) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Ninth 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. Micky Joe Vaandering, United States of America v. Jeffrey Wayne McMillan, 50 F.3d 696, 95 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 2031, 95 Daily Journal DAR 3469, 1995 U.S. App. LEXIS 5484, 1995 WL 114542 (9th Cir. 1995).

Opinion

TROTT, Circuit Judge:

Micky Joe Vaandering appeals his jury conviction and sentence under the Sentencing Guidelines for conspiracy to possess methamphetamine with intent to distribute in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and 846, and possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841. Jeffrey Wayne McMillan appeals his jury conviction and sentence under the Sentencing Guidelines for conspiracy to possess methamphetamine with intent to distribute in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and 846, and possession of methamphetamine in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 844(a). We affirm.

I

Background

On August 31,1992, Officer Arnold submitted an affidavit in support of an application for a search warrant of Vaandering’s property. The affidavit included statements by informants Susan Slay, Daniel Feldt, Kelly Grimmett, and Tina McClure. The affidavit also incorporated a separate affidavit signed by Deputy Spang on July 19, 1991.

On September 1, 1992, police officers conducted searches of the residences of Vaan-dering and McMillan. Vaandering, McMillan, and codefendants Dunlap and Churchill were at Vaandering’s residence when the search was executed. The police discovered 167 grams of methamphetamine, cans with residues of various precursor chemicals, assorted glassware and beakers, plastic tubing, and an Ohaus gram scale. The police also discovered chemicals in the trunk of a Cadillac owned by Vaandering which was parked in an adjacent tax lot, approximately one quarter mile from the tax lot on which Vaan-dering’s residence was located. In addition, the police found five grams of methamphetamine at McMillan’s residence.

Based on the evidence obtained from the searches and the testimony of government witnesses Susan Slay and coconspirator Jeffrey Dunlap, Vaandering was convicted of conspiracy to possess methamphetamine with intent to distribute and possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. Vaandering was sentenced to 78 months’ imprisonment for each count, to be served concurrently. McMillan was convicted of conspiracy to possess methamphetamine with intent to distribute and possession of methamphetamine. McMillan was sentenced to 78 months’ imprisonment for the conspiracy count and 12 months’ imprisonment for the possession count, to be served concurrently.

II

Validity of the Search Warrant

Vaandering appeals the district court’s denial of his motion to suppress the evidence obtained in the search of his residence. Vaandering contends the affidavit submitted by Officer Arnold to obtain a search warrant of Vaandering’s residence contained false and misleading information and omitted other material information. The district court conducted a pretrial Franks hearing but concluded the search warrant was valid. See Franks v. Delaware, 438 U.S. 154, 98 S.Ct. 2674, 57 L.Ed.2d 667 (1978). “The district court’s factual findings as to whether statements in an affidavit were false or were omitted are reversed only if clearly erroneous. Whether any omissions or misstatements are material is a mixed question of law *700 and fact which we review de novo.” United States v. Garza, 980 F.2d 546, 551 (9th Cir.1992) (citation omitted).

First, Vaandering argues confidential reliable informant Susan Slay was inherently unreliable because she had a drug habit and admitted under oath that she would lie when it suits her fancy. Vaandering, however, failed to submit any evidence indicating Slay was using drugs during the time period she was acting as a confidential informant for Officer Arnold. Furthermore, Slay’s testimony that she would lie, without more, is irrelevant to show that Officer Arnold should have known that Slay might be giving him untrue information. Vaandering failed to establish that Officer Arnold intentionally or recklessly included false information supplied by Susan Slay in the affidavit. See United States v. Stanert, 762 F.2d 775, 780 (9th Cir.) (the focus of the inquiry is not on whether any information in the officer’s affidavit may be false, but rather, whether the officer intentionally or recklessly included any false information), amended on other grounds, 769 F.2d 1410 (9th Cir.1985).

Second, based on the affidavits or statements of five different sources of information denying they gave the information attributed to them in Officer Arnold’s affidavit, Vaan-dering argues Arnold’s affidavit was invalid. Significantly, four of the sources asserted their Fifth Amendment rights and refused to testify at the Franks hearing, and the fifth source could not be located. Once again, Vaandering failed to offer any evidence suggesting that even if the affiants gave Officer Arnold false information, that Officer Arnold should have known it was false. The district court’s finding that Officer Arnold was neither reckless nor untruthful in his recitation of the information is supported by the record.

Third, Vaandering argues that information contained in Officer Arnold’s affidavit, some of which dated back as far as twenty-two months prior to the search, was stale. “ ‘The mere lapse of substantial amounts of time is not controlling in a question of staleness.’ ” United States v. Pitts, 6 F.3d 1366, 1369 (9th Cir.1998) (quoting United States v. Dozier, 844 F.2d 701, 707 (9th Cir.), cert. denied, 488 U.S. 927, 109 S.Ct. 312, 102 L.Ed.2d 331 (1988)). “ ‘[Where] the evidence sought is of an ongoing criminal business ... greater lapses of time are permitted if the evidence in the affidavit shows the probable existence of the activity at an earlier time.’ ” Id. at 1369-70 (quoting United States v. Greany, 929 F.2d 523, 525 (9th Cir.1991)). In this case, the older information was coupled with recently obtained information. The district court could properly find that this evidence was not stale and was an allowable basis upon which to find probable cause. See United States v. Foster, 711 F.2d 871, 878 (9th Cir.) (evidence of drug transactions occurring fifteen months prior to the issuance of a search warrant not stale where evidence also linked defendant to a drug sale occurring three months prior to the issuance of the search warrant), cert. denied,

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50 F.3d 696, 95 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 2031, 95 Daily Journal DAR 3469, 1995 U.S. App. LEXIS 5484, 1995 WL 114542, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-micky-joe-vaandering-united-states-of-america-v-jeffrey-ca9-1995.