United States v. Nickens

336 F. Supp. 2d 682, 2004 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 19110, 2004 WL 2112609
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Michigan
DecidedSeptember 15, 2004
Docket2:04-mj-80075
StatusPublished

This text of 336 F. Supp. 2d 682 (United States v. Nickens) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Michigan primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Nickens, 336 F. Supp. 2d 682, 2004 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 19110, 2004 WL 2112609 (E.D. Mich. 2004).

Opinion

ORDER ADOPTING REPORT AND RECOMMENDATION

ROBERTS, District Judge.

On August 20, 2004, Magistrate Judge Majzoub issued a Report and Recommendation [Doc. 30], recommending that De *684 fendant’s Motion to Suppress be denied. Neither Party has filed objections within the ten day period pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1). Thus, the Court adopts the Report and Recommendation. Defendant’s Motion to Suppress (Doc. #13) is DENIED.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

REPORT AND RECOMMENDATION

MAJZOUB, United States Magistrate Judge.

RECOMMENDATION: Defendant’s Motion To Suppress both the evidence seized and the statements provided should be DENIED.

Defendant is charged with felon in possession of a firearm and possession with intent to distribute cocaine. On March 22, 2004, Defendant filed a Motion Suppress Evidence which is now before the Court. The matter was referred to the undersigned for hearing and determination pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 636(B)(1)(A). The parties appeared and argued through counsel on August 3, 2004.

On December 30, 2003, Officers of the Detroit Police Department executed a search warrant at 16865 Westbrook in Detroit, Michigan where Defendant was found seated on a sofa next to a handgun which was lodged between the armrest and cushion. A vial of cocaine was found in the same room. Defendant was arrested and was verbally questioned. He then initialed his responses and answers to the questions on a form entitled “Constitutional Rights Certificate of Notification”. Defendant now moves the Court to suppress the evidence seized from the home claiming that “the method of obtaining the search warrant and the means and manner in which it was executed” were unconstitutional (Defendant’s Motion To Suppress, pg. 2). Defendant also seeks to suppress the statements contained in the Constitutional Rights Certificate of Notification as he claims he was “compelled to sign the document after it was written by the police because of threats from the police”. (Defendant’s Supplemental Memorandum in Support of Motion to Suppress, pg. 2).

FOURTH AMENDMENT SEARCH AND SEIZURE

The Fourth Amendment to the Constitution guarantees “[t]he right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures ... but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation.” U.S. Const, amend. IV. In order to assert the protections provided by the Fourth Amendment, an individual must first prove that he had a reasonable expectation of privacy in the place that was searched. To prove a legitimate expectation of privacy, a Defendant must satisfy a two pronged test. First, he must manifest an actual, subjective expectation of privacy; and second, that expectation is one that society is prepared to recognize as legitimate. United States v. Pollard, 215 F.3d 643, 647 (6th Cir.2000); Rakas v. Illinois, 439 U.S. 128, 140, 99 S.Ct. 421, 58 L.Ed.2d 387 (1978). A defendant challenging a search or seizure under the Fourth Amendment has the burden of demonstrating standing. Rakas, 439 U.S. at 131 n. 1, 99 S.Ct. 421. Defendant fails to meet this burden.

During oral arguments on this motion, Defendant testified that “he was [at 15865 Westbrook] to buy and use heroin, as he had done many times before. The person from whom he bought the heroin left to go to the store and, within a few minutes after he left, the police entered, found contraband and arrested him.” (Defendant’s Supplemental Memo, pg. 1-2). The officers who executed the search warrant testified on behalf of the government and stated that the home was sparsely fur *685 nished, was full of trash and garbage and was receiving electricity illegally. One police officer also described the bathroom' as inoperable with feces in plain view. Given the government’s testimony, coupled with Defendant’s concessions 'that he was at that residence only to buy and use drugs, Defendant lacks the requisite standing to assert a violation of his Fourth Amendment rights resulting from the raid that took place at 15865 Westbrook. Minnesota v. Carter, 525 U.S. 83, 119 S.Ct. 469, 142 L.Ed.2d 373 (1998)(holding that a person who is present in another’s home for a drug-related business purpose has no reasonable expectation of privacy); United States v. Perez, 280 F.3d 318, 339 (3d Cir.2002)(holding that defendant had no reasonable expectation of privacy in another person’s apartment where defendant’s only purpose in the apartment was to engage in drug-related activities)(citing United States v. Vega, 221 F.3d 789, 797 (5th Cir.2000)(rejecting [defendant’s] challenge of a search where he presented no evidence to meet his burden of showing that he had a legitimate expectation of privacy in the residence searched)); see also United States v. McRae, 156 F.3d 708, 711 (6th Cir.1998)(holding that a person cannot have a legitimate expectation of privacy in a vacant home).

The Court concludes that Defendant has faded to demonstrate that he had a reasonable expectation of privacy in 15865 Westbrook or that society is prepared to recognize any expectation that he had as legitimate. McRae, 156 F.3d at 711. Therefore, Defendant has no standing to assert a Fourth Amendment challenge to the search warrant. Because the Court so finds, the issue of whether there was probable cause to support the issuance of the search warrant is moot.

FOURTEENTH AMENDMENT RIGHT TO DUE PROCESS

Defendant also seeks to suppress the statements he gave to the police following the raid at 15865 Westbrook. In Defendant’s Supplemental Memorandum in Support of Motion to Suppress, Defendant contends that he initialed and signed the statements proffered by the police upon threats of bodily harm. Specifically, Defendant alleges that members of the police threatened to “beat [his] ass” if he refused to sign and initial the statements. The officer who recorded Defendant’s statements testified that he neither threatened nor mistreated Defendant in furtherance of obtaining the statements.

Where a confession is alleged to have been involuntary because of some element of police coercion, the defendant’s due process rights under the Fourteenth Amendment are implicated. 1 See Colorado v. Connelly, 479 U.S. 157, 167, 107 S.Ct. 515, 93 L.Ed.2d 473 (1986); United States v.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

United States v. Vega
221 F.3d 789 (Fifth Circuit, 2000)
Rakas v. Illinois
439 U.S. 128 (Supreme Court, 1979)
Thomas v. Arn
474 U.S. 140 (Supreme Court, 1986)
Colorado v. Connelly
479 U.S. 157 (Supreme Court, 1986)
Minnesota v. Carter
525 U.S. 83 (Supreme Court, 1999)
United States v. Hayward Leslie Brown
557 F.2d 541 (Sixth Circuit, 1977)
United States v. William Howard Newman
889 F.2d 88 (Sixth Circuit, 1989)
United States v. Harold McRae
156 F.3d 708 (Sixth Circuit, 1998)
Willis v. Sullivan
931 F.2d 390 (Sixth Circuit, 1991)
Murdaugh v. Livingston
525 U.S. 1301 (Supreme Court, 1998)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
336 F. Supp. 2d 682, 2004 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 19110, 2004 WL 2112609, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-nickens-mied-2004.