United States v. O'Neill

239 F. Supp. 3d 651, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 40138, 2017 WL 1063483
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. New York
DecidedMarch 3, 2017
Docket1:15-CR-00151 EAW
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 239 F. Supp. 3d 651 (United States v. O'Neill) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. O'Neill, 239 F. Supp. 3d 651, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 40138, 2017 WL 1063483 (W.D.N.Y. 2017).

Opinion

DECISION AND ORDER

ELIZABETH A. WOLFORD, United States District Judge

INTRODUCTION

Defendant Michael C, O’Neill (“Defendant”) was indicted on August 13, 2015, with two counts charging the alleged unlawful making and possession of a destructive device, (Dkt. 11). The underlying criminal charges arose from an incident on July 21, 2015, when emergency personnel responded to a call from Defendant’s mother during the early morning hours about an explosion in the detached • garage of her home at 6761 Walmore Road, Wheatfield, New York. Defendant suffered injuries from the explosion ultimately resulting -in the amputation of his left leg below the knee.

Defendant filed omnibus motions seeking a variety of relief, including the suppression of evidence seized from the garage without a warrant, the suppression of evidence seized from a search of the home with a warrant, and the suppression of statements made by Defendant at the hospital while recovering from surgery. (Dkt. 46). Magistrate Judge Hugh B. Scott issued a Report and Recommendation (“R & R”)1 on November 17, 2016, recommend[654]*654ing that this Court deny Defendant’s dis-positive motions, and also resolving Defendant’s non-dispositive motions. (Dkt. 82). Defendant has filed various objections. (Dkt. 86).

Because there are gaps in the record, and further fact finding is required before this Court can render a decision with respect to the various issues raised by Defendant in his omnibus motions, the matter is referred back to Magistrate Judge Scott to conduct a further evidentiary hearing consistent with this Decision and Order.

PROCEDURAL HISTORY

Defendant filed his omnibus motions on February 26, 2016. (Dkt. 46). Among other issues raised, Defendant sought to suppress evidence seized from the detached garage and home on the date of the incident, and he also sought to suppress statements that he made to law enforcement officers that same day while he was recovering from surgery at the Erie County Medical Center (“ECMC”).

The Government filed a response on March 16, 2016. (Dkt. 47). Oral argument was held before Magistrate Judge Scott on March 29, 2016, at which time he reserved decision with respect to most of the issues raised by Defendant. (Dkt. 51). On April 12, 2016, Magistrate Judge Scott issued a Decision and Order, allowing Defendant to file a satisfactory affidavit in support of his motion to suppress statements made at ECMC, explaining: “If [Defendant] files a satisfactory affidavit then the Court will schedule an evidentiary hearing for the motion in question. The Court has reviewed the parties’ papers and the record so far and is satisfied that a hearing on O’Neill’s other motions will not be necessary.” (Dkt. 53 at 2). Thus, Magistrate Judge Scott determined that the only hearing that would be required (once an appropriate affidavit was filed) would be addressed to the statements made by Defendant at ECMC. In other words, Magistrate Judge Scott concluded that a hearing was unnecessary with respect to the issues raised by Defendant concerning the war-rantless search of the garage, the alleged consent to search the home given by Defendant’s mother’s husband, or the searches conducted pursuant to court-issued warrants.

On April 27, 2016, Defendant filed an affidavit in accordance with Magistrate Judge Scott’s directions. (Dkt. 56). In that affidavit, Defendant detailed the facts surrounding the interviews at ECMC, and he also stated that he adopted the factual allegations set forth in his mother’s affidavit of February 24, 2016. (Id at ¶¶4-8). Defendant’s , mother—Linda Ross—had submitted an affidavit attached to Defendant’s initial motion papers. (Dkt. 46-1 at 22-23). In that affidavit, Ms. Ross stated, among other things, that she is the sole owner of the property located at 6761 Wal-xnore Road in Wheatfield, New York, and that Defendant has resided with her at that residence since 1974. (Id. at 22).

On April 28, 2016, Magistrate Judge Scott issued a Text Order finding that the affidavit filed by Defendant was sufficient to justify a hearing concerning the ECMC interview. (Dkt. 57). The evidentiary hearing went forward on July 20, 2016. (Dkt. 67; see Dkt. 68). At the hearing, defense counsel indicated that he intended to supplement his suppression motion with additional documents that he had obtained, and he did so in accordance with the schedule set by Magistrate Judge Scott on September 21, 2016. (Dkt. 70). In that supplemental submission, Defendant contended that although the initial 911 call was made at [655]*6553:38 AM on July 21, 2015, the Erie County Bomb Squad did not arrive until 8:30 AM. (Dkt. 70 at ¶¶ 4, 17; see also Dkt. 70-1 at 2-3). Thus, according to Defendant, the alleged exigency justifying the warrantless search of the attached garage was negated by the fact that the Bomb Squad did not arrive at the scene until five hours after the initial explosion. (See Dkt. 70 at ¶¶ 26-32).

The Government and Defendant submitted post-hearing briefs concerning the motion to suppress the statements at ECMC on October 25 and 28, 2016, respectively, (Dkt. 80; Dkt. 81), and on November 17, 2016, Magistrate Judge Scott issued the R & R. (Dkt. 82). On December 14, 2016, Defendant timely filed objections to the R & R (Dkt. 86), and the Government timely filed its response on January 4, 2017. (Dkt. 88). Oral argument was held before the undersigned on February 8, 2017, at which time the Court reserved decision. (Dkt. 90).

DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS

Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1)(B), “a judge may ... designate a magistrate judge to conduct hearings, including evi-dentiary hearings, and to submit to a judge of the court proposed findings of fact and recommendations for the disposition, by a judge of the court, of any motion excepted in subparagraph (A).... ” 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1)(B). This Court made just such a referral to Magistrate Judge Scott to issue proposed findings of fact and recommendations for the disposition of Defendant’s dispositive motions. The R & R addresses the many issues raised by Defendant with his omnibus motions. However, the Court finds the factual record is incomplete and a further evidentiary hearing is required, with further proposed findings of fact and recommendations, before a decision can be rendered with respect to the omnibus motions.

For the reasons described below, the Court refers the case pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1)(B), to Magistrate Judge Scott to conduct an evidentiary hearing for fact finding and to render a report and recommendation as to: (1) whether Defendant had standing to assert a privacy interest in the detached garage; (2) whether the seizure and warrantless searches of the garage were justified by exigent circumstances, which must necessarily include proposed findings as to when the searches occurred, what exigency (if any) existed at the time, and what evidence was seized and when pursuant to any warrant-less search; and (3) whether William Ross’s consent to search was valid, and, if so, the timeline for said consent and its scope.

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Bluebook (online)
239 F. Supp. 3d 651, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 40138, 2017 WL 1063483, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-oneill-nywd-2017.