United States v. Robinson

999 F. Supp. 155, 1998 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4113, 1998 WL 151772
CourtDistrict Court, D. Massachusetts
DecidedMarch 23, 1998
DocketCriminal Action 96-10047-REK
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 999 F. Supp. 155 (United States v. Robinson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Massachusetts primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Robinson, 999 F. Supp. 155, 1998 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4113, 1998 WL 151772 (D. Mass. 1998).

Opinion

Memorandum and Order

KEETON, District Judge.

I. Background

On August 29, 1996, at approximately 5:30 a.m. Boston Police Officers and DEA Task Force Agents went to 101A Brunswick Street in Dorchester to execute arrest warrants for Gordon Robinson and Randall (Randy) Robinson. The officers were met at the door to the apartment by the defendants’ mother, Denise Robinson. After the officers informed Mrs. Robinson that they had arrest warrants for Gordon and Randy, she let them enter the premises, and indicated that the defendants were downstairs in their respective bedrooms.

As the officers descended into the lower portion of the apartment, Gordon Robinson was seen emerging from his bedroom, on the right-hand side of the hallway. Police placed Gordon Robinson under arrest in the hallway and then made a protective sweep of Gordon Robinson’s bedroom. During the protective sweep Sergeant Stephen Meade of the Boston Police Department saw, through a partially open sliding closet door, the butt of a weapon lying on a closet shelf. A Colt .357 revolver was seized. Also seized was an “IVP” mirror that was hanging on a bedroom wall in plain view.

Sergeant Meade informed Sergeant Detective Buckley that a weapon had been found. Sergeant Detective Buckley met with Denise Robinson and Gordon Robinson Sr. upstairs *157 in the kitchen in order to obtain consent to search the residence. During this meeting Denise Robinson stated that she was the lessee of the apartment, and she gave her oral and written consent to search the premises. Mrs. Robinson’s written consent consisted of her signing the following form:

I, Denise Robinson, have been informed by Sgt Det Kevin Buckley of the Boston Police Dept Police [sic] that I may have the Constitutional right to refuse to allow a search to be made of my living quarters, property, car and/or person without a search warrant. I understand this right and I hereby waive the necessity of a search warrant and do authorize Sgt Det Kevin Buckley of the. Boston Police to conduct a search of my living, [sic] quarters, property, car and/or person without a search warrant and to take possession of any material which is connected in any way with the investigation they are making.
I, Denise Robinson, am signing this form voluntarily without threats or promises of any kind.

/s/ Denise Robinson

Consent to Search Form, Exhibit 1.

Defendants moved to suppress evidence seized from 101A Brunswick street on August 29,1996 (Docket Nos. 221 and 281, filed October 4 and 15, 1997, respectively). The government opposed the defendants’ motions (Docket No. 240 and 241, filed November 14 and 18, 1997, respectively). The court held an evidentiary hearing on February 25,1998, made some decisions, and deferred other decisions essential to final disposition of defendants’ motions (Docket No. 221 and 231).

I leave the record (including the transcript of the hearing) to speak for itself about what the court did and did not decide at that time. In any event, any decision stated at that time may be reconsidered not only because the submissions filed after that hearing add more to the record, but also because the court has authority to reconsider. This Memorandum and Order will state my decision on all issues that I consider material to the disposition of these two motions.

The government filed a further submission after the hearing of February 25, 1998 (Docket No. 353, filed March 2,1998), as did Defendant Randy Robinson (Docket No. 358, filed March 9, 1998). For the purposes of deciding these motions (Docket Nos. 221 and 231), the court assumes that Randy Robinson’s submission serves as a submission on behalf of defendant Gordon Robinson, since during the evidentiary hearing of February 25,1998 Randy Robinson’s attorney, Michael Liston, argued on behalf of both defendants.

II. Parental Consent to Search the Robinson Brothers’ Bedrooms

Precedents have firmly established that a parent may consent to the search of a minor’s bedroom. See United States v. DiPrima, 472 F.2d 550, 551-52 (1st Cir.1973) (finding mother had authority to consent to search of bedroom shared by defendant and his minor brothers). In this ease, Randy Robinson, then aged nineteen, shared his bedroom with his younger brother Jermaine, a'minor. No genuine dispute exists as to Mrs. Robinson’s authority to consent to a search of that room.

The Gordon Robinson bedroom (as I will call it for convenient reference) presents a slightly more difficult question. DiPrima is not controlling in the case of this bedroom because Gordon Robinson, then aged twenty-three, was not a minor, and before the search the officers had no indication that anyone other than Gordon Robinson used this bedroom. The government argues that several items seized from the Gordon Robinson bedroom, including two hospital identification cards of Jermaine Robinson and a prescription made out to Jermaine Robinsón, indicate joint use by the minor brother, and thus, confirm Denise Robinson’s authority to consent to the search of the Gordon Robinson bedroom. See Government’s Supplemental Response (Docket No. 353 at 3).

I conclude that this evidence of joint use does not support an argument that at the time they searched the Gordon Robinson bedroom the officers reasonably believed that Mrs. Robinson had the authority to consent to a search of the Gordon Robinson bedroom. The reason for my conclusion is that the officers did not know of the exis *158 tenee of the papers in the Gordon Robinson bedroom before they conducted the search.

A third party may consent to the search of a common area. The United States Supreme Court confirmed the legitimacy of third-party consent, finding that consent rests

on mutual use of the property by persons generally having joint access or control for most purposes, so that it is reasonable to recognize that any of the co-inhabitants has the right to permit the inspection in his own right and that the others have assumed the risk that one of their number might permit the common area to be searched.

United States v. Matlock, 415 U.S. 164, 171 n. 7, 94 S.Ct. 988, 39 L.Ed.2d 242 (1974). The burden of establishing common authority rests on the government. See Illinois v. Rodriguez, 497 U.S. 177, 181, 110 S.Ct. 2793, 111 L.Ed.2d 148 (1990). Some debate exists as to whether joint access is sufficient to establish authority to consent to search, or whether there must also be a finding of mutual use. Compare United States v. Rith, 954 F.Supp. 1511, 1515 (D.Utah 1997) (finding no actual use was required and that father’s consent to search house extended to search of eighteen-year-old son’s bedroom), with Reeves v. Warden, 346 F.2d 915

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Bluebook (online)
999 F. Supp. 155, 1998 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4113, 1998 WL 151772, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-robinson-mad-1998.