United States v. Roy

597 F. Supp. 1210, 1984 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 21882
CourtDistrict Court, D. Connecticut
DecidedNovember 19, 1984
DocketCrim. A. N-83-15
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 597 F. Supp. 1210 (United States v. Roy) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Connecticut primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Roy, 597 F. Supp. 1210, 1984 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 21882 (D. Conn. 1984).

Opinion

*1212 RULING ON DEFENDANT’S MOTION TO DISMISS

ZAMPANO, District Judge.

The defendant, Michael Roland Roy, moves to dismiss federal firearms charges pending against him on the ground that federal prosecutors violated certain provisions of the Interstate Agreement on Detainers Act (“IAD”), 18 U.S.C., App. (1982). Specifically, he contends (1) that the government failed to bring him to trial within 120 days after he was transferred from state to federal custody, as is required by Article IV(c); and (2) that he was not tried on the federal indictment before being returned to state custody, in violation of Article IV(e).

I. FACTS

Because many of the dates and times involved are crucial to a resolution of the issues presented, the facts must be set out in detail.

On December 3, 1982, Roy was arrested by detectives of the Rocky Hill Police Department on state charges of criminal attempt to commit robbery. He was incarcerated as a pretrial state prisoner at the Hartford Community Correctional Center (“Hartford CCC”), and bond was set at $50,000. On December 8, 1982, a federal detainer for the charge of escape, pending before the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, was received at Hartford CCC. On December 16, 1982, Roy was transferred to the Connecticut Correctional Institution at Somers (“Somers CCI”). On January 27, 1983, Roy’s State of Connecticut parole for a previous sentence was revoked, so that he became a state prisoner serving a state sentence on that date. On January 28 and 29, respectively, detainers were filed at the Somers CCI by California state authorities charging Roy with murder, and by Massachusetts authorities charging him with robbery.

The indictment in the instant case for willfully possessing firearms, in violation of 26 U.S.C. §§ 5861, 5871 and 18 U.S.C., App. § 1202, was returned by a grand jury on February 24, 1983. Magistrate Latimer issued a bench warrant for Roy’s arrest, and at that time the government stated the warrant was to act as a detainer. Also on February 24, the United States Marshal’s Service for the District of Connecticut sent a separate detainer, 1 based on the federal firearms charges in this case, to Hartford CCC, although Roy had been transferred over two months previously to Somers' CCI. 2 Authorities at Hartford CCC forwarded the detainer to Somers CCI, and it was recorded as arriving at Somers on March 3, 1983, the day after the bench warrant was served on Roy.

In the meantime, the government filed for and received a writ of habeas corpus ad prosequendum in this case on February 28, 1983. Pursuant to an order to produce based on the writ, Roy was transported by the deputy marshals from Somers CCI to federal district court in Bridgeport on March 2, 1983. After Roy entered a plea of not guilty, Chief Judge Daly set bond at $150,000, and Roy was returned to Somers CCI. Various motions relating to discovery were ruled on by Judge Daly during March 1983.

In addition, Judge Daly scheduled a hearing on Roy’s motion to suppress for April 4, 1983 at 2:00 P.M. On that morning at 10:00 A.M., pursuant to a second order to produce based on the writ of habeas corpus ad prosequendum issued on February 28, Roy was taken into federal custody by deputy marshals at the Somers CCI and taken to Hartford where a second team of deputy marshals transported him to the federal *1213 court in Bridgeport, arriving at 1:00 P.M. that day. The hearing before Judge Daly, at which several witnesses testified, concluded shortly after 5:00 P.M. Rather than returning Roy to the Somers CCI, the marshals, for reasons to be discussed hereinafter, decided to house Roy overnight at the Bridgeport Community Correctional Center (“Bridgeport CCC”), a local state jail facility a few miles from the federal courthouse. The following day, April 5, Roy was returned by the marshals to Somers CCI, where he arrived at 12:30 P.M.

Subsequently, before ruling on Roy’s motion to suppress, Judge Daly transferred the case to this Court. The motion to suppress was reheard by this Court on May 23, 1983.

While that motion was pending, Roy was removed from Somers CCI on June 14 and transported to California, pursuant to the detainer filed by that state in January. On July 22, 1983, the charges against him in California were dismissed and Roy was returned to Somers CCI on August 2.

This Court granted Roy’s motion to suppress on August 9, 1983. United States v. Roy, 568 F.Supp. 1127 (D.Conn.1983). Shortly thereafter, the pending Connecticut state charges against Roy were nolled on August 20, but Roy was still held at Somers CCI pursuant to the state sentence he was serving after his parole was revoked. This action on federal firearms charges was continued for 17 days at the request of the government following a hearing in court on September 2, 1983, to allow it to decide whether to appeal, under 18 U.S.C. § 3731, the Court’s ruling on the motion to suppress. The government filed its notice of appeal on September 16, 1983.

On September 12, 1983, the Marshals Service filed a detainer against Roy relating to a bank robbery indictment pending in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida. That court issued a writ of habeas corpus ad prosequendum, which was filed at Somers CCI on October 17. On October 24, Roy was transported by federal officials from Somers CCI to the Federal Correctional Institution at Danbury, Connecticut, and then to Florida by federal marshals acting pursuant to the writ. While he was in Florida, Roy’s Connecticut sentence, reinstated after his parole violation, expired on February 16, 1984, and Roy became a federal pretrial prisoner on that date.

Roy was tried on the bank robbery charges in federal court in Florida, and, on May 27, 1984 a verdict of not guilty was returned. The next day, Roy began the return trip to Somers CCI, where he arrived on June 8. He is currently in Somers CCI.

Meanwhile, in this action, the Court of Appeals reversed the ruling on the motion to suppress on May 3, 1984, and the case was remanded for trial. United States v. Roy, 734 F.2d 108 (2 Cir.1984). 1984). On May 17, 1984, this Court granted the government’s motion, pursuant to the Speedy Trial Act, 18 U.S.C. § 3161 (1982), to exclude the time from the date of the Second Circuit’s decision to the date Roy returned to Connecticut from Florida.

The motion to dismiss presently pending before the Court was filed on June 15, and, following two unopposed continuances granted at Roy’s written request, the Court held an evidentiary hearing on September 26, 1984.

II. APPLICABILITY OF IAD

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Bluebook (online)
597 F. Supp. 1210, 1984 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 21882, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-roy-ctd-1984.