United States v. Sawyer

588 F.3d 548, 2009 U.S. App. LEXIS 26252, 2009 WL 4348326
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
DecidedDecember 3, 2009
Docket09-1367
StatusPublished
Cited by17 cases

This text of 588 F.3d 548 (United States v. Sawyer) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Eighth 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. Sawyer, 588 F.3d 548, 2009 U.S. App. LEXIS 26252, 2009 WL 4348326 (8th Cir. 2009).

Opinion

BYE, Circuit Judge.

Myron Sawyer appeals the district court’s 1 denial of his motions to suppress physical evidence seized from his vehicle and his confession admitting to bank robbery. Additionally, he appeals the district court’s conclusion at sentencing that, based on a previous conviction for attempted robbery, he was a career offender under U.S. Sentencing Guidelines (U.S.S.G.) § 4Bl.l(b)(B). We affirm.

I

The following facts, taken verbatim from the district court’s September 5, 2008, order denying Sawyer’s motions to suppress, are reviewed for clear error. See United States v. Almeida-Perez, 549 F.3d 1162, 1170 (8th Cir.2008).

On June 22, 2007, shortly after noon, the Bank of Little Rock, located at 5120 Kavanaugh Boulevard, Little Rock, Arkansas, was robbed by a single, armed and masked person. The robbery was recorded by a video camera in its entirety. The robber first demanded that everyone get on the floor as he brandished the handgun and then demanded money. He wore a face mask and green jumpsuit and his voice appeared to be that of a black male. He vaulted on and over the bank counter to access the money. The surveillance video confirmed that he stepped on the counter during the robbery. A later audit determined the loss to be $10,823.00.
A citizen, Mr. Lane Guthrie, was driving east on Kavanaugh Blvd. when he observed a black male sprinting South across Kavanaugh and down an alley in the vicinity of the bank. Mr. Guthrie attempted to follow this person. He then observed a gold Saturn automobile turn westbound on Cantrell Road slightly behind him. Mr. Guthrie had turned right on Cantrell just as the gold Saturn entered heavily traveled Cantrell without slowing down. Mr. Guthrie allowed the gold Saturn, which was swerving, to pass him and observed that it had Arkansas license # 668-JHW. Mr. Guthrie observed two black males in the front seat. He followed the vehicle to University Avenue where it turned South. Mr. Guthrie continued to follow the vehicle down University to the Park Plaza area near the intersection of University and West Markham Street. On the way, he observed a third black male sit up in the back seat. Mr. Guthrie then returned to Kavanaugh where he had first observed the suspicious man running across the street. He observed police officers at the bank and provided them with this information.
The masked robber had demanded that the bank tellers put the money in a bag that he brought along. Hidden in the money given to the robber was an electronic tracking device (“ETD”) which was activated. Using GPS technology, the ETD allowed the police to track the movement of the get-away vehicle as it traveled east on Interstate 630, then Southbound on Cedar and finally, westbound on Asher Avenue. This information was broadcast on the police radio. At approximately 12:05 p.m., Detective Tommy Hudson was filling his patrol car *551 with gas at the corner of Fair Park Blvd. and W. Markham Street near War Memorial Stadium when he heard about the robbery over the radio. He learned that the suspect was a black male in a green jumpsuit. He also learned that the signal from the ETD indicated that the suspect was in a vehicle heading East on 1-630 and then South on Cedar Street. Detective Hudson drove South on Cedar to a location near Asher Ave. and Madison St. where he observed a gold Saturn traveling at an unusually high rate of speed across the parking lot of Bennett’s Tire Service (“Bennett’s”). By this time the area was saturated with marked police vehicles. Detective Hudson was traveling so fast that he passed the gold Saturn before he could stop. He quickly turned his unmarked vehicle around and activated the blue lights. The gold Saturn exited Bennett’s parking lot and quickly parked at an adjacent minimarket. Detective Hudson pulled in behind the Saturn, partially blocking it. Detective Hudson testified that he learned around this time that the robbery suspect was believed to be in a gold Saturn. The male driver, later determined to be the Defendant Myron Sawyer, exited the Saturn and quickly moved away, but was promptly ordered to the ground at gunpoint.
Another officer, Kenny Baer, had arrived by this time in a marked police unit. As he arrived, Officer Kenny Baer found that Detective Hudson was in the process of ordering a suspect to the ground. He pulled his gun and covered while the Defendant was hand-cuffed. The Defendant was then walked to Officer Baer’s marked police car to be frisked. As Detective Hudson walked with Defendant past the Saturn, he observed through the open window a gun on the floor of the front seat passenger side. Officer Baer conducted a pat down of the Defendant and then locked him in his unit. Officer Baer noted that the Defendant was secured at 12:28 p.m.
Officer Hudson then returned to the Saturn to secure the gun, later identified as a Ruger 9 mm pistol that was fully loaded with one cartridge in the chamber. In clear view in the back seat Detective Hudson also observed a green jumpsuit and a bag with money falling out of it. Detective Hudson secured the evidence and disabled the tracking device.
Another officer found additional evidence in and around a dumpster located behind Bennett’s. The evidence included a Louis Yuitton purse (reported stolen by a bank customer during the robbery), a wig, sunglasses, and a knit ski mask.
Officer Baer was the officer who completed the form necessary to have the gold Saturn towed. The tow vehicle report ... shows this occurred at 12:35 p.m. Officer Baer then transported the Defendant to the Little Rock downtown detective station.
Officer Jennifer Zarlingo, a crime scene specialist with the Little Rock Police Department, responded to the Bank at around 12:52 p.m. She retrieved the video. She also located and “lifted” a shoe print which was on the counter top. The imprint clearly showed the following identification: “US Polo Assn.”
The Defendant was not questioned at the scene. There is no evidence that he made any statements at the scene. Following his arrest and while sitting in an interrogation room at the police department, the Defendant made a statement confessing to the robbery. Defendant’s statement was made at approximately 3:02 p.m. on the same day in which the *552 Bank of Little Rock was robbed. That statement was tape-recorded and a transcript thereof has been made.
Although other evidence relates to the issue, the two prosecution witnesses relied upon principally by the Government were Little Rock Police Officers Bobby Martin and Eric Hinsley. After the Defendant Myron Sawyer was arrested he was taken to a Little Rock Police Department detective station where he was placed in an interview room. Officer Bobby Martin testified that he advised the Defendant of his Miranda rights at approximately 1:35 p.m. by reading same to him. The Defendant gave his date of birth, his address and acknowledged that he could read and write. He declined, however, to sign the form waiving his rights and agreeing to answer questions regarding the bank robbery.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
588 F.3d 548, 2009 U.S. App. LEXIS 26252, 2009 WL 4348326, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-sawyer-ca8-2009.