United States v. Williams

980 F. Supp. 1225, 1997 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16185, 1997 WL 641655
CourtDistrict Court, D. Utah
DecidedOctober 3, 1997
Docket2:96 CR 114 B
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 980 F. Supp. 1225 (United States v. Williams) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Utah primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Williams, 980 F. Supp. 1225, 1997 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16185, 1997 WL 641655 (D. Utah 1997).

Opinion

ORDER

BENSON, District Judge.

INTRODUCTION

The Defendant, Frederick Shawn Williams, was indicted by a grand jury and charged with possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute under 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1). Defendant filed a motion to suppress evidence obtained form a warrantless search of his vehicle. That motion was referred to a Magistrate Judge pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1)(B). On August 28, 1997, the Magistrate Judge issued a Report and Recommendation to this court recommending that Defendant’s motion to suppress be denied. Defendant filed an objection to the Magistrate Judge’s Report and Recommendation on September 10, 1997 stating *1227 ■without particularity his objection to the Report and Recommendation but requesting an extension of time in which to file more particularized objections. With his objections, the Defendant filed a motion to dismiss based upon an alleged violation of his constitutional and statutory rights to a speedy trial. It is those motions that are currently before the court.

DISCUSSION

Defendant’s motion for an extension of time in which to file more particularized objections to the Magistrate Judge’s Report and Recommendation is DENIED. The court hereby finds that the Defendant’s objection to the Magistrate Judge’s Report and Recommendation inadequately specifies his objections to the Magistrate Judge’s proposed findings and, therefore, the court ADOPTS the Report and Recommendation of the Magistrate Judge in its entirety. Finally, the court REFERS the Defendant’s motion to dismiss based upon the Defendant’s right to a speedy trial to the Magistrate Judge under 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1)(B).

REPORT & RECOMMENDATION

BOYCE, United States Magistrate Judge.

The defendant, Frederick Shawn Williams, has been indicted by a grand jury and charged with possession of 36 kilograms of phencyclidine (PCP) with intent to distribute (21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1)). The defendant made a motion to suppress evidence obtained from a warrantless search of defendant’s vehicle (File Entry #63). Defendant submitted a memorandum in conjunction with the motion to suppress (See File Entry # 63). The memorandum asserted, first, that defendant was in custody of the officer when a search of defendant’s person and vehicle occurred and that there was no valid detention of defendant, the search made of the vehicle was unconstitutional and that no valid consent was given for the search of the vehicle. The United States submitted a response contending the actions of the officer involved were constitutional, the search of the vehicle was legal, and the evidence properly seized (File Entry # 65). Defendant submitted a response (File Entry # 67).

A hearing was held on the defendant’s motion to suppress. The matter has been referred to the magistrate judge under 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1)(B). This report and recommendation is submitted pursuant to the reference on the defendant’s motion to suppress.

Evidence

At the hearing on the motion to suppress, Deputy Sevier County Sheriff Phil Barney testified that on June 11, 1996 at 1:00 a.m. he was at milepost 48 on 1-70 talking with Deputy Sheriff Ogden (Tr. p. 6). Ogden was also in Barney’s vehicle. The vehicle was stationary facing west. A vehicle came eastbound which was checked by radar which reported the vehicle to be traveling 80 mph. The officers pursued and stopped the vehicle about one mile from where it was detected (Tr. p. 7). The speed limit on the roadway was 75 mph. The officer approached the driver and asked for a driver’s license and registration. A license was produced and a rental agreement for the vehicle. The license the driver produced was a temporary Georgia license (Def. Exh. A, Tr. p. 8). The license is dated March 22,1996 and indicated it was good for 45 days as an interim license (Id. Exh. A). On its face it had expired by June 11, 1996. The officer inquired about the defendant’s destination and was told by the vehicle driver, defendant Williams, that he was going to Denver because relatives were graduating from college, but he didn’t know what college (Tr. p. 9). The officer returned to his vehicle and ran an NCIC check and a crime information check. There were no warrants on defendant. The dispatcher contacted the officer and advised him that defendant’s Georgia license had been suspended (Tr. p. 9). The suspension was in April, 1996 (Id.). The defendant, under the circumstances, could not drive. The vehicle had been rented the day before for seven days. It was rented in Los Angeles (Tr. p. 10).

The officer wrote a citation for driving on a revoked or suspended license and took defendant into custody by handcuffing him. The officer asked the defendant for the names of *1228 his relatives who were graduating from college. Defendant had some difficulty in coming up with the names and couldn’t give an address to contact them. He said he would have to call to California and ask someone for their address (Tr. pp. 10-11). Defendant said he lived in Los Angeles and was a security guard.

The officer asked the defendant about three boxes in plain sight in defendant’s vehicle which were marked Bacardi rum. Defendant said they contained rum and that they were graduation gifts. There were a couple of small bags in the vehicle. Barney started to inventory the vehicle and turned one of the rum boxes over. It had been opened and repasted. He opened the box and removed a bottle. The seal on the bottle had been broken. The bottle was broken. The seals on the other bottles had been broken (Tr. pp. 11-12). He opened the bottle and smelled it, it was PCP. The officer had smelled PCP several times before (Tr. p. 12). The vehicle was towed to the Sheriffs office. Defendant was given a Miranda 1 warning (Tr. pp. 12-13). A further search of the vehicle at the Sheriff’s office revealed that each of the boxes of rum, 36 bottles, altogether, were full of PCP (Tr. p. 14).

The vehicle had been rented to defendant Williams (Tr. p. 15). The NCIC or vehicle records check indicated the suspension of defendant’s license occurred on April 29, ■1996 according to the information transmitted to the officer. The officer advised defendant his license had been suspended for an insurance problem, which was not surprising to the officer because he said a lot of persons get insurance to get a license and then cancel it (Tr. p. 18). The temporary permit had a date of 2/13/2000 but was only a 45 day interim license. Defendant produced no other license (Tr. p. 19, Defendant Exh. A). The defendant may have had insurance on the rental vehicle under the rental contract (Exh. B, Tr. p. 20), however, that would not change his status as an unlicensed driver. Defendant was arrested for driving on a suspended license (Tr. p. 20). Defendant would have to see a judge and post bail (Tr. p.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
980 F. Supp. 1225, 1997 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16185, 1997 WL 641655, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-williams-utd-1997.