United States v. Woolbright

641 F. Supp. 1570
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Missouri
DecidedAugust 29, 1986
Docket86-128CR(1)
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 641 F. Supp. 1570 (United States v. Woolbright) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Missouri primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Woolbright, 641 F. Supp. 1570 (E.D. Mo. 1986).

Opinion

641 F.Supp. 1570 (1986)

UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff,
v.
Jerry Wayne WOOLBRIGHT and Lisa Anne Randle, Defendants.

No. 86-128CR(1).

United States District Court, E.D. Missouri, E.D.

August 29, 1986.

*1571 James Porter, Federal Public Defender, St. Louis, Mo., for Randle.

Norman S. London and Larry Fleming, St. Louis, Mo., for Woolbright.

Debra E. Herzog, Asst. U.S. Atty., St. Louis, Mo., for plaintiff.

MEMORANDUM

NANGLE, Chief Judge.

This case is before the Court on the motions to suppress of defendants Woolbright and Randle.

*1572 St. Louis County Police Officer Timothy Nisbet and several officers from the Florissant Police arrested defendants Jerry Wayne Woolbright and Lisa Anne Randle, along with Steve Wilson and Midnight Bobby Dolan, at the Harley Hotel in Earth City at approximately 3:30 a.m., May 20, 1986. At the time of the arrest, the officers seized several thousand dollars and four (4) pieces of luggage from Woolbright's possession. Lisa Anne Randle later identified one of those pieces of luggage as her property. Sometime around 11:00 a.m. the same day, Officer Nisbet searched and inventoried the contents of the luggage seized from Woolbright. The luggage contained large quantities of cocaine, amphetamines, valium, and drug paraphenalia (including syringes), as well as personal effects and several bottles of insulin[1]. The grand jury indicted Woolbright for possession with intent to distribute cocaine, for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and for interstate travel to facilitate an unlawful activity to-wit: distribution of controlled substances. The grand jury indicted Randle for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

Defendant Woolbright filed a motion to suppress the evidence seized from his luggage. Defendant Randle filed a motion to suppress statements she made after her arrest and evidence seized from the luggage she identified as her property. United States Magistrate Robert D. Kingsland held a suppression hearing on June 20, 1986. Magistrate Kingsland recommended to this Court the suppression of the items seized from Woolbright's luggage and the suppression of Randle's statements. The Court rejects the Magistrate's recommendation as to Woolbright and orders that defendant Woolbright's motion to suppress be and is denied. The Court accepts the Magistrate's recommendation as to Randle and orders her statements suppressed. The Court further orders that defendant Randle's motion to suppress evidence seized from the luggage Randle identified as her property be and is denied.

Sometime in the afternoon of May 19, 1986, a man with purple streaks in his hair and three (3) earrings in one ear delivered the dead body of a young woman to Christian Northwest Hospital in Florissant, Missouri. This man with purple hair left the hospital before police could make any inquiries. Florissant Police began investigating the circumstances surrounding the woman's death at around 5:30 p.m., May 19, 1986. [Tr. 10-12]. Florissant Police identified the dead woman as Amy Creeley and determined that she was the live-in girlfriend of Steven Wilson. [Tr. 12, 25]. The Florissant Police knew that Steven Wilson was a convicted drug dealer. They suspected death by drug overdose. [Tr. 11-12].

In the early morning hours of May 20, 1986, St. Louis County Police Detective Robert Kenney was working secondary employment at the Harley Hotel in unincorporated St. Louis County. Detective Kenney was attached to the Narcotics Division of the St. Louis County Police. Detective Kenney was aware that the Florissant Police were investigating the suspicious death of Amy Creeley which had occurred on the previous day, May 19, 1986. [Tr. 9-10]. At 2:30 a.m. on May 20, 1986, Detective Kenney contacted by radio Police Officer Timothy Nisbet of the Robbery/Homicide Section of the Crimes Against Persons Unit of the St. Louis County Police. Officer Nisbet telephoned Detective Kenney at the Harley. [Tr. 9-10, 30-31]. Detective Kenney informed Officer Nisbet that Florissant Police were seeking a man with purple hair in connection with a suspicious death. He further informed Officer Nisbet that a man with purple hair had come to the Harley and gone to Rooms 819 & 821. [Tr. 10].

Officer Nisbet proceeded to the Harley, arriving there at 2:45 a.m. [Tr. 12, 31]. Detective Kenney told Officer Nisbet that the persons in Rooms 819 & 821 were suspicious, that the man with the purple hair was in there, and that he thought Jerry Woolbright, another man, and a woman *1573 were in there. [Tr. 12]. Officer Nisbet was familiar with Jerry Woolbright and his connections to homicides and narcotics. [Tr. 16]. Florissant Police arrived at 3:00 a.m. [Tr. 12]. Officer Nisbet and the Florissant Police began watching Rooms 819 & 821. [Tr. 13, 31].

Around 3:15 a.m. Lisa Randle exited from Room 821. Upon confrontation by the police officers, Ms. Randle stated "Bob didn't know this girl. He was driving through a park and she was having convulsions, so he took her to the hospital." [Tr. 15]. A couple of minutes later, the man with the purple hair exited from Room 821 carrying a bag. Two more men exited from Room 821 carrying luggage out. [Tr. 16]. The three men headed hurriedly towards the stairs with the luggage. [Tr. 18].

The officers identified themselves as police officers and told the three men to stop. [Tr. 18, 42]. The men stopped and turned towards the officers. When Woolbright turned around, Officer Nisbet recognized him. [Tr. 19, 41]. The officers frisked the three men for weapons. They found a large wad of money on Woolbright. [Tr. 19]. Officer Nisbet saw syringes in a plastic bag carried by the man later identified as Steven Wilson, the live-in boyfriend of the deceased. [Tr. 21-22]. The officers arrested the three men and Ms. Randle for suspicion of the murder of Amy Creeley. [Tr. 20-21]. The man with the purple hair was subsequently identified as Midnight Bobby Dolan. [Tr. 39]. The officers seized the luggage in possession of Woolbright and the other arrestees. [Tr. 45].

The Florissant Police informed Officer Nisbet that they wanted to convey the suspects to the Florissant Police Station. However, the Harley is not within the Florissant jurisdiction. Therefore, Officer Nisbet conveyed the suspects to the St. Louis County Police Department Detective Bureau Building on South Central Avenue in Clayton, Missouri. [Tr. 20-21, 39]. The Florissant Police obtained teletypes for murder first degree questioning of the four arrestees. [Tr. 20-21].

Upon arrival at the St. Louis County Detective Bureau at 4:15 a.m. [Tr. 33], Dectective Nisbet placed each prisoner in a separate room for questioning. [Tr. 21]. The luggage was placed in Room 226, the Supervisor's room. Room 226 was locked and guarded, though several officers had access to the room. [Tr. 21, 45-47]. The suspects were not booked upon arrival at the St. Louis County Detective Bureau. [Tr. 37].

Around 4:15 a.m., Nisbet began questioning the suspects. He interviewed Randle first, then Midnight Bobby Dolan (the man with the purple hair), and then Woolbright. [Tr. 24]. Nisbet questioned Woolbright at around 6:00 a.m. [Tr. 34]. Woolbright asked for an attorney and indicated that he needed to go to a hospital because he is a diabetic. Woolbright was taken to St. Louis County Hospital and was returned to the Detective Bureau at around 8:00 a.m. [Tr. 34]. At around 8:00 a.m., FBI Agent Crowley arrived at the Detective Bureau. [Tr. 36]. Crowley and Nisbet interviewed Steven Wilson. [Tr. 37]. By 10:00 a.m.

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Bluebook (online)
641 F. Supp. 1570, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-woolbright-moed-1986.