Williams v. Ontario County Sheriff's Department

662 F. Supp. 2d 321
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. New York
DecidedSeptember 21, 2009
DocketNo. 05-CV-0833S(F)
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 662 F. Supp. 2d 321 (Williams v. Ontario County Sheriff's Department) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Williams v. Ontario County Sheriff's Department, 662 F. Supp. 2d 321 (W.D.N.Y. 2009).

Opinion

JURISDICTION

LESLIE G. FOSCHIO, United States Magistrate Judge.

This case was referred to the undersigned on December 9, 2008, by Honorable William M. Skretny for report and recommendation on dispositive motions. The matter is presently before the court on Defendants’ motion for summary judgment (Doc. No. 45), filed November 25, 2008.

BACKGROUND

Plaintiff Antwain Williams (“Plaintiff’), commenced this civil rights action pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983 on November 22, 2005, alleging that Defendants, including the County of Ontario, the Ontario County Sheriffs Department, and individual Ontario County Sheriffs Department Deputy Sheriffs John Storer (“Storer”), John Shaf[324]*324fer (“Shaffer”),1 and Eric Woer (“Woer”) and Sergeant Colbourn (“Colbourn”) (together, “Defendants”), used excessive force in arresting Plaintiff on January 28, 2003, causing Plaintiff to sustain serious injuries. Plaintiff specifically challenges Defendants’ use of a “distraction device” or “concussion grenade” and use of force in removing Plaintiff from his vehicle in arresting Plaintiff. Plaintiff seeks to recover monetary damages for injuries suffered as a result of the arrest, including physical injuries to his arms, legs and head, and nightmares and flashbacks.

An amended complaint, filed as of right on January 6, 2006 (Doc. No. 3) (“Amended Complaint”), clarifies some of the facts alleged in the original Complaint, but is otherwise essentially identical to the original Complaint. In a text order filed July 5, 2006 (Doc. No. 5), the claims were dismissed, with prejudice, as against Storer, Shaffer, Woer, and Colbourn in their official capacities, as well as against the Ontario County Sheriffs Department, and Plaintiffs claims remain against Defendants only in their personal capacities.

On November 25, 2008, Defendants filed a motion (Doc. No. 45) (“Defendants’ motion”) seeking to dismiss the action or, alternatively, summary judgment based on qualified immunity. The motion is supported by the attached Affidavit of Assistant Ontario County Attorney Michael G. Reinhardt, Esq. (“Reinhardt”) (“Reinhardt Affidavit”), a Memorandum of Law (“Defendants’ Memorandum”), and exhibits A through N (“Defendants’ Exh(s). _”). In opposition to Defendants’ motion, Plaintiff filed on December 17, 2008, a Response to Defendants’ Motion for Summary Judgment (Doc. No. 49) (“Plaintiffs Response”), with attached exhibits A through F (“Plaintiffs Exh(s). __”). Oral argument was deemed unnecessary.

Based on the following, Defendants’ motion should be GRANTED, and the Clerk of the Court should be directed to close the case.

FACTS 2

According to the undisputed facts, based on information provided by a confidential informant (“the informant”), Defendants arranged for the informant to purchase $200 of cocaine from Plaintiff on January 28, 2003, at 5:00 P.M., at a house on Jay Street in Phelps, New York (“the buy”). Because the informant had also advised Defendants that Plaintiff would likely be armed with a concealed weapon to use against the police, Defendants arranged for a van carrying an Emergency Response Team (“ERT”), to park behind Plaintiffs vehicle while the buy was in progress, and also parked a vehicle to block Plaintiffs vehicle from exiting Jay Street. After the buy, Plaintiff returned to his vehicle and, before Plaintiff drove away, Defendant Colbourn exited the ERT van and deployed a DefTec No. 25 Distraction Device (“the distraction device”), throwing the distraction device at Plaintiffs vehicle where it landed on the hood and exploded, producing a loud bang and a brilliant flash.

Plaintiff maintains he was temporarily blinded by the flash, causing Plaintiff to lose control of the vehicle and crash into a snowbank a few feet away. Amended Complaint ¶ 5.C. According to Plaintiff, immediately after the vehicle stopped at the snowbank, Defendant Storer smashed the [325]*325vehicle’s passenger-side window, while Defendant Woer, using the barrel of a submachine gun, smashed the vehicle’s driver-side window, “sending fragments and shards of glass flying into [Plaintiffs] face.” Id. Woer then reached through the broken driver side window and began hitting Plaintiff in the head, then attempted to extricate Plaintiff from the vehicle through the broken driver side window, before pushing Plaintiff back into the vehicle and opening the driver’s door, through which Plaintiff was finally pulled out of the vehicle.

Defendants maintain that after the distraction device’s deployment, Defendants approached Plaintiffs vehicle, intending to apprehend Plaintiff, but Plaintiff, instead of surrendering, attempted to drive away in the vehicle, which lunged forward and spun its wheels before striking a snow-covered curb. Defendants surrounded the vehicle and observed Plaintiff reach into his jacket with his right hand. Defendants then entered Plaintiffs vehicle where, to prevent Plaintiff from gaining further access to a concealed weapon, Defendants restrained Plaintiff, removed Plaintiff from the vehicle and placed him in Ontario Sheriffs Department’s custody. During a search incident to Plaintiffs arrest, a loaded defaced semiautomatic pistol was recovered from Plaintiffs jacket pocket, and crack cocaine was found in the vehicle.

Following Plaintiffs arrest, Plaintiff was prosecuted on criminal charges filed in connection with the January 28, 2003 arrest, and ultimately convicted on October 3, 2003, in New York Supreme Court, Ontario County, of (1) third degree criminal possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell, in violation of New York Penal Law (“N.Y. Penal Law”) § 220.16.1; (2) second degree criminal possession of a weapon, in violation of N.Y. Penal Law § 265.03(2); (3) third degree criminal possession of a weapon that has been defaced for purposes of concealment, in violation of N.Y. Penal Law § 265.02(3); and (4) unlawful possession of marihuana in violation of N.Y. Penal Law § 221.05.3 On September 30, 2005, the New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Fourth Department unanimously affirmed Plaintiffs conviction, People v. Williams, 21 A.D.3d 1401, 801 N.Y.S.2d 659 (4th Dep’t 2005), and leave to appeal to the New York Court of Appeals was denied on November 22, 2005. People v. Williams, 5 N.Y.3d 885, 808 N.Y.S.2d 588, 842 N.E.2d 486 (2005) (table).

On May 31, 2006, Plaintiff commenced an action in this court seeking federal habeas relief with regard to the conviction, asserting, inter alia, that his conviction was obtained through use of evidence obtained in violation of Plaintiffs Fourth Amendment right against unreasonable search and seizure because the Defendants’ use of the distraction device and force to facilitate the arrest rendered the evidence used to convict Plaintiff “fruit of the poisonous tree.” Williams v. Artus, 2007 WL 2712338 (W.D.N.Y. Sept. 13, 2007). On September 13, 2007, Plaintiffs petition seeking habeas relief was dismissed. Williams, 2007 WL 2712338 at *5.

DISCUSSION

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Williams v. ONTARIO COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPT.
662 F. Supp. 2d 321 (W.D. New York, 2009)

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662 F. Supp. 2d 321, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/williams-v-ontario-county-sheriffs-department-nywd-2009.