Category Archives: Staleness

OH1: RS went stale by the time def was seen again days later

There was no reasonable suspicion for defendant’s stop days after he was seen on the street. “Perhaps if the officers had stopped J.T. and his red-sweatshirt-wearing companion nearby the church immediately after the shooting, the totality of the circumstances could … Continue reading

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Army: Affidavit for SW didn’t show why text messages would still be on def’s cell phone; but harmless error

The government did not show in the affidavit for search authorization that text messages would logically be found on his cell phone corroborating a sex crime victim. Nevertheless, he wasn’t prejudiced by it. United States v. Geranen, 2023 CCA LEXIS … Continue reading

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W.D.Va.: Info on def’s cell phone provided nexus for SW of house

Information on defendant’s cell phone linking him and Trafficker A also linked his home to the transactions and that showed nexus. United States v. Johnson, 2023 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 130082 (W.D. Va. July 27, 2023).* The information about defendant’s drug … Continue reading

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E.D.N.Y.: In a murder for hire case, a two year delay between the killing and the search didn’t make it presumably stale

In a murder for hire case, a two year delay between the homicide and the search warrant for defendant’s premises did not make the warrant presumably stale. The warrant sought digital evidence, and there were four conspirators and it spanned … Continue reading

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MO: Virginia v. Moore does not require officer see the crime to have PC for arrest outside jurisdiction

Virginia v. Moore does not require that an arresting officer personally have seen the act that led to the arrest outside the officer’s jurisdiction as long as there was probable cause. State v. Barton, 2023 Mo. LEXIS 183 (June 27, … Continue reading

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E.D.Mich.: Failure to file SW return doesn’t require suppression

Failure to file the warrant return doesn’t require suppression. It’s a curable ministerial act. Besides, the defendant can’t show prejudice. As to the merits, the search warrant was issued with probable cause and the good faith exception applies in any … Continue reading

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E.D.Tenn.: Undated controlled buys had to be in five weeks before SW, and that’s not stale

The multiple controlled buys were undated in the search warrant application, but the common sense reading was that they were in the five weeks before the warrant issued. That shows an ongoing drug operation, and it’s not stale. United States … Continue reading

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AF: Telling wife in jail call to delete a social media account AFOSI was looking to search was obstruction

While defendant was in pretrial confinement, he called his wife and instructed her to delete a social media account that the government was intending to search. This led to his obstruction charge. The call was monitored by the jail. United … Continue reading

Posted in § 1983 / Bivens, Issue preclusion, Probable cause, Social media warrants, Staleness | Comments Off on AF: Telling wife in jail call to delete a social media account AFOSI was looking to search was obstruction

E.D.N.Y.: Even if Brooklyn checkpoint was unreasonable, def’s flight from it was intervening circumstance

NYPD set up a vehicle checkpoint in East Flatbush, Brooklyn, because of heavy traffic and crime in general. Every third vehicle was to be stopped except anything apparently a violation would cause a stop. Defendant was stopped for no front … Continue reading

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CA5: 4A doesn’t apply to a letter carrier

“In co-defendant Johnlouis’s case, our court upheld the denial of the motion to suppress because we determined that the letter carrier was ‘not a government actor to whom the Fourth Amendment applies.’ United States v. Johnlouis, 44 F.4th 331, 337 … Continue reading

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CO: Typo in date (9/9 v. 9/30) in SW affidavit could be overlooked by other contents referring to previous few hours; GFE also applies

The typographical error in the affidavit showing the date as September 9th when it should have been September 30th could be overlooked because the affidavit as a whole referred to the previous few hours, and the good faith exception applies. … Continue reading

Posted in Good faith exception, Probation / Parole search, Staleness, Warrant papers | Comments Off on CO: Typo in date (9/9 v. 9/30) in SW affidavit could be overlooked by other contents referring to previous few hours; GFE also applies

CA7: Renting a condo under an assumed name to avoid arrest doesn’t show no REP; landlord could not consent

Defendant rented a condo in Atlanta, deceiving the landlord by using an assumed name. The landlord consented to a search. The landlord had no power to consent to a search. People rent hotel rooms and apartments and even buy houses … Continue reading

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CA4: “[T]he ability to execute a search does not necessarily imply power to execute a search warrant.”

“[T]he ability to execute a search does not necessarily imply power to execute a search warrant.” Osmon v. United States, 2023 U.S. App. LEXIS 9177 (4th Cir. Apr. 18, 2023). Defendant’s Franks motion fails because there’s no offer of proof … Continue reading

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CA4: Slightly outdated information police gathered def lived at place in SW still made it in good faith

Officers gathered information that defendant’s son lived in his house and presented it for a search warrant. After the search they found out he didn’t. The warrant was still issued in good faith. United States v. Jordan, 2023 U.S. App. … Continue reading

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E.D.Mich.: 13 day delay between trash pull and SW didn’t mean it was stale because case was actively investigated

A 13 day delay between a trash pull and a search warrant didn’t make the trash pull stale. There was an ongoing investigation throughout. United States v. Dobbs, 2023 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 52882 (E.D. Mich. Mar. 28, 2023). District court’s … Continue reading

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W.D.Ky.: SW for car in impound four months after seizure based on jail call was not stale; no realistic chance of change in condition

After a jail call, the police decided to get a search warrant for defendant’s car in impound for four months for drugs in the engine compartment which had been in impound. The warrant wasn’t stale because the information was just … Continue reading

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WY: In felony domestic battery case, state showed nexus that evidence could likely be found in def’s journal

Defendant was convicted of strangulation of a family member. The family member reported to the police that he had been in counseling and was keeping a detailed journal trying to break the cycle of domestic abuse. The affidavit for the … Continue reading

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CA6: Affidavit circumstantially supported nexus

There was nexus to defendant’s home as a base of operations for drug sales based on circumstantial evidence in the affidavit for warrant. United States v. Pointer, 2022 U.S. App. LEXIS 35506 (6th Cir. Dec. 20, 2022).* The search warrant … Continue reading

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N.D.Ill.: PC for admin. warrant became stale before it was sought

This administrative search warrant under OSHA became stale by the government’s delay in seeking it and litigation delays. Also, USMJs have jurisdiction to issue administrative inspection warrants. F.R.C.P. 72 objections do not apply to administrative warrants because they frustrate enforcement … Continue reading

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CA6: 4A generally doesn’t apply to sentencing enhancements

“The Fourth Amendment does not apply to sentencing enhancements. … We have recognized a possible exception to this rule—when officers illegally seized the evidence for the very purpose of enhancing the defendant’s sentence—but Wyse makes no such allegation.” United States … Continue reading

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