Magistrate Judge's Order and Final Report and Recommendation — United States v. Jackson (N.D. Ga., Dkt. 33)
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Magistrate judge's order and final report and recommendation in the criminal case against Christopher Wayne Jackson, Atlanta Division. The court recommends that Defendant's Motions to Suppress be granted, grants the Motion for Consideration of Additional Authority, and certifies Defendant ready for trial. The Grand Jury charged Defendant on March 27, 2018 with possession with intent to distribute cocaine, marijuana, and alprazolam and with possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. The background describes the August 12, 2015 attempt by officers to arrest Defendant's brother, Ryan Jackson, and the breach of the front door with a ram. The conclusion states that Defendant's statements must be suppressed.
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“Magistrate Judge's Order and Final Report and Recommendation — United States v. Jackson (N.D. Ga., Dkt. 33).”
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Case 1:18-cr-00095-LMM-LTW Document 33 Filed 12/10/18 Page 1 of 46
IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF GEORGIA
ATLANTA DIVISION
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
v. CRIMINAL ACTION NO.
1:18-CR-95-LMM-LTW
CHRISTOPHER WAYNE JACKSON,
Defendant.
MAGISTRATE JUDGE’S ORDER AND FINAL REPORT AND
RECOMMENDATION AND ORDER CERTIFYING THIS CASE READY
FOR TRIAL
This case is before the court on Defendant Christopher Wayne Jackson’s
(“Defendant”) Motion to Suppress (Doc. 15), First Supplement to Motion to Suppress
(Doc. 16), Post-Hearing Supplement to Motion to Suppress (Doc. 23), and Motion for
Consideration of Additional Authority on Pending Motion to Suppress (Doc. 30). For
the reasons that follow, this Court RECOMMENDS that Defendant’s Motions to
Suppress should be GRANTED. (Docs. 15, 16, 23). Defendant’s Motion for
Consideration of Additional Authority on Pending Motion to Suppress is GRANTED.
(Doc. 30). Because there are no more motions or other matters to address for Defendant
Jackson, the undersigned certifies him ready for trial.
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DEFENDANT’S MOTIONS TO SUPPRESS SEARCH
I. BACKGROUND
On March 27, 2018, the Grand Jury charged Defendant with knowingly and
intentionally possessing with intent to distribute a detectable amount of cocaine,
marijuana, and alprazolam (known as Xanax) in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1), 841
(b)(1)(c), 841(b)(1)(D), and 841(b)(1)(E)(2) and possession of a firearm in furtherance
of a drug trafficking crime in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1)(A)(I). (Doc. 1). On
May 14, 2018, Defendant filed his Motion to Suppress and supplemented his Motion on
May 13, 2018. (Docs. 15, 16). This Court held an evidentiary hearing on July 20, 2018
(Doc. 22), and Defendant filed a Post-Hearing Supplement to his Motion to Suppress
on August 7, 2018 (Doc. 23). On October 3, 2018, Defendant filed a Reply in support
of his Motion (Doc. 29) and then moved on October 24, 2018, to supplement his Reply
with additional legal authority (Doc. 30). Defendant’s Motion for Consideration of
Additional Authority on Pending Motion to Suppress is GRANTED. (Doc. 30).
In Defendant’s Motions to Suppress, he argues that evidence obtained during the
search of the 498 Center Hill Avenue and his statements made at the time of the search
should be suppressed because (1) there was no search warrant for 498 Center Hill
Avenue; (2) the arrest warrant for Ryan Jackson did not justify entry into his residence
at 498 Center Hill Avenue because the Government’s evidence does not show that Ryan
Jackson lived at the residence or that he was at the property; (3) there were no exigent
circumstances justifying entry other than those created by the law enforcement officers;
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(4) the plain view doctrine does not justify entry of the residence and the subsequent
search because the officers’ presence in the curtilage of the home was unlawful; and (5)
the search warrant obtained for the search of 490 Center Hill Avenue did not justify
entry into 498 Center Hill Avenue because 498 was not listed on the face of or
adequately described with particularity within the warrant.
I. FACTUAL BACKGROUND
A. Police Attempt to Execute an Arrest Warrant for Defendant’s Brother
at Defendant’s Residence
On August 12, 2015, Officer Kristopher Hutchens, who was employed by the
Clayton County Police Department for twenty-three years and assigned to the United
States Marshal Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force for four years, attempted to
apprehend fugitive Ryan Jackson. (Tr. 46-47, 50; Gov’t’s Ex. 1). Ryan Jackson was
charged with home invasion, armed robbery, false imprisonment, two counts of
aggravated assault, burglary, possession of a weapon during a crime, and possession of
a firearm by a felon. (Tr. 48, Gov’t’s Ex. 48). Because Ryan Jackson was wanted for
home invasion robbery, he was considered to be armed and dangerous. (Tr. 48).
Officers had previously tried to arrest Ryan Jackson in May 2015 at an apartment which
was believed to be rented by Ryan Jackson’s father. (Tr. 48-49).
At some point, Task Force Officer (“TFO”) Hutchens received a tip that Ryan was
at 498 Center Hill.1 (Tr. 50). Upon receiving the tip, TFO Hutchens looked up the
1
Although initially within the transcript it appears that police received the tip
on August 12, 2015, it becomes clear later within the transcript that was not the case
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address and learned that it was occupied by Defendant Christopher Jackson, who used
the 498 Center Hill Avenue address on his driver’s license and was Ryan Jackson’s
brother. (Tr. 50, 71). TFO Hutchens did not know whether Ryan Jackson resided there
and Ryan Jackson was not been listed in any of the documentation TFO Hutchens could
locate for the property. (Tr. 71, 73). Yet, TFO Hutchens thought Ryan Jackson might
be at the residence because in his experience, he rarely found fugitives where they sleep.
(Tr. 78-79). TFO Hutchens had also viewed social media postings by Ryan Jackson
which showed Ryan Jackson on the porch, as well as inside the interior of the home.
(Tr. 53).
On the morning of August 12, 2015, TFO Hutchens began conducting
surveillance of 498 Center Hill from about thirty-five to forty yards away. (Tr. 51-52).
That morning, TFO Hutchens observed someone who he thought met the description for
Ryan Jackson, arrive in a car during and enter the residence at 498 Center Hill. (Tr. 52-
53, 74). TFO Hutchens did not seek information about the license tag of the car in
which the suspect had arrived. (Tr. 74). The arriving suspect had a light complexion,
tattoos, was about 6 feet, 4 or 5 inches tall and appeared to weigh approximately 230 or
240 pounds. (Tr. 52, 93). The description of Ryan Jackson within the arrest warrant
indicated that Ryan was 6 feet, 4 inches, and approximately 225 pounds, African-
American, with brown eyes and black hair. (Tr. 52-53, Gov’t’s Ex. 1). In the
because TFO Hutchens conducted surveillance of the residence prior to August 12,
2015. (Tr. 50-51 (explaining that TFO Hutchens spent a few hours each day
surveilling the property prior to August 12, 2015)).
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photograph the Government had on file, Ryan Jackson appeared to be an African-
American male with short hair and light-skin. (Tr. 48, 53; Gov’t’s Ex. 2).
After seeing who he believed to be suspect Ryan Jackson, TFO Hutchens
requested assistance from other Marshals to meet him at a location close to 498 Center
Hill so that he could brief them and then return to the house to arrest Ryan Jackson. (Tr.
54, 72-73 (explaining that TFO Hutchens called for a team to “hit the house” because
he saw the person resembling Ryan Jackson at the house that morning). TFO Hutchens
left his surveillance post for approximately forty-five minutes and then returned with a
group of sworn U.S. Marshals. (Tr. 54-55). TFO Hutchens testified that he could not
have another officer replace him to continue surveillance during that forty-five minute
period because the street from which he was observing is small and there was no way
to get another person to take his place without being seen. (Tr. 81). TFO Hutchens felt
he could not risk someone watching, seeing another car come in there, and Ryan taking
off. (Tr. 81-82).
Following the briefing, approximately ten Marshals arrived at 498 Center Hill
Avenue. (Tr. 82). Although there were cars still in the driveway at the time the police
arrived, TFO Hutchens does not recall whether the car the suspect had arrived in
remained at the residence. (Tr. 76-77). TFO Hutchens states that multiple cars came
and went from the residence during his period of surveillance. (Tr. 77).
The Marshals placed a perimeter around the house to make sure no one jumped
out of the windows and ran. (Tr. 55). The entry team, consisting of seven or eight
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officers, climbed the stairs at the front entry of 498 Center Hill Avenue with TFO
Hutchens. (Tr. 55). About ten minutes after their arrival, the group of officers knocked
and announced their presence. (Tr. 76). Because the front door was recessed several
feet and only one officer could fit at the entry, TFO Hutchens knocked on the side of the
house close to the front door. TFO Hutchens states that the officers “identified
[themselves] as police and requested someone to come and open the door.” (Tr. 56).
Defendant, who had similar skin tone as Ryan Jackson, opened the door. (Tr. 56-
58). TFO Hutchens thought that the person could be Ryan Jackson, but had a feeling
that it was not Ryan Jackson when he saw Defendant’s dreadlocks because Ryan
Jackson had short hair in all of the photos TFO Hutchens had seen. (Tr. 56-58, 68-70).
Nevertheless, TFO Hutchens still thought Ryan Jackson was inside because he had
information that Ryan Jackson sometimes went to the residence, Ryan Jackson’s brother
(Defendant) claimed the address on his driver’s license, Ryan Jackson had posted photos
of himself at 498 Center Hill on social media, and the person he saw enter the home
earlier matched the description for Ryan Jackson. (Tr. 71-73, 78).
Defendant stood in the middle of the doorway, but slammed the door less than
two seconds later. (Tr. 58, 99). TFO Hutchens testified that at that time, he smelled
marijuana.2 (Tr. 58). TFO Hutchens states that after Defendant closed the door, his
2
While TFO Hutchens and other officers indicated that they smelled marijuana
when Defendant opened the door, this Court notes that the absence of a discussion
about the smell of marijuana in the police reports and in the search warrant
application. (Gov’t’s Exs. 5-6; Def.’s Ex. 10).
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initial thoughts were that Ryan Jackson was in the house and that he was collecting
weapons to engage the officers, to barricade himself, or to hide in other parts of the
house. (Tr. 59). Thus, TFO Hutchens was concerned for the safety of the officers. (Tr.
59).
B. The Officers Ram the Door and Perform a Security Sweep of the
Residence
Approximately nine minutes after the officers knocked on the door and announced
their presence, the officers breached the front door with a ram. (Tr. 59, 67, 77-78). TFO
Hutchens states that the officers could see into the residence and observed multiple
people “running left, right, [and] all over the house.” (Tr. 59). The officers then called
to the interior, “Hey, this is the police, come out to us.” (Tr. 59). Several of the
occupants filed out of the home where the police made contact with them on the porch.
(Tr. 60). Defendant eventually came outside. (Tr. 60). Each of the occupants were
secured with handcuffs away from the front porch. (Tr. 62). The officers never saw the
individual who TFO Hutchens thought met the description of Ryan Jackson. (Tr. 68).
After TFO Hutchens reached the point where he believed that no other individuals
would be leaving the house, he decided that the officers should enter the residence and
perform a security sweep. (Tr. 85-86). TFO Hutchens testified that because of
Defendant’s reaction when he opened the door, the smell of narcotics emanating from
the residence, the presence of the weapons systems in an apartment where law
enforcement officers previously tried to arrest Ryan Jackson, and all of the issues police
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had at the prior attempt to arrest Jackson, he believed that the officers needed to enter
the house to clear it. (Tr. 61, 93). Additionally, TFO Hutchens was concerned that
because of the amount of time that had elapsed between the officers arriving at the
residence, knocking, and actually putting their feet inside the door, Ryan Jackson would
have had plenty of time to “barricade up, collect these weapons, [and] could be waiting
on [the officers].” (Tr. 93). TFO Hutchens also testified that the officers entered the
residence because he was there for a fugitive that he believed to be inside. (Tr. 81).
Several minutes after the officers breached the door, the entry team conducted the
security sweep. (Tr. 60, 80). As part of the security sweep, the officers, with their
weapons drawn, looked for people in the residence anywhere in which a body could fit.
(Tr. 61-62). Once the house was secure, the officers holstered their weapons. (Tr. 62).
While performing the security sweep, the officers observed multiple firearms laying
around the residence. (Tr. 50).
Task Force Officer Joshua Mauney, who was also assigned to the United States
Marshal Fugitive Task Force pursuing Ryan Jackson on August 12, 2015, testified that
he went to 498 Center Hill Avenue with the team to arrest Ryan Jackson. (Tr. 97-98).
After Defendant slammed the door in the officers’ faces, TFO Mauney became
concerned that Defendant was trying to hide Ryan Jackson and that he was trying to give
Ryan Jackson time to escape or to barricade himself. (Tr. 99). TFO Mauney testified
that before Defendant closed the door on the officers, TFO Mauney smelled marijuana.
(Tr. 100). TFO Mauney also testified that he could still smell marijuana after he entered
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the residence. (Tr. 100). While conducting the search, he observed guns and drugs in
plain view inside the residence. (Tr. 101). TFO Mauney admits that he did not enter
498 Center Hill Avenue because he smelled marijuana, but rather because he was
pursuing a fugitive. (Tr. 106).
C. Law Enforcement Officers Obtain a Warrant for a Search of 498
Center Hill Avenue
TFOs Hutchens and Mauney were not involved with the paperwork to obtain a
warrant. (Tr. 89). Investigator O’Hare of the United States Marshal Service contacted
Detective David Pickering of the Atlanta Police Department to seek assistance in
obtaining a warrant for the search of the residence. (Tr. 120-22). Investigator O’Hare
told Detective Pickering that the house was located on the 400 block of Center Hill, that
the exterior of the house was blue, and that the color of the steps for the house was red.
(Tr. 122-23). Investigator O’Hare also told Detective Pickering that the reason for the
search warrant was because officers observed marijuana in plain view in three rooms.
(Tr. 145). Investigator O’Hare did not mention the marijuana smell to Detective
Pickering. (Tr. 145).
The affidavit and application for a search warrant initially described the address
to be searched as 490 Center Hill Street NW, 30318. (Def.’s Ex. 14, at 000007). One
line below, it described the location to be searched as a blue single-story dwelling with
red wooden stairs leading to the front door on 490 Center Hill Avenue. (Def.’s Ex. 14,
at 000007). In the affidavit and application, it was noted that during the search of the
residence for Ryan Jackson, the officers discovered “marijuana in plain view in three
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rooms” and approximately twelve types of firearms inside the residence. (Gov’t’s Ex.
6). The officers sought authorization for the search of Defendant’s residence for
marijuana, weapons, and other evidence of narcotics possession or distribution.
(Gov’t’s Ex. 6).
The Judge signed the search warrant at 4:45 p.m. and Detective Pickering arrived
at the scene approximately fifteen or twenty minutes later to execute the search warrant.
(Tr. 150). The warrant described the location to be searched in exactly the same way
it was described in the affidavit and application, including the description as being a
blue house with red front steps and the discrepancy between 490 Center Hill Street on
one line and 490 Center Hill Avenue on the next. (Def.’s Ex. 15, at 000002).
Detective Pickering states that when he arrived at the scene for purposes of
executing the search warrant, officers directed him to a blue house with the red steps,
on 498 Center Hill Avenue. (Tr. 64, 127, Gov’t’s Ex. 4). Detective Pickering testified
that he did not realize the last digit of the house number was incorrect on the warrant
until after executed the search warrant at the blue house.3 (Tr. 125, 164). Detective
Pickering states that prior to August 12, 2015, he had never been to Defendant’s
neighborhood and that mail for 490 Center Hill was found in the mailbox outside 498
Center Hill. (Tr. 125, 130). Detective Pickering also points out that 490 Center Hill did
3
TFO Hutchens never doubted that the street address was 498 Center Hill
Avenue and never thought that the address was 490 Center Hill Avenue. (Tr. 84).
TFO Hutchens, however, was not involved in obtaining the search warrant. (Tr. 84-
85).
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not meet the physical description of the exterior and the color of the stairs that he
described in his search warrant because it was beige with tan bricks and it was not blue.
(Tr. 127-28).
On the search warrant return, which was a pre-made form, Detective Pickering
indicated that he “searched the premises particularly described in [the] search warrant”
and left the search warrant “in a conspicuous place on the premises particularly
described in the [s]earch [w]arrant.” (Tr. 153-54; Def.’s Ex. 16, at 000013). Detective
Pickering testified that it was not his intent to mislead the court with respect to where
he had executed the search warrant. (Tr. 163-64). On a Supplemental Offense Report,
dated August 13, 2015, Detective Pickering indicated that the address on the warrant
was incorrect and that the actual address was 498 Center Hill Avenue. (Tr. 126, Def.’s
Ex. 10, at 000036). Detective Pickering also noted that the house was particularly
described on the search warrant as a single story dwelling with a blue exterior and
stained red wooden stairs leading to the front door and that there was no other residence
meeting that description. (Def.’s Ex. 10, at 000036).
Detective Pickering testified that he could smell the marijuana when he was
conducting the search. (Tr. 167-68). Law enforcement officers found approximately
four pounds of marijuana during their search. (Tr. 166).
D. Officer Mark Olson Performed a Search of the Residence and
Interviewed Defendant at the Scene
Officer Mark Olson of the Atlanta Police Department (“APD”) interviewed
Defendant during daylight hours on August 12, 2015, inside Defendant’s kitchen. (Tr.
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4-6, 17, 24). The interview was videotaped and during the course of the interview, it is
apparent that other people and a police dog were present. (Gov’t’s Ex. 11; Tr. 9, 24).
Prior to the interview, Officer Olson advised Defendant of his Miranda rights, and
Defendant agreed to speak with him. (Tr. 8-10). Officer Olson, consistent with what
was depicted on the video, testified that he did not threaten Defendant, strike him, beat
him, or promise him leniency and that no one had their weapons drawn on Defendant
during the interview. (Tr. 8-9).
During the interview, Officer Olson asked Defendant to tell him “about the
marijuana and the guns [Officer Olson] found in [Defendant’s] bedroom.” (Tr. 11;
Gov’t’s Ex. 11). Defendant admitted that the guns and marijuana belonged to him. (Tr.
10-11). Officer Olson also asked Defendant about other contraband found in the home
and often told Defendant the location where officers found the contraband. (Gov’t’s Ex.
11). Defendant continued to admit that the contraband belonged to him. (Id.). When
Officer Olson asked Defendant about a Glock that Officer Olson found “in the other
bedroom that wasn’t [Defendant’s],” Defendant advised Officer Olson that when he
initially answered the door for the officers, the officers were at the door with guns
pointing at him. (Tr. 11-12; Gov’t’s Ex. 11). Defendant stated that he shut the door in
order to remove the Glock from his person so as not to incite the police at the door. (Tr.
11-12; Gov’t’s Ex. 11).
Officer Olson also participated in a search of the residence. (Tr. 13). Officer
Olson initially arrived at the scene to “look at the house,” but does not recall whether
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he waited until he obtained the search warrant to enter the house. (Tr. 26-27). Officer
Olson admits that his entry occurred after the Marshals had already made entry into the
home to perform the protective sweep. (Tr. 26-27 (indicating that he does not recall if
he entered the house before the officers obtained a search warrant)). Officer Olson
testified that prior to entering the home, he could smell marijuana outside the house.
(Tr. 14, 36).
At some point, Officer Olson documented a walk through of the home on video.
(Tr. 18). During such a walk through, officers usually document everything they find
in plain view and record how the house looked. (Tr. 18; Gov’t’s Ex. 9). Officer Olson
does not recall whether he had a warrant at the time. (Tr. 25-27). It was documented
on the walk through that law enforcement officers found firearms, marijuana, baggies,
a shotgun, an AK-47 style rifle, as well as electronic scales in the home. (Tr. 16-17).
Officer Olson admits that he never saw the contraband inside the house until after he
was inside the house; he did not view the contraband from outside the windows. (Tr.
35-36).
Tiana Lee, who was detained at the residence on Center Hill Avenue on August
12, 2015, testified that she did not smell marijuana either while she was inside the
residence or detained outside the residence. (Tr. 113-14). Lee, testified that at the time
of her arrest, she was dating Defendant and had visited the house four or five times. (Tr.
115-17). Lee states that she had never seen or smelled anyone smoke marijuana inside
the residence at any time and she had not seen any scales or firearms within the
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residence. (Tr. 117). Lee, further testified that when she went to the residence, she
would go into Defendant’s bedroom and did not wander around the house. (Tr. 117).
II. LEGAL ANALYSIS
Defendant argues the initial entry into his residence at 498 Center Hill Avenue
in order to locate his brother was not permitted under Steagald v. United States, 451
U.S. 204 (1981) or Payton v. New York, 445 U.S. 573 (1980) because the law
enforcement officers did not have a reasonable belief that his brother lived at the
premises, that his brother was present at the time, or that exigent circumstances justified
the officers’ entry. Defendant also contends that the officers had no exigency to enter
into the residence even if they smelled marijuana odor because they did not enter
because of marijuana odor, they entered to find his brother. Additionally, Defendant
argues that any exigency was created by the law enforcement officers who entered the
front porch of the residence, making their presence known, instead of obtaining a
warrant. Defendant further contends that the search warrant for 490 Center Hill Avenue
did not give the officers the authority to enter 498 Center Hill Avenue because the
premises at 498 Center Hill Avenue were not described with particularity in the warrant
and the warrant created a risk that the officers would search the wrong location.
A. It Was Not Lawful for the Officers to Enter Defendant Christopher
Jackson’s Residence in Order to Execute the Arrest Warrant for His
Brother
Under the facts of this case, the undersigned finds that the officers’ initial entry
into Defendant’s residence was not lawful. The Fourth Amendment guarantees “[t]he
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right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against
unreasonable searches and seizures.” U.S. Const. amend IV. “The sanctity of a
home is afforded special protection under the Fourth Amendment, such that the reasons
for upholding warrantless arrests in a public place do not apply to warrantless invasions
of the privacy of the home.” Bashir v. Rockdale Cty., 445 F.3d 1323, 1327 (11th Cir.
2006). The Supreme Court decided in Payton v. New York, 445 U.S. 573 (1980), that
an arrest warrant based upon probable cause gives law enforcement officers “the limited
authority to enter a dwelling in which the suspect lives when there is reason to believe
the suspect is within.” Id. at 603; United States v. Hollis, 780 F.3d 1064, 1068 (11th
Cir. 2015). When determining whether law enforcement officials may enter a residence
“to execute an arrest warrant for a resident of the premises, the facts and circumstances
within the knowledge of law enforcement agents, when viewed in the totality, must
warrant a reasonable belief that the location to be searched is the suspect’s dwelling and
that the suspect is within the residence at the time of entry.” United States v. Magluta,
44 F.3d 1530, 1535 (11th Cir. 1995).
The warrantless entry of Defendant’s residence at 498 Center Hill Avenue to
arrest his brother, Ryan Jackson, was not authorized under Payton, supra, because the
officers did not have reason to believe that Ryan Jackson was living there. When
determining whether officers had reason to believe that Ryan Jackson was residing at
498 Center Hill Avenue, common sense facts are analyzed. United States v. Bellamy,
456 F. App’x 863, 865 (11th Cir. 2012). The facts within the knowledge of the law
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enforcement officers in this case did not warrant a reasonable belief that 498 Center Hill
Avenue was Ryan Jackson’s residence at the time of entry. Indeed, it is not apparent
that even the officers who were pursuing Ryan Jackson believed that he resided there.
(Tr. 71). Although Ryan Jackson was a fugitive and could have been staying with his
brother, Defendant Christopher Jackson, the police officers at the scene readily admit
that they did not know whether Ryan Jackson was residing at 498 Center Hill Avenue.
(Tr. 71-73 (testimony by TFO Hutchens that he “could not tell you if that was his
residence or not, if he was laying his head there or not,” that he had “no idea,” and
admitting that none of the things that he was investigating that led him to that house told
him that Ryan Jackson lived there), 105-06 (testimony by TFO Mauney that he thought
Ryan Jackson lived at 498 Center Hill Avenue because he took the word of another
officer and states that he does not know if Ryan Jackson “lived there or not or if he ever
stayed there” and that he has “no idea”)). Furthermore, TFO Hutchens admits that Ryan
Jackson was not listed on any of the documentation he could locate for the property.
(Tr. 71, 73). Although TFO Hutchens testified that he had surveilled the residence for
more than one day, there is no indication that he had seen Ryan Jackson there on any
day other than August 12, 2015. (Tr. 50-51). While the officers had viewed social
media postings which included pictures of Ryan Jackson at 498 Center Hill avenue,
given that his brother resided there, Ryan Jackson’s presence at the residence on social
media, without more, at most suggests that he was visiting his brother there, and not that
he resided there. Here, the Government presents no evidence that Ryan Jackson was
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living at the residence, such as bills or mail addressed to him at the house, or neighbors
or relatives advising police that he lived there. The surveillance of the residence on
other days failed to reveal any evidence that Ryan Jackson even spent the night at
Defendant’s residence. Indeed, there was no evidence that the alleged tipster indicated
that Ryan Jackson was living in the residence. Accordingly, the police did not have a
reasonable belief that Ryan Jackson was living in Defendant’s home.
Because the officers did not have reason to believe that Ryan Jackson was
residing at 498 Center Hill Avenue, without some other justification, the officers could
not lawfully enter Defendant’s residence for the purpose of arresting his brother. When
an officer effectuates an arrest warrant in a third-party’s home, the officer may violate
the Fourth Amendment rights of the third-party. Hollis, 780 F.3d at 1068 (citing
Steagald v. United States, 451 U.S. 204, 212-16 (1981)); O’Rourke v. Hayes, 378 F.3d
1201, 1209 (11th Cir. 2004). The Supreme Court held in Steagald v. United States, 451
U.S. 204 (1981), that a law enforcement officer may not legally search for the subject
of an arrest warrant in the home of a third party without first obtaining a search warrant
unless exigent circumstances are present or consent is given. Id. at 205-06, 213-14. An
arrest warrant alone is not sufficient because it creates the potential for abuse; “armed
solely with an arrest warrant for a single person, the police could search all the homes
of that individual’s friends and acquaintances.” Bates v. Harvey, 518 F.3d 1233, 1245
(11th Cir. 2008). Thus, “[t]he police bear a heavy burden of proving that the exigent
circumstances exception validates a warrantless entry or search of a third party’s home
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to look for a non-resident.” Bates, 518 F.3d at 1245.
B. The Officers’ Actions Were Not Justified by Exigent Circumstances
The Government argues exigent circumstances justified the officers’ entry into
498 Center Hill Avenue without a search warrant because the officers were concerned
about the risk of flight and danger to the officers’ safety posed by Ryan Jackson, who
was a fugitive wanted for violent crimes and considered to be armed and dangerous.
Conversely, Defendant contends that the police did not enter the residence due to
exigent circumstances; they entered to find Ryan Jackson. To the extent that there were
exigent circumstances present, Defendant argues the officers created their own exigency
by pounding on the front door. Absent the officers pounding on the door, Defendant
further argues, there was no reason to believe that the occupants of the house had been
tipped off as to the presence of law enforcement officers, no reason to be concerned for
the destruction of evidence, no danger to persons present, or any other circumstances
described as exigent. The officers could have retreated, obtained a search warrant, and
returned, all without alerting the occupants of the house.
“The exigent circumstances exception to the warrant requirement recognizes a
warrantless entry by criminal law enforcement officials may be legal when there is a
compelling need for official action and no time to secure a warrant.” United States v.
McCoy, 259 F. App’x 264, 267 (11th Cir. 2007) (citing Bashir, 445 F.3d at 1328);
United States v. Holloway, 290 F.3d 1331, 1337 (11th Cir. 2002). “The exigency
exception only applies when ‘the inevitable delay incident to obtaining a warrant must
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give way to an urgent need for immediate action.’” United States v. Lynch, 934 F.2d
1226, 1232 (11th Cir. 1991) (citing United States v. Burgos, 720 F.2d 1520, 1526 (11th
Cir.1983)). For the exception to apply, the officer “must have probable cause to believe
that exigent circumstances exist,” and the reasonableness of that belief is “evaluated by
reference to the circumstances then confronting the officer, including the need for a
prompt assessment of sometimes ambiguous information concerning potentially serious
consequences.” Smith v. LePage, 834 F.3d 1285, 1293 (11th Cir. 2016) (quoting
Roberts v. Spielman, 643 F.3d 899, 905-06 (11th Cir. 2011)); see also United States v.
Duhon, 503 F. App’x 874, 877 (11th Cir. 2013) (citing United States v. Holloway, 290
F.3d 1331, 1334 (11th Cir. 2002)) (“Underlying the exigent circumstances exception is
the notion that ‘once presented with an emergency situation, the police must act quickly,
based on hurried and incomplete information.’”). “The general requirement that a
search warrant be obtained is not lightly to be dispensed with, and ‘the burden is on
those seeking [an] exemption from the requirement to show the need for it.” United
States v. Santa, 236 F.3d 662, 669 (11th Cir. 2000) (citing Chimel v. California, 395
U.S. 752, 762 (1969)); see also McCoy, 259 F. App’x at 267.
The exigent circumstances exception only applies if the police reasonably believe
that an emergency situation justifies warrantless action, such as situations involving
“danger of flight or escape, loss or destruction of evidence, risk of harm to the public
or the police, mobility of a vehicle, and hot pursuit.” See, e.g., McCoy, 259 F. App’x
at 267 (finding exigent circumstances where suspect was believed to be inside
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apartment, officers viewed chrome revolver on apartment floor, suspect was known to
carry weapons and believed to have committed three murders, and vehicle left the scene
at a high-rate of speed around the same time that officer yelled gun) (citing Bashir, 445
F.3d at 1328). The following factors may contribute to exigent circumstances: (1) if the
suspect is charged with violent offense(s); (2) a reasonable belief that the suspect is
armed; (3) a strong reason to believe that the suspect is in the premises being entered;
(4) probable cause to believe that the suspect committed the crime; (5) a reasonable
belief that the delay could allow for the destruction of essential evidence or the escape
of the suspect; (6) a reasonable belief that delay could jeopardize the safety of law
enforcement officers or the public; and (7) whether the entry was peaceful. Parker v.
Allen, 565 F.3d 1258, 1290 (11th Cir. 2009); United States v. Standridge, 810 F.2d
1034, 1037 (11th Cir. 1987).
Applying the aforementioned factors, the Court cannot reach the conclusion that
exigent circumstances were present at the time the officers entered the curtilage of
Defendant’s residence to effectuate the arrest. Although Ryan Jackson was charged
with serious violent offenses, the Supreme Court has counseled that exigent
circumstances do not exist just because the police have an arrest warrant for a fugitive,
even if the fugitive is wanted on serious offenses. Steagald, 451 U.S. at 215; Mincey
v. Arizona, 437 U.S. 385, 392 (1978) (explaining that the mere fact that the suspect was
believed to have committed a homicide was not enough to give rise to exigent
circumstances). Additionally, while there was a possibility that Ryan Jackson was
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armed, the Government’s proof falls short of showing that he was armed at the time he
allegedly was at his brother’s residence. Notwithstanding that Ryan Jackson was
believed to have been armed during commission of a home invasion and an armed
robbery, it had been months since Ryan Jackson had allegedly committed the armed
robbery or since the time law enforcement officers attempted to apprehend him at his
father’s house. The fact that Ryan Jackson may have utilized a weapon to commit
armed robbery does not necessarily lead to the conclusion, without more, that he
remained armed when he arrived at the house of his brother more than three months
later. The Government asks the Court to accept that because the law enforcement
officers found weapons in Ryan Jackson’s father’s apartment, that it was likely that they
would find weapons at Defendant Jackson’s house. Although the circumstances
certainly counseled caution for the officers, the Government did not connect Ryan
Jackson or Defendant Jackson to the weapons present at Ryan Jackson’s father’s
apartment. There is no evidence that Ryan Jackson was living at his father’s apartment.
TFO Hutchens only states he had seen Ryan Jackson come to his father’s apartment
twice and leave. (Tr. 49). When the officers went to Ryan Jackson’s father’s apartment,
Ryan Jackson was not found there. (Tr. 49-50). In addition, there was no evidence that
Ryan Jackson was living in Defendant’s home. Without more, this Court has difficulty
accepting the premise that the presence of weapons at Ryan Jackson’s father’s apartment
means there must also have been weapons at Defendant Chris Jackson’s house.
Furthermore, this is not a situation where there was any evidence that Ryan
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Jackson or even Defendant Chris Jackson knew law enforcement officers were
surveilling Ryan Jackson or Defendant’s home in pursuit of Ryan Jackson that day. The
Eleventh Circuit has repeatedly held that “circumstances are not normally considered
exigent where the suspects are unaware of police surveillance” because “in such
situations, the officers easily could maintain surveillance until they could make a public
arrest or obtain a warrant.” United States v. Hayes, 334 F. App’x 222, 225 (11th Cir.
2009); see also United States v. Lockett, 533 F. App’x 957, 964 (11th Cir. 2013); Santa,
236 F.3d at 669-70. The Eleventh Circuit has reasoned that “[s]uspects who are inside
their homes and unaware of their pending arrests generally have no reason immediately
to flee” and without more “there is little reason for them to endanger the lives of
themselves or others.” United States v. Lynch, 934 F.2d 1226, 1232-33 (11th Cir. 1991)
(citing United States v. George, 883 F.2d 1407, 1413-14 (9th Cir. 1989)); Napier v.
Fowler, No. 09-60684-CIV-UNGARO, 2009 WL 10699620, at *1, 7-9 (S.D. Fla. Nov.
30, 2009) (even though armed robbery suspect believed to be in third-party’s residence
was wanted for a grave offense, exigent circumstances did not justify the search for
suspect because more than twenty-four hours had passed since the robbery and officers
were not in hot pursuit, officers did not have reason to believe that the suspect was
armed because they had recovered inoperable firearm from scene of the robbery, and
there was no reason to believe that suspect was alerted to officer’s presence).
Here, the Government does not show that prior to the point the officers entered
the curtilage of Defendant’s home, the occupants of the home would have had any
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reason to know that the officers were pursuing Ryan Jackson or that Ryan Jackson, to
the extent he may have been in the home, would have any reason to flee. There is no
indication that the occupants of the residence observed TFO Hutchens surveilling them.
The evidence is clear that up to the point in which TFO Hutchens entered Defendant’s
property with a team of law enforcement officers, TFO Hutchens was careful to not tip
any occupants of the home to his presence or that he was law enforcement. TFO
Hutchens’ testimony shows that he was cautious about being detected and that he
actually left his surveillance post near the home to meet with the other officers who
would be on the entry team at another location out of view. (Tr. 54-55, 81-82). TFO
Hutchens did not request that another officer replace him at the surveillance post
because the street was small and he would not risk someone watching and seeing
another car coming in there. (Tr. 54-55, 81-82).
Nevertheless, there was no showing by the Government that TFO Hutchens could
not have maintained surveillance with the other officers stationed on standby nearby
while obtaining a warrant. See Lynch, 934 F.2d at 1232 n.4 (“We will not hold that the
warrantless search of an individual’s home may be justified by the police’s inability to
maintain effective surveillance, particularly when no exigency has been established.
Such a holding would run counter to all established fourth amendment precedent.”);
Santa, 236 F.3d at 669 (rejecting government’s argument that officers needed to enter
defendant’s apartment immediately to prevent the destruction of evidence and
defendant’s escape because the occupants of the apartment were unaware they were
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under police investigation, the surveilling DEA agents were all in unmarked cars and
they had done nothing to disclose their presence, and agents had no cause to believe that
confidential informant had tipped off suspects); United States v. Hudson, 102 F. App’x
127, 136 (10th Cir. 2004) (rejecting conclusion that exigent circumstances justified
warrantless entry into third party’s home to execute felony arrest warrant for suspect
who was armed, had eluded capture for a week, and might escape again because there
was no emergency or immediate need to enter home to protect life or property nor proof
that the police had an immediate need to enter to protect themselves or their safety).
The Government omits to explain why TFO Hutchens could not have briefed the other
officers via telephone, while other officers secured a search warrant for Ryan Jackson
instead of meeting offsite for forty-five minutes. Indeed, TFO Hutchens testified that
prior to that point, he had been maintaining surveillance for a few hours each day. (Tr.
51). Additionally, the search took place in the middle of the day on a week day; thus,
it stands to reason that access to court personnel to obtain a warrant for the search of the
residence would be possible and could occur quickly. Notably, after the initial
protective sweep and search for Ryan Jackson, the officers did utilize a second set of
officers to obtain the search warrant and they did so through an electronic procedure
where law enforcement officers complete a search warrant application form
electronically from Public Safety Headquarters and “zap it over to a judge who is in a
different location.” (Tr. 142-43, 147-48). Thus, the officers could not rely on the
exigent circumstances exception and at that point, could not lawfully enter the property
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or the home in order to execute the warrant for Ryan Jackson. Steagald v. United States,
451 U.S. 204, 205-06 (1981).
C. The Officers’ Presence on the Property Was Not Justified as a Knock
and Talk
The Government argues, citing Kentucky v. King, 563 U.S. 452 (2011), that the
officers lawfully knocked on Defendant’s door and announced their presence, and
contends that in the King case, the Supreme Court rejected the argument that a
warrantless search is invalid where law enforcement created the exigency by either
knocking on the door of a residence and announcing their presence or by engaging in
conduct that would prompt a reaction from the occupants. The Court disagrees that the
Supreme Court’s decision in King is as far-reaching as the Government has argued.
In King, the police set up a controlled buy of crack cocaine outside an apartment
complex and Officer Gibbons observed the deal take place from an unmarked car in a
nearby parking lot. 563 U.S. at 456. Officer Gibbons radioed uniformed officers to
move in on the suspect and advised the officers that the suspect was moving quickly
towards the breezeway of an apartment building. Id. Officer Gibbons told the officers
to hurry before the suspect entered an apartment. Id. As pursuing officers entered the
breezeway, they heard a door shut and detected a strong odor of burnt marijuana. Id.
At the end of the breezeway, officers saw two apartments, one on the left and one on the
right, and were unsure which apartment the suspect had entered. Id. Because they
smelled marijuana smoke emanating from the apartment on the left, they approached the
door of the apartment. Id. One of the officers who approached the door testified that
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the officers banged on the door “as loud as they could” and announced, “This is the
police” or “Police, police, police.” Id. As soon as the officers banged on the door, they
could hear people moving inside and sounds as if things were also being moved inside.
Id. According to one officer on the scene, the noises led the officers to believe that
drug-related evidence was about to be destroyed. Id. The officers then announced that
they were going to make entry inside the apartment, kicked in the door, and entered the
apartment. Id. After entry, the officers found respondent Hollis King, his girlfriend, and
a guest who was smoking marijuana. Id. at 456-57. The officers performed a protective
sweep, during which they saw marijuana and powder cocaine in plain view. Id. at 457.
The police also found the suspected drug dealer who was the target of their
investigation. Id. at 457.
The Supreme Court observed that under the exigent circumstances doctrine,
several exigencies may justify a warrantless search of a home, including “the need to
prevent imminent destruction of evidence,” which was at issue in that case. Id. at 460.
The Court then observed that lower courts had developed the police-created exigency
doctrine as an exception to the exigent circumstances rule. Id. at 461. Under the
doctrine, courts, recognizing that the reason evidence is destroyed will usually be fear
that the evidence will fall into the hands of law enforcement, often held that the police-
created exigency doctrine requires something more than simple causation but differed
on the test to be applied. Id. at 461-62. The Court then reasoned that the answer to the
question presented in the case was that given that the touchstone of when warrantless
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searches are permitted is reasonableness, when police may have created the exigency
“the exigent circumstances rule justifies a warrantless search when the conduct of the
police preceding the exigency is reasonable in the same sense.” Id. at 462. The Court
concluded “[w]here, as here, the police did not create the exigency by engaging or
threatening to engage in conduct that violates the Fourth Amendment, warrantless entry
to prevent the destruction of evidence is reasonable and thus allowed.” Id. at 462. In
support, the Court noted that it had followed a similar approach in other cases and that
for instance, “law enforcement officers may seize evidence in plain view, provided that
they have not violated the Fourth Amendment in arriving at the spot from which the
observation of the evidence is made.” Id. at 463 (citing Horton v. California, 496 U.S.
128, 136-140 (1990)).
The Supreme Court then rejected some approaches previously advanced in the
lower courts. The Supreme Court rejected the notion that a warrantless search justified
by exigent circumstances becomes invalid because it was reasonably foreseeable that
investigative tactics employed by the police would create the exigent circumstances. Id.
at 464-65. The Court also noted that courts applying this test have invalidated
warrantless home searches on the ground that it was reasonably foreseeable that police
officers, by knocking on the door and announcing their presence, would lead a drug
suspect to destroy evidence. Id. at 464-65. The Court reasoned that such a rule would
not be appropriate because it would be too difficult for officers in the field, who must
make split-second judgments under rapidly-evolving circumstances, to apply. King, 563
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U.S. at 464-65.
Likewise, the Supreme Court has rejected the approach that an otherwise valid
exigent circumstances search is invalid when law enforcement officers deliberately
created the exigent circumstances with the bad faith intent to avoid the warrant
requirement because the approach is fundamentally inconsistent with Fourth
Amendment jurisprudence requiring examination of whether the circumstances
objectively justify the law enforcement action. King, 563 U.S. at 464-65. Furthermore,
the fact that the law enforcement officers have obtained probable cause to search and
time to obtain a warrant and instead, choose to knock on the door and speak with an
occupant or obtain consent for a search, does not invalidate the search because to do so
is a legitimate law enforcement strategy. Id. at 466-67. The Court considered such a
strategy legitimate because a short and simple conversation may obviate the need to
apply for and execute a warrant, or to obtain consent may be simpler, faster, and less
burdensome than applying for a warrant. King, 563 U.S. at 466-67.
The Supreme Court also rejected the argument that law enforcement
impermissibly create an exigency when they engage in conduct that would cause a
reasonable person to believe that entry is imminent and inevitable. King, 563 U.S. at
468. Applying that reasoning, the Court opined that police officers have good reason
to announce their presence and knock loudly or forcefully on the door, such as to alert
occupants that someone was at the door, to provide information as to who it is at the
door so that occupants can evaluate whether to open the door, or to in some cases, to
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reassure citizens that it is the police at the door. King, 563 U.S. at 468.
The Court then returned to the principle that the exigent circumstances rule still
applies when the police do not gain entry into a premises by means of an actual or
threatened violation of the Fourth Amendment. Id. The Court then reasoned that
“[w]hen law enforcement officers who are not armed with a warrant knock on a door,
they do no more than any private citizen might do,” that such conduct was entirely
consistent with the Fourth Amendment, and that the court was not aware of any “other
evidence that might show that the officers either violated the Fourth Amendment or
threatened to do so (for example, by announcing that they would break down the door
if the occupants did not open the door voluntarily).” Id.
Thus, the question in instant case becomes whether the police either violated the
Fourth Amendment or threatened to do so prior to the point when they entered
Defendant’s home. The Government argues that the law enforcement officers did
nothing improper when they approached Defendant’s residence to knock and announce
their presence and that “they are not responsible for his subsequent actions that gave rise
to the exigent circumstances.” (Gov’t’s Br. 15). This Court disagrees.
The Government’s activity at Defendant’s door could have been lawful if it had
been a valid knock and talk. “A knock and talk is a consensual encounter between
police who seek to gather information and a civilian, which takes place at the civilian’s
home.” Young v. Borders, 850 F.3d 1274, 1295 (11th Cir. 2017). Absent express
orders from the occupant(s) of the residence, the police “are allowed to knock on a
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residence’s door or otherwise approach the residence seeking to speak to the inhabitants
just as any private citizen may.” United States v. Lara-Mondragon, 516 F. App’x 771,
772-73 (11th Cir. 2013); United States v. Taylor, 458 F.3d 1201, 1204 (11th Cir. 2006)
(explaining that “[a]bsent express orders from the person in possession, an officer may
walk up the steps and knock on the front door of any man’s ‘castle,’ with the honest
intent of asking question of the occupant thereof”); see also Florida v. Jardines, 569 U.S.
1, 8 (2013) (explaining that “a police officer not armed with a warrant may approach a
home and knock, precisely because that is no more than any private citizen might do”);
King, 563 U.S. at 471-72 (explaining that it was lawful for officers to approach an
apartment door and bang on the door “as loud as they could” and announce “this is the
police” or “police, police, police”). In this Court’s view, however, the law enforcement
officers’ actions at the front door were not an attempt to knock and talk to the occupants
of a residence like a normal invitee to the residence. Here, based on this Court’s
evaluation of the facts, the law enforcement officers entered the property with the intent
to search for and arrest their fugitive, not to talk. They violated the Fourth Amendment
when they exceeded the behavior of a normal invitee and utilized their official authority
as police officers to demand that Defendant open the door and relied on a show of force
to raid the home.
Supreme Court and Eleventh Circuit case law following King make it clear, that
knocking at the front door of a home is not always a lawful police intrusion into the
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curtilage4 of the home and the manner in which police enter the curtilage and their
reason for the entry into the curtilage matters. In Florida v. Jardines, 569 U.S. 1 (2013),
the Supreme Court evaluated whether using a drug-sniffing dog on a homeowner’s
porch to investigate the contents of the home was a lawful search, and thus turned to
“the question of whether it was accomplished through an unlicensed physical intrusion.”
Id. at 3, 8. The Court then reasoned that the answer to this question depends on whether
the officers had an implied license to enter the porch, which in turn depends on the
purpose for which they entered. Jardines, 569 U.S. at 9. The Court explained that based
upon social custom, “the knocker on a front door is treated as an invitation or license to
attempt an entry, justifying ingress to the home by solicitors, hawkers and peddlers of
all kinds” and thus, “[t]his implicit license typically permits the visitor to approach the
home by the front path, knock promptly, wait briefly to be received, and then (absent
invitation to linger longer) leave.” Jardines, 569 U.S. at 8. The Court further explained,
citing King, supra, that a “police not armed with a warrant may approach a home and
knock, precisely because that is no more than any private citizen might do.” Jardines,
569 U.S. at 8 (citing King, 563 U.S. at 469-70). The Court then reasoned that
introducing a trained police dog to explore the area around the home in hopes of
4
The curtilage of the home is the area “immediately surrounding and associated
with the home” and is part of the home itself for Fourth Amendment purposes. Florida
v. Jardines, 569 U.S. 1, 6 (2013). “This area around the home is intimately linked to
the home, both physically and psychologically, and is where privacy expectations are
most heightened.” Id. at 7 (internal quotation marks omitted) (quoting California v.
Ciraolo, 476 U.S. 207, 213 (1986)).
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discovery incriminating evidence is “something else,” that there is no “customary
invitation to do that,” and that the scope of a license–express or implied–is limited not
only to a particular area but also to a specific purpose. Jardines, 569 U.S. at 9. The
majority of the Court, responding to the criticism that under prior precedent, the
subjective intent of the officer is irrelevant, stated that the question before the court is
precisely whether the officer’s conduct was an objectively reasonable search, which
depended on whether the officers had an implied license to enter the porch, which in
turn depended on the purpose for which they entered. Id. at 10. The Court concluded
that under the circumstances, the officers’ conduct objectively revealed a purpose to
conduct a search, which is not what anyone would have thought the officers as invitees
would have customarily had a right to do. Id.
The Eleventh Circuit opined in United States v. Maxi, 886 F.3d 1318 (11th Cir.
2018), that “[t]he reasoning in Jardines is not limited to the specific facts of bringing a
drug-sniffing dog up to the front porch” and “extends to any police intrusion onto
curtilage that exceeds the customary license extended to all, whether measured by
officers’ actions or their intent.” Id. at 1327. While the court acknowledged that police
have an owner’s implied permission to approach a home to knock and talk because that
is no more than any private citizen might do, the court cautioned that the background
social norms that invite a visitor to the front door to talk do not invite him there to
conduct a search or invite “an armed battalion in the yard to launch a raid.” Id. Thus,
the Eleventh Circuit has held that the scope of the knock and talk exception is limited
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in two respects: (1) “it ceases where an officer’s behavior objectively reveals a purpose
to conduct a search”; and (2) “the exception is geographically limited to the front door
or a minor departure from it.” Id. at 1327; see also United States v. Walker, 799 F.3d
1361, 1363 (11th Cir. 2015).
In Maxi, the Eleventh Circuit applied these principles to find that the police’s
presence in the curtilage of the defendant’s home was unlawful. There, an informant
had identified the back unit of a duplex as one where guns and drugs would be found,
and police began surveilling the property. Id. at 1322. The officers stopped a truck
leaving the property and asked the occupants for identification. Id. at 1322. After a
search of the truck revealed no contraband, the truck turned back to the duplex. Id. at
1322. The officers decided that they should approach the residence with the occupants
of the truck because otherwise the occupants would alert persons inside. Id. at 1322.
Thus, five police cars, holding approximately ten officers arrived at the residence and
both occupants of the truck were detained. Id. at 1322-23. Four or five of the officers
proceeded through a gate and chain-link fence to the door of the back unit of the duplex
while the remaining officers surrounded the duplex. Id. at 1322-23. At least one of the
officers approached the door with his gun drawn in a low, ready position. Id. at 1323.
The officers reached through a security gate to knock on the door, but probably did not
announce police. Id. at 1323. One detective testified that after Maxi opened the door,
he could see a clear mixing bowl and a white plate containing crack cocaine. Id.
Officers ultimately forced open the security gate at the door and arrested Maxi. Id.
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The Eleventh Circuit held that the officers’ presence at the door was not a valid
knock and talk because their physical intrusion was not geographically limited to the
front door or minor departure from it since they took of tactical positions not just at the
front door, but also around the perimeter of the duplex. Id. at 1327. Likewise, the
officers’ intent in approaching the duplex was not that of an ordinary citizen and that
there was no doubt that the officers intended to secure the duplex and detain anyone
they found inside. Id. Moreover, given that one officer had his gun drawn in a low,
ready position, the encounter was never “intended to be a casual, informational
interview” and exceeded the customary social invitation. Id. Thus, the officers did not
have a license to enter the curtilage of the duplex. Id.
In this case, the manner in which the officers entered the property and the
curtilage of Defendant’s home exceeds the customary license given to ordinary citizens
to enter the property. The officers clearly entered the property to search for and
apprehend Ryan Jackson, rather than talk, and they did not confine their presence on the
property to the front door of the residence like a normal invitee. Here, approximately
ten marshals arrived at the scene in helmets and tactical gear, guns drawn, and instead
of confining their presence to the front door, placed a perimeter around the house. (Tr.
54-55, 82-83; Gov’t’s Ex. 11). Approximately seven or eight were on the front doorstep
when TFO Hutchens (who stood behind a shield operator) knocked on the wall. (Tr. 56,
82). Furthermore, it is readily apparent that the law enforcement officers at the door
utilized their official authority to persuade someone in the residence to open the door
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and ultimately used force to gain entry to the residence. Although TFO Hutchens stated
that the officers identified themselves as police and “requested someone to come and
open the door,” TFO Mauney clarified that typically under the circumstances present in
this case that when officers arrive at the door, they will typically say, “Police, come to
the door, police, open the door, police with a warrant, open the door.” (Tr. 56. 98).
Indeed, Defendant stated during the interview that when he opened the door, the
officers’ guns were pointed at him. Thus, it appears that the officers’ behavior at the
door was more consistent with a show of authority and force to gain entry and not a
mere request for the occupants to come to the door so that they could have a chat. Thus,
in this Court’s view, the officers did not simply ask Defendant to come to the door;
rather, consistent with TFO Mauney’s testimony, the officers demanded it based on their
status as law enforcement officers and their attempt to execute a warrant on Ryan
Jackson.
It is also clear under the circumstances that the officers always intended to access
the property in order to apprehend a dangerous suspect, Ryan Jackson. TFO Hutchens
testified that after he saw someone resembling Ryan Jackson, it “caused [him] to go
ahead and call for a team to hit the house” and that the reason he went inside the house
was that he “was there for a fugitive and that was it.” (Tr. 72, 81). TFO Mauney’s
testimony makes clear that he went to the residence “[t]o arrest and apprehend a
fugitive,” not to talk at the door. (Tr. 98). Based on TFOs Mauney and Hutchens’
testimony and the officers’ perimeter around the residence while wearing tactical gear,
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it is apparent that the law enforcement officers always planned to gain entry to the home
to execute the warrant. Even objectively, the officers’ behavior suggests a raid instead
of the behavior of a normal invitee.
Because the officers’ actions did not qualify as a knock and talk, the officers did
not have license to enter the curtilage of the Defendant’s home. Maxi, 886 F.3d at 1327;
see also Jardines, 569 U.S. at 9-10. Thus, the question then becomes whether evidence
obtained during the searches that followed the officers’ illegal entry into the curtilage
of the home as well as Defendant’s subsequent statements should be subject to the
exclusionary rule and should be suppressed. Id.
D. Evidence Obtained During the Protective Sweep Should Be Excluded
Because the officers’ entry into the curtilage of the home and ultimately, the home
itself, violated the Fourth Amendment, the evidence gleaned during the protective sweep
should be suppressed. In order to perform a protective sweep that comports with the
requirements of the Fourth Amendment, the officers must first be lawfully within the
premises. United States v. Timmann, 741 F.3d 1170, 1181 (11th Cir. 2013). Here,
however, the officers had no justification for being in the curtilage of the home, they had
no justification for demanding that the occupants of the home open the door, and they
were not lawfully within the premises for performing a protective sweep. Timmann, 741
F.3d at 1181-82.
E. Evidence Obtained During the Search of the Residence Pursuant to the
Search Warrant Should Be Excluded
Likewise, the evidence obtained during the execution of the search warrant
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obtained on August 12, 2015, should be suppressed. Where the government makes an
initial warrantless entry that violates the Fourth Amendment and then relies on what was
seen during that entry to obtain a search warrant, the Court applies a two part test to
determine whether evidence seized during the execution of the warrant is discovered
independently of the unlawful entry and thus, admissible. United States v. Noriega, 676
F.3d 1252, 1260 (11th Cir. 2012). The first thing that is done is to excise from the
search warrant affidavit any information gained during the arguably illegal initial entry
and determine whether the remaining information is enough to support a probable cause
finding. Noriega, 676 F.3d at 1260 (citing United States v. Chaves, 169 F.3d 687, 692-
93 (11th Cir. 1999)). Probable cause for a search exists when under the totality of the
circumstances there is a fair probability that contraband or evidence of a crime will be
found in a particular place. Noriega, 676 F.3d at 1261. A fair probability “exists when
the facts and circumstances would lead a reasonably prudent person to believe that the
place to be searched contains contraband or evidence of a crime.” Noriega, 676 F.3d
at 1261 (citing United States v. Lopez, 649 F.3d 1222, 1245 (11th Cir. 2011)).
If the remaining information is enough to support a probable cause finding, the
court determines whether the officer’s decision to seek the warrant was prompted by
what had been seen during the illegal entry. Noriega, 676 F.3d at 1260. To determine
whether an officer’s decision to seek a warrant is prompted by what he saw during the
initial entry, courts ask whether the officer would have sought the warrant even if he had
not entered. Noriega, 676 F.3d at 1260-61.
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In this case, Detective Pickering sought a warrant for the search of Defendant’s
residence for marijuana, weapons, and other evidence of narcotics possession or
distribution. (Gov’t’s Ex. 6). To support of the warrant, Detective Pickering submitted
an affidavit that explained that while in pursuit of Ryan Jackson, law enforcement
officers conducted surveillance on Defendant’s residence and ultimately entered it to
find Ryan Jackson. (Id.). During the search for Ryan Jackson, officers observed
marijuana in plain view in three rooms as well as twelve types of firearms. (Id.).
Detective Pickering offered no other support for the notion that marijuana, weapons, or
other evidence of narcotics possession or distribution would be found in the home.
Thus, when the fruits of the protective sweep are excised from the warrant, there is no
probable cause that the aforementioned contraband would be found in the home.
Accordingly, the evidence obtained during the search pursuant to the search warrant
should be suppressed.
F. Defendant’s Statements During the Interview by Officer Olson Should
Be Excluded
Finally, Defendant’s statements during the interview with Officer Olson should
also be suppressed. Under the “fruit of the poisonous tree doctrine, admissions or
confessions that the police induce by confronting a suspect with evidence obtained
through an illegal search or seizure must be suppressed.” Timmann, 741 F.3d at 1182.
The government bears the burden of proving that such admissions or confessions were
not obtained as “a direct result of the illegal search.” Timmann, 741 F.3d at 1182. “The
relevant inquiry examines the extent of the causal connection between the lawless police
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conduct and the evidence in question.” Timmann, 741 F.3d at 1182. The inquiry
“generally involves a pragmatic evaluation of the extent to which the illegal police
conduct caused the defendant’s response.” Timmann, 741 F.3d at 1182. Several factors
are considered, including the temporal proximity of the illegal action by law
enforcement and the defendant’s response, the presence or absence of intervening
circumstances, and the purpose and flagrancy of the official misconduct. Timmann, 741
F.3d at 1183; United States v. Lopez-Garcia, 565 F.3d 1306, 1315 (11th Cir. 2009).
In this case, the temporal proximity of the illegal search and the confession
militates in favor suppressing Defendant’s statements. If only a short period of time has
passed after the illegal search, a court is more likely to consider statements made as a
poisonous fruit of the illegal act. Lopez-Garcia, 565 F.3d at 1315; United States v.
Delancy, 502 F.3d 1297, 1310 (11th Cir. 2007). Periods of time between two minutes
and six hours have been found to be sufficient to meet the temporal proximity factor.
Parker v. Allen, 565 F.3d 1258, 1292 (11th Cir. 2009) (explaining that absent significant
intervening events, statements given within two to six hours of an arrest have been
suppressed); Lopez-Garcia, 565 F.3d at 1315. Longer intervals of, for instance, four
days have been found to weigh in favor of admissibility. Delancy, 502 F.3d at 1310
(citing Devier v. Zant, 3 F.3d 1445, 1459 (11th Cir. 1993)). Absolute certainty about
how much time has elapsed is not necessary and “the character of the interaction
between the law enforcement agents and the defendant is relevant to [the] determination
of how temporal proximity affects the underlying analysis.” United States v. Smith, 688
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F.3d 730, 739-40 (11th Cir. 2012). “When an officer’s interaction with an individual
is highly intrusive, the passage of time is less likely to attenuate the officer’s illegal act
from the suspect’s later consent.” Smith, 688 F.3d at 739-40. For instance, where
officers unlawfully kicked in the locked front door of an apartment, with their guns
drawn, ordered the defendant to lay on the floor and proceeded to handcuff him, and told
the defendant that they knew there were drugs in the house and asked him to make it
easy on them and just tell them where the drugs were, the officer’s interaction was
considered intrusive and that the defendant’s consent, even if voluntary, did not purge
the primary taint of the illegal entry and arrest. Smith, 688 F.3d at 739-41 (citing United
States v. Santa, 236 F.3d 662, 666 (11th Cir. 2000)); United States v. Smallwood, No.
1:13-cr-381-1-TCB, 2014 WL 3519195, at *13-14 (N.D. Ga. July 16, 2014).
Here, while the evidence presented to the Court does not include evidence
showing the amount of time that elapsed between the illegal searches and Officer
Olson’s interview, it is apparent that the interview took place the same day Defendant’s
residence was searched. (Tr. 5). It is also apparent that Officer Olson’s interview of
Defendant also occurred sometime after Officer Olson searched Defendant’s residence,
and that Officer Olson, who found contraband during the search, conducted the
interview of Defendant in the same kitchen where some contraband was found. (Tr. 11,
13, 17, 18 (indicating that the officers found an AK-47 style rifle, an electronic scale,
and marijuana in the kitchen)). In addition, the entry into Defendant’s residence was
very obtrusive. A large number of officers surrounded the residence and six or seven
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whom entered Defendant’s front porch with at least some of their guns pointed at
Defendant and used a battering ram to breach the front door. While it is true that Officer
Olson maintained a conversational tone during the interview and did not make any
threats, Defendant remained in custody and in handcuffs. Although, the record is
unclear, the illegal searching of Defendant’s residence appears to have continued close
in time with the interview. Officer Olson participated in a walk through with a video
camera documenting items found in plain view following the initial entry and security
sweep, but perhaps prior to the search stemming from the search warrant. (Tr. 10, 14-
18, 24-25 (explaining that after the marshals conducted their security sweep of the
house, one marshal remained inside the house, but when narcotics arrived, the house was
cleared and the walk through was done); Gov’t’s Ex. 9). Additionally, during the video
of Officer Olson’s interview of Defendant in the kitchen, the sounds of other officers as
well as the excited sounds of a canine unit can be heard in the background. (Gov’t’s Ex.
11). Here, there is no evidence that the passage of time gave Defendant the opportunity
to reflect on his predicament such to remove the taint of the unlawful entry, detention,
and subsequent searches. Thus, the temporal proximity factor weighs against the
Government. See, e.g., United States v. Yarbrough, 281 F. Supp. 3d 1225, 1239 (N.D.
Ala. 2018) (explaining that where forty-four minutes elapsed from illegal seizure of
shotguns and consent to search did not weigh in government’s favor because character
of interaction between law enforcement agents and defendant was intrusive in that law
enforcement officers had detained defendant and his wife and placed them under arrest,
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the law enforcement officers had just conducted an illegal search of defendant and his
wife’s house, the officers displayed the guns seized during the illegal search, and the
officers threatened to tear up defendant and his wife’s home if they did not consent to
a search).
The Court also cannot conclude that intervening events or circumstances
attenuated the primary illegality. Intervening events or circumstances independent of
the primary illegality can so attenuate the causal connection that they dissipate the taint
of the unlawful action by law enforcement. United States v. Bailey, 691 F.2d 1009,
1013 (11th Cir. 1982). A voluntary act by a defendant does not necessarily break the
causal chain. Bailey, 691 F.2d at 1013. Thus, being advised of Miranda rights does not,
by itself, “automatically free the statements from being the fruit of the poisonous tree.”
Archibald v. Ardovino, No. 7:14-CV-02427-KOB-HGD, 2016 WL 7007563, at *5 (N.D.
Ala. Sept. 26, 2016); United States v. Cordova, 829 F. Supp. 2d 1342, 1352 (N.D. Ga.
2011) (citing 6 LaFave, § 11.4(c) at 307 (holding that “it is crystal clear that giving the
defendant the Miranda warnings will not break the causal chain between an illegal
search and a subsequent confession”)); see also Parker, 565 F.3d at 1292 (explaining
that the admission of Miranda warnings alone is not considered a significant intervening
event); Bailey, 691 F.2d at 1013-14 (explaining that a defendant’s voluntary consent to
be searched, obtained after the defendant had been illegally arrested and advised of his
right to refuse to be searched, will not by itself dissipate the taint of the unlawful arrest).
While the Court accepts that Defendant voluntarily agreed to speak with Officer
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Olson after Officer Olson read the Miranda warnings to him, the Government has not
met its burden of proving that Officer Olson’s reading of the Miranda warnings and
Defendant’s agreement to speak with him dissipated the taint by the illegal entry and
subsequent searches. (Tr. 10). Here, after the officers forcefully entered the residence,
conducted a security sweep, and after Officer Olson also performed a search of the
residence, Officer Olson confronted Defendant during the interview about contraband
he found during the course of his search, specifying where each item of contraband was
found in the home. (See, e.g., Tr. 10 (indicating in the transcript of the interview that
Officer Olson asked Defendant to “[t]ell [him] about the guns [Officer Olson] found in
[Defendant’s] bedroom”), 11 (asking Defendant to tell Officer Olson about the Glock
“that was found in the other bedroom that wasn’t [Defendant’s]”), 14-18, 24-25; Gov’t’s
Exs. 9, 11). Thus, the admissions Officer Olson obtained during the interview a direct
exploitation of an unlawful search in which Officer Olson had participated. Timmann,
741 F.3d at 1184 (explaining that where officers confronted the defendant with evidence
they had obtained through the unlawful search of his apartment in order to elicit his
admissions, the admissions were the direct result of the officers’ exploitation of the
unlawful search and should be suppressed as fruit of the poisonous tree); United States
v. Santa, 236 F.3d 662, 686-77 (11th Cir. 2000) (finding that where consent to search
came three minutes after DEA agents kicked in defendant’s door, entered the apartment,
ordered him onto the floor, handcuffed him, and read him Miranda warnings as agents
conducted a protective sweep of entire apartment and then asked defendant just to make
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things easy and tell the agents where the drugs were located and confession ensued, the
Miranda warnings without more did not dissipate the taint of an illegal seizure even
though the agents’ unlawful actions were not flagrant); Cordova, 829 F. Supp. 2d at
1351 (concluding that despite fact that defendant’s statements were elicited five days
after illegal search and defendant had been advised of his Miranda rights before making
statements, because officer exploited his knowledge of illegally seized evidence in such
a way that defendant had little choice but to admit his role and offer to cooperate,
statements were fruit of the poisonous tree and suppressed); United States v. Acosta, 807
F. Supp. 2d 1154, 1184-85 (N.D. Ga. 2011) (finding absence of sufficient attenuation
to purge taint from illegal search even though defendant had been Mirandized before he
made statements because waiver of Miranda rights occurred close in time with illegal
search of the residence, search may have continued during questioning, and topic of
questioning conducted by agent who unlawfully entered residence and obtained consent
to search was linked to illegal search); United States v. Marcelino, 736 F. Supp. 2d
1343, 1352 (N.D. Ga. 2010) (concluding that statements made after Miranda warnings
were given should be suppressed as fruit of the poisonous tree because they flowed from
his illegal detention, search, and arrest and thus, there was an exploitation of the
illegality).
Under the last factor, the purpose and flagrancy of the official misconduct, if the
police act with the express purpose of exploiting an illegal action, the causation is so
obvious that no real attenuation analysis is necessary. United States v. Delancy, 502
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F.3d 1297, 1312 (11th Cir. 2007). This Court is convinced that the officers’ initial entry
in the home was done purely in an effort to execute the arrest warrant. This entry and
the actions that followed – the protective sweep, detaining Defendant and questioning
him, and searching his home pursuant to the search warrant– while perhaps not flagrant,
were done without regard to settled constitutional rights of a third party whose home
was entered to execute a warrant for the arrest of another who was not known to live
there. As a result, the constitutional violations compounded. While this factor does not
weigh heavily in favor of suppression, the fact remains that Officer Olson induced
Defendant’s confession by capitalizing on evidence which was obtained through an
illegal entry and searches and thus, this Court concludes that Defendant’s statements
must be suppressed. Timmann, 741 F.3d at 1184 (where admissions about who owned
firearms were elicited following officer’s advising the defendant that police had found
firearms in the defendant’s bedroom, the admissions were the direct result of the
officers’ exploitation of the unlawful search and were suppressed as the fruit of the
poisonous tree); Santa, 236 F.3d at 677-78 (concluding that where there was neither a
significant lapse of time nor intervening circumstance which dissipated the effect of the
illegality, taint had not been dissipated even though the agents’ unlawful conduct was
not flagrant).
CONCLUSION
Based on the foregoing, Defendant’s Motions to Suppress should be GRANTED.
(Docs. 15, 16, 23). Defendant’s Motion for Consideration of Additional Authority on
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Pending Motion to Suppress is GRANTED. (Doc. 30). Because there are no more
motions or other matters to address for Defendant Jackson, the undersigned certifies him
ready for trial.
SO ORDERED, REPORTED AND RECOMMENDED this 10 day of
December, 2018.
LINDA T. WALKER
CHIEF UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE
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