Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-arwd-5_04-cv-05197/USCOURTS-arwd-5_04-cv-05197-1/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 555
Nature of Suit: Prisoner - Prison Condition
Cause of Action: 42:1983 Prisoner Civil Rights

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IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

WESTERN DISTRICT OF ARKANSAS

FAYETTEVILLE DIVISION

WILLIAM O. ARREDONDO, JR. PLAINTIFF

v. Civil No. 04-5197

JEFF BLAND, Parole Officer, Department

of Community Corrections; KEITH FERGUSON, 

Sheriff, Benton County, Arkansas; and 

CAPTAIN HUNTER PETRAY, Benton County Sheriff's

Department/Benton County Detention Center DEFENDANTS

O R D E R

Now on this 25th day of October, 2005, comes on for

consideration the Report And Recommendation Of The Magistrate

Judge (document #48), and plaintiff’s Objections thereto (document

#49), and the Court, having carefully reviewed said documents,

finds as follows:

1. In this suit pursuant to 42 U.S.C. §1983, plaintiff

claims that his constitutional rights were violated by defendant

Bland, his parole officer (by planting a knife in his car to set

him up for revocation of parole), and by all defendants (by

interfering with his telephone, mail, and visitation privileges

while he was being held on the parole violation charge). 

2. All defendants moved for summary judgment. The

Magistrate Judge developed the evidence on behalf of plaintiff by

the use of a questionnaire designed to elicit the evidence he

would present in response to the motions. She then recommended

that Bland’s motion be granted as to the charge that Bland planted

a knife in plaintiff’s car and interfered with his visitation and

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telephone privileges, but denied as to the charge that Bland

interfered with plaintiff’s mail privileges. She recommended that

defendant Ferguson’s motion be granted in full. Finally, she

recommended that Petray’s motion regarding interference with

plaintiff’s mail privileges be denied.

3. Plaintiff’s only objection is to the recommendation that

his claim against Bland related to the knife be dismissed. 

The gravamen of this claim is the allegation that while

plaintiff was in Bland’s office for a regular monthly visit, Bland

planted a knife in his car, searched the car and found the knife,

and then arrested him for possessing the weapon. Plaintiff

asserts that Bland told him before searching the car that “if

nothing was found I could leave.” 

The Court considers this an objection that the knife was used

as probable cause to support plaintiff’s arrest, and that if the

knife was planted, then his arrest was procured by false evidence.

The Court is not, however, persuaded by this objection. The

Arrest/Booking Report for the arrest showed that the charge upon

which plaintiff was arrested was “parole violation,” not a weapons

charge. Bland stated in an Affidavit in support of his Motion For

Summary Judgment that he arrested plaintiff based on plaintiff’s

admissions that he had used marijuana on multiple occasions since

his release from jail on May 26, 2004, and that he had stayed away

from his approved residence overnight without permission.

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Plaintiff does not deny that he made such admissions, and they

would have amply justified his arrest, regardless of the matter of

the knife. It cannot be said, therefore, that the knife and the

circumstances under which it was produced deprived plaintiff of

any constitutional rights.

4. Finding plaintiff’s Objections without merit, and

finding that the Report And Recommendation is sound in all

respects, the Court finds that it should be adopted in toto. 

5. While it is not an “objection” to the Report And

Recommendation, plaintiff points out that he did not receive a

copy of page 17 of the Report And Recommendation. The Court will

direct that the Clerk of Court provide him with a copy of that

page to complete his copy of the document.

IT IS THEREFORE ORDERED that the Report And Recommendation Of

The Magistrate Judge is adopted in toto.

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the Motion For Summary Judgment of

defendants Ferguson and Petray (document #21) be granted in part

and denied in part.

The motion is granted as to plaintiff's claim that Petray

interfered with plaintiff’s mail privileges, and that claim

against Petray is hereby dismissed with prejudice.

The motion is also granted as to all of plaintiff’s claims

against separate defendant Keith Ferguson, and those claims are

dismissed with prejudice.

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The motion is denied in all other respects.

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the Motion For Summary Judgment of

defendant Bland (document #24) is granted in part and denied in

part.

The motion is granted as to plaintiff’s claims that Bland

planted a knife in his car to wrongfully support his arrest, and

interfered with his visitation and telephone privileges while he

was in the Benton County Detention Center, and those claims

against Bland are hereby dismissed with prejudice.

The motion is denied in all other respects.

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the Clerk of Court send plaintiff

a copy of page 17 of document #48.

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that plaintiff's remaining claims are

remanded to the Magistrate Judge for further report and

recommendation.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

 /s/ Jimm Larry Hendren 

JIMM LARRY HENDREN

UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

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