Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca8-04-01262/USCOURTS-ca8-04-01262-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Dennis A. Jackson
Appellant
United States of America
Appellee

Document Text:

1

The Honorable Robert T. Dawson, United States District Judge for the

Western District of Arkansas, adopting the report and recommendations of the

Honorable Beverly Stites Jones, United States Magistrate Judge for the Western

District of Arkansas.

United States Court of Appeals

FOR THE EIGHTH CIRCUIT

___________

No. 04-1262

___________

United States of America, *

*

Appellee, *

* Appeal from the United States

v. * District Court for the 

* Western District of Arkansas.

Dennis A. Jackson, *

* [UNPUBLISHED]

Appellant. *

___________

Submitted: August 31, 2004

 Filed: September 14, 2004

___________

Before MELLOY, LAY, and COLLOTON, Circuit Judges.

___________

PER CURIAM.

Dennis Jackson entered a conditional guilty plea to a seven-count indictment

charging him with assault, drug, and firearm offenses. He was sentenced to a total

of 271 months imprisonment and 5 years supervised release. On appeal, Jackson

challenges the district court’s1

 denial of his motion to suppress evidence seized

pursuant to a warrant, arguing (1) there existed insufficient probable cause, (2) the

Appellate Case: 04-1262 Page: 1 Date Filed: 09/14/2004 Entry ID: 1810680 
-2-

federal agents failed to knock and announce their intentions properly as required by

18 U.S.C. § 3109, and (3) the federal agents obtained a warrant to search for firearms

as a pretext to search for drugs. For the reasons that follow, we affirm.

Reviewing for clear error the district court’s factual findings and de novo its

legal conclusions based on those facts, we find that a substantial basis existed for

concluding that the search would uncover evidence of wrongdoing, given the

existence of specific incriminating information furnished by a cooperating individual

who had proven reliable in the past, along with corroborating evidence. See United

States v. Allen, 297 F.3d 790, 794 (8th Cir. 2002) (standard of review; judicial

determination of probable cause will be upheld if there was substantial basis for

concluding that search would uncover evidence of wrongdoing); United States v.

Goodson, 165 F.3d 610, 614 (8th Cir. 1999) (statements of reliable confidential

informant are themselves sufficient to support probable cause for search warrant;

reliability of informant can be established if person has history of providing law

enforcement officials with truthful information).

We also agree with the district court that the federal officers, who attempted

to telephone Jackson and repeatedly knocked and yelled, “Police, search warrant,”

before breaking open the door, did not violate section 3109. See 18 U.S.C. § 3109;

United States v. Lucht, 18 F.3d 541, 548-49 (8th Cir. 1994) (standard of review;

upholding finding that § 3109 was not violated where officers had been

constructively refused admittance by occupants’ silence for 20 seconds after officers

knocked and announced their presence and purpose). Finally, the officers’

expectation that they would find drugs while searching for unlawful firearms did not

undermine the validity of the warrant to search for firearms. See United States v.

LaMorie, 100 F.3d 547, 552 (8th Cir. 1996). 

Accordingly, we affirm.

______________________________

Appellate Case: 04-1262 Page: 2 Date Filed: 09/14/2004 Entry ID: 1810680