Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-almd-2_14-cr-00517/USCOURTS-almd-2_14-cr-00517-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Vontarecia D. Pippens
Defendant
USA
Plaintiff

Document Text:

IN THE DISTRICT COURT OF THE UNITED STATES

FOR THE MIDDLE DISTRICT OF ALABAMA

NORTHERN DIVISION

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA )

)

v. ) CR. NO. 2:14cr517-SRW

)

VONTARECIA D. PIPPENS )

ORDER ON ARRAIGNMENT

On November 18, 2014, the defendant, VONTARECIA D. PIPPENS, appeared in

person and in open court with counsel and was arraigned in accordance with the provisions

of Rule 10 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure. 

PLEA. The defendant entered a plea of NOT GUILTY. Counsel for the defendant

is requested to contact the U.S. Attorney immediately if the defendant intends to engage in

plea negotiations. If the defendant decides to change this plea, the parties shall file a notice

of intent to plead guilty on or before noon on February 18, 2015.

TRIAL. This case is set for jury selection at 10:00 a.m. on March 2, 2015, in

Montgomery, Alabama before Chief United States Magistrate Judge Susan Russ

Walker. A definite trial date will be determined at the time of jury selection, but counsel

should be prepared to begin trial on the day of jury selection before the undersigned

Chief United States Magistrate Judge. Any requested voir dire questions and jury

instructions must be filed no later than one week before jury selection.

In setting this case for trial on the term indicated above, the court recognizes that the

Speedy Trial Act places limits on the court’s discretion, and that under the act, the trial of a

defendant must commence within 70 days of the date of the indictment or the date of the

defendant’s first appearance before a judicial officer, whichever is later. 18 U.S.C. §

3161(c)(1). In determining whether a case should be set after the expiration of the 70 day

period, a court must consider among other factors “[w]hether the failure to [set the case at

a later date] ... would be likely to ... result in a miscarriage of justice.” 18 U.S.C. §

3161(h)(7)(B)(I). The court also must consider “whether the failure to grant such a

continuance ... would deny counsel for the defendant or the attorney for the government the

reasonable time necessary for effective preparation, taking into account the exercise of due

diligence.” 18 U.S.C. § 3161(h)(7)(B)(iv). Based on the nature of this case, the parties’ need

for adequate time for discovery and the need for counsel to have adequate time for trial

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Case 2:14-cr-00517-SRW Document 10 Filed 11/20/14 Page 1 of 3
preparation, the court finds that the ends of justice served by setting this case on this trial

term outweigh the best interest of the public and the defendant in a speedy trial.

PRETRIAL CONFERENCE. A Pretrial Conference is set for February 23, 2015,

at 3:00 p.m. before Chief United States Magistrate Judge Susan Russ Walker in

Courtroom 5B, Frank M. Johnson, Jr., Federal Building and United States Courthouse

Complex, Montgomery, Alabama.

PRETRIAL MOTIONS. All pretrial motions under Fed.R.Crim.P. 12(b) and (d),

14 and 16, all notices under Fed.R.Crim.P. 12.1, 12.2 and 12.3, and any motion to compel

pursuant to M.D. Ala. LCrR 16.1 Criminal Discovery (a copy of this Rule may be found

at http://www.almd.uscourts.gov/docs/lorules.pdf.) must be consistent with the conference

and certification requirements set forth in paragraph 4 of this order and must be filed no later

than February 9, 2015. No motion filed after this date will be considered unless filed with

leave of court.

Motions to suppress must allege specific facts which, if proven, would provide a basis

of relief. This court will summarily dismiss suppression motions which are supported only

by general or conclusory assertions founded on mere suspicion or conjecture. See generally

United States v. Richardson, 764 F.2d 1514,1526-27 (11th Cir. 1985).

DISCOVERY. Unless the government provided initial disclosures to defendant 1

 Initial disclosures include but are n ot limited to: (A) Fed. R. Crim. P. 16 (a) Information. All

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discoverable information within the scope of Rule 16(a) of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure; (B)

Brady Material. All information and material known to the government which may be favorable to the

defendant on the issues of guilt or punishment, without regard to materiality, within the scope of Brady v.

Maryland, 373 U.S. 83 (1963); (C) Giglio Material. The existence and substance of any payments, promises

of immunity, leniency, preferential treatment, or other inducements made to prospective witnesses, within

the scope of United States v. Giglio, 405 U.S. 150 (1972); (D) Testifying informant's convictions. A record

of prior convictions of any alleged informant who will testify for the government at trial; (E) Defendant's

identification. If a line-up, show-up, photo spread or similar, procedure was used in attempting to identify

the defendant, the exact procedure and participants shall be described and the results, together with any

pictures, and photographs, shall be disclosed; (F) Inspection of vehicles, vessels, or aircraft. If any vehicle,

vessel, or aircraft, was allegedly utilized in the commission of any offenses charged, the government shall

permit the defendant's counsel and any expert selected by the defense to inspect it, if it is in the custody of

any governmental authority; (G) Defendant's latent prints. If latent fingerprints, or prints of any type, have

been, identified by a government expert as those of the defendant, copies thereof shall be provided; (H) Fed.

R. Evid.404(b). The government shall advise the defendant of its intention to introduce evidence in its case

in chief at trial, pursuant to Rule 404(b) of the Federal Rules of Evidence; and (I) Electronic Surveillance

Information. If the defendant was an aggrieved person as defined in 18 U.S.C. § 2510(11), the government

shall so advise the defendant and set forth the detailed circumstances thereof.

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prior to or at arraignment the government is ORDERED to tender initial disclosures to the

defendant no later than 7 days after the date of this order. Disclosure by the defendant shall

be provided no later than 14 days after the date of this order. No attorney shall file a

discovery motion without first conferring with opposing counsel, and no motion will be

considered by the court unless it is accompanied by a certification of such conference and a

statement of the moving party's good faith efforts to resolve the subject matter of the motion

by agreement with opposing counsel. No discovery motion shall be filed for information or

material within the scope of this Rule unless it is a motion to compel, a motion for protective

order or a motion for an order modifying discovery. See Fed. R. Crim. P. 16(d). Discovery

requests made pursuant to Fed. R. Crim. P. 16 and this Order require no action on the part

of this court and shall not be filed with the court, unless the party making the request desires

to preserve the discovery matter for appeal.

JENCKS ACT STATEMENTS. The government agrees to provide defense counsel

with all Jencks Act statements no later than the day scheduled for the commencement of the

trial.2

MANDATORY APPEARANCE OF COUNSEL. Counsel of record for all parties

are ORDERED to appear at all future court proceedings in this criminal case. Those attorneys

who find it impossible to be in attendance (especially at jury selection or trial) must make

arrangements to have substitute counsel appear on behalf of their clients. Any attorney who

appears as substitute counsel for a defendant shall have full authorization from the defendant

to act on his or her behalf and be fully prepared to proceed. Substitute counsel shall not be

counsel for a co-defendant unless permitted by the court after proper motion. Any counsel

who wishes to have substitute counsel appear must obtain permission of the court in advance.

NOTE: Except in extraordinary circumstances or circumstances in which the

Constitution would require it, the court will not entertain motions to withdraw filed by

counsel who appear at arraignment unless the motions are filed within seven days of

the date of this order. Failure to obtain fees from a client is not an extraordinary

circumstance.

DONE, this 20 day of November, 2014. th

/s/ Susan Russ Walker 

SUSAN RUSS WALKER

CHIEF UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE

In certain complex cases, the government may agree to earlier production. 2

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