Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca8-03-02886/USCOURTS-ca8-03-02886-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
United States of America
Appellee
Charles A. Woods
Appellant

Document Text:

1

The Honorable Gary A. Fenner, United States District Judge for the Western

District of Missouri.

United States Court of Appeals

FOR THE EIGHTH CIRCUIT

___________

No. 03-2886

___________

United States of America, *

*

Appellee, *

* Appeal from the United States

v. * District Court for the

* Western District of Missouri.

Charles A. Woods, * [UNPUBLISHED]

*

Appellant. *

___________

Submitted: February 10, 2004

Filed: May 5, 2004

___________

Before LOKEN, Chief Judge, BOWMAN, and WOLLMAN, Circuit Judges.

___________

PER CURIAM.

Kansas City, Missouri, police officers arrested Charles Woods after

discovering ammunition on Woods’ person and a loaded firearm between the seats

of the truck he was driving. Following a bench trial, the district court1

 found Woods

guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition and also convicted

him of possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number. Woods appeals his

conviction, arguing that the district court erred in denying his motion to suppress

Appellate Case: 03-2886 Page: 1 Date Filed: 05/05/2004 Entry ID: 1763893 
2

Adopting the Report and Recommendation of the Honorable Sarah W. Hays,

United States Magistrate Judge for the Western District of Missouri.

-2-

evidence2

 on the ground that the traffic stop and ensuing vehicle search were illegal.

We review the district court’s findings of fact for clear error and consider its legal

determinations de novo. See United States v. Stephens, 350 F.3d 778, 779 (8th Cir.

2003). Having reviewed the record, including Woods’ supplemental pro se filings,

we affirm.

The district court was entitled to believe the officers’ account of the events

leading to Woods’ arrest over the account proffered by Woods, see United States v.

Syslo, 303 F.3d 860, 866 (8th Cir. 2002) (deference to credibility determinations),

and the court’s factual findings are a permissible view of the hearing testimony. The

missing front license plate on Woods’ vehicle constituted a traffic violation that

provided probable cause to stop Woods, see United States v. Bloomfield, 40 F.3d

910, 915 (8th Cir. 1994) (en banc), and Woods subsequently consented to a search.

Even if, as Woods contends, he neither mentioned that he had a firearm nor consented

to a search, the search was still permissible. Woods fit the description of a suspect

in a series of burglaries in the area, and his suspicious behavior upon exiting the truck

– initially failing to comply with the officer’s requests, pacing around, placing his

hands in and out of his pockets – coupled with the bullets that one of the officers felt

in his pocket, provided sufficient justification to search the truck’s passenger

compartment for weapons. See Michigan v. Long, 463 U.S. 1032, 1049 (1983);

United States v. Patterson, 140 F.3d 767, 771, 773 (8th Cir. 1998); United States v.

Cummins, 920 F.2d 498, 502 (8th Cir. 1990).

The judgment is affirmed.

______________________________

Appellate Case: 03-2886 Page: 2 Date Filed: 05/05/2004 Entry ID: 1763893