2010 D e c i sion s O p inion s of the U nit e d S t at e s C our t of Appe al s for the Thir d C ir c uit 1-14-2010 

# U SA v . Ir a B l and P r e c e de n t i al or N on-P r e c e de n t i al : N on-P r e c e de n t i al D ocke t N o . 09-1755

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w . vi l l a no va . e du . Re c omme nde d C it at ion " U SA v . Ir a B l a nd " (2010). 2010 D e cisio n s . P ape r 2053. http://d i git alc ommon s .l a

w . vi l l a no va . e du/thir dc ir c uit_2010/2053NOT P RE CE DE NT I AL UN I TED STATES CO UR T OF A PP EALS F O R T H E T H IR D C IR C U IT

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D elaw are ( D . C . C r i m . N o. 1- 08- 00037- 001) H onor abl e J os eph J . Far nan, D i s t r i ctJ udge Subm i t t ed Pur s uantt o T hi r d C i r cui tL A R 34. 1( a)

D ece m ber18, 2009 B E FO R E : SL O V I T E R , J O R D A N , and G R E E N B E R G , C i r cui tJ udges

( Fi l ed: J anuary14, 2010) OPI NI ON O F THE COURT G R E E N B E R G , C i r cui tJ udge. T hi s m at t ercomes on be for e thi s C our ton an appe al fr om a fi nal j udgm entof co n v ict ion an d sen tenc e e n tered in this crim inal ca se o n M arc h 5 , 2 0 0 9 . A g ran d jury2

i ndi ct ed appe l l antI r a B l and forbei ng a fe l on i n pos s es s i on of a f i r earm i n vi ol at i on of 18 U . S. C . §§ 922( g) ( 1) and 924( a) ( 2) . B l and fi l ed a mot i on t o s uppr es s evi dence , i . e. , t he fi r earm , w hi ch pol i ce of fi cer s s ei zed w i t houta w arr ant . A tt he evi dent i aryhear i ng on t he mot i on t he pr os ecut i on s oughtt o j us t i fyt he s ei zur e on the author i t yof Ter r yv. O hi o, 392 U . S. 1, 88 S. C t . 1868 ( 1968) . T he D i s t r i ctC our tagr eed w i t h t he pr os ecut i on and t hus deni ed the mot i on i n an or derand an a ccompany i ng compre hens i ve mem or andum opi ni on dat ed Sept ember 30, 2008. Af t e rt h e Di s tr i c tCo u r td e n i e d t h e mo t i o n Bl a n d p l e a d e d g u i l t yp u r s u a n tt o F e d . R. C r i m . P. 11( a) ( 2) , pr es er vi ng hi s r i ghtt o appea l fr om t he deni al of the mot i on. T he D i s t r i ctC our ts ent ence d B l and t o 48 m ont hs i m pr i s onm entt o be fol l ow ed bya thr ee- y ear t er m of s uper vi s ed r el eas e. B l and then appe al ed. T he D i s t r i ctC our thad j ur i s di ct i on under18 U . S. C . § 3231 and w e have j ur i s di ct i on under28 U . S. C . § 1291. T he part i es agr ee thatw e exe r ci s e pl enaryr evi ew and i nas m uch as t he fa ct s i n t he ca s e ar e not di s put ed w e, i n tur n, agr ee w i t h t hem. See U ni t ed St at es v. Per ez, 280 F. 3d 318, 336 ( 3d C ir . 2 0 0 2 ). T he ci r cumst ance s of the s ei zur e of the fi r earm fort he mostpar tfol l ow ed a r ather r out i ne patt ern buti n one r es pectw er e unus ual . T he r out i ne ci r cumst ance s w er e that patr ol offi cer s r ece i ved a c al l fr om a W i l m i ngt on, D el aw ar e, pol i ce di s pat chert o go t o a par t i cul arl ocat i on atw hi ch a s us pectt hatt he di s pat cherdes cr i bed w as pr es ent . T he di s pat chert ol d t he off

i cer s t hata homi ci de s us pectw as s i t t i ng i n a ca rt hatt he di s pat cher3

d e sc rib e d a t th a t lo c a tio n . T h e d isp a tch e r a lso a d v ise d th e o f f ice rs th a t K e v in C o v e rd a le w as t he compl ai nanti n t he homi ci de ca s e. W hen the off i cer s arr i ved att he des i gnat ed l ocat i on of the ca rt heys aw a parked vehi cl e w hi ch fi tt he des cr i pt i on t hatt he di s pat cher had gi ven them w i t h B l and as i t s s ol e occ upant . B l and w as w ear i ng cl ot hes t hatfi tt he d e sc rip tio n th a t th e d isp a tch e r g a v e o f th e h o m icid e su sp e c t. C over dal e, w ho w as att he s cene w her e he w as vi s i bl e i n a w i de- open ar ea, poi nt ed o u t B land an d told the p o li ce “tha t’ s the g u ythat sh o t m yso n ” a n d “tha t’ s h im , that’s hi m . ” C over dal e’ s i dent i fi cat i on w as unus ual for , as one of the off i cer s expl ai ned, B l and coul d s ee Cover dal e and he , t he off i cer , neverbefor e had s een a compl ai nanttur n i n a s us pectouti n t he open. T hus , B l and knew t hatC over dal e had i m pl i cat ed hi m i n t he s hoot i ng t o t he pol i ce. A tt he t i m e thatt he off

i cer s appr oache d B l and’ s vehi cl e theyas ked hi m t o al i ght fr om i tand he di d s o. T he off i cer s t hen as ked B l and t o tur n ar ound and puthi s hands on t he r oof of the ca rand he di d t hatas w el l . T hen one of t he off i cer s as ked B l and i f he ha d anyt hi ng t hatcoul d hur tt he off i cerand B l and s ai d t hathe had a gun. T he off i cer s s ei zed t he gun and a r r es t ed B l and. T h e D istric t C o u rt a f

ter re v iew in g th e a p p lica b le la w d e n ied th e m o tio n to su p p re ss a s it h e ld th a t:

B as ed on the evi dence and t es t i m onyadduce d att he hea r i ng, t he C o u rt c o n c lu d e s th a t th e G o v e rn m e n t h a s e sta b lish e d th a t re a so n a b le s u s p ic io n s u p p o rt e d th e in v e s tig a tiv e T e rr ys to p a n d f ri s k o f M r. B la n d . Pat r ol m an D eB onaventur a w as i ns t ruct ed t o r es pond t o a l ocat i on know n as4

a hi gh cr i m e ar ea, t o i nves t i gat e an i ndi vi dual al l eged t o have be en i nvol ved in a h o m ici d e. T h e loc ati o n o f th e su sp ec t and the d esc ri p ti o n o f h im w ere pr ovi ded t o pol i ce bya ca l l ert o 911 w ho i dent i fi ed hi m s el f byname and i dent i fi ed the vi ct i m as hi s s on, and the dat e of hi s s on’ s death as D ece m ber 31. I n addi t i on, t he ca l l er , K evi n C over dal e, r emai ned att he l ocat i on of the s us pectunt i l t he off

i cer s arr i ved. A pp. at19. B l and dis sect s hi s ar gu m ent address i ng T erryi nto three part s: 1 . W h e th e r, u n d e r th e to talityo f th e c irc u m sta n c e s, th e in -p e rso n tip p ro v id e d to th e p o lice in th is c a se c re a ted re a so n a b le s u sp icio n to su p p o rt a T errystop o f [ h im ]. 2. W hether[he] w as sear ched , pri or t o b ei ng t ou ched , sol el ybecau se t he off i cer s as ked hi m t o exi thi s vehi cl e, tur n ar ound, and pl ace hi s hands o n the c ar. 3 . As s u mi n g t h e Co u r td e c i d e s th a tt h e o f f i c e r s s e a r c h e d [ h i m] befor e ac tual l yt ouchi ng hi m , w hethert he off i cer s had r eas onabl e s us pi ci on t hat[he] w as ar m ed t o s uppor ta Ter r yfr i s k. A ppel l ant ’ s br . at2. W e w i l l aff

i r m . I tw as ent i r el yappr opr i at e fort he off i cer s t o go t o t he l ocat i on of t he vehi cl e w hen theyr ece i ved the di s pat cher ’ s cal l . T hen, w hen theyarr i ved att he s cene , C o v e rd a le id e n tifie d B lan d to th e m a s th e p e rso n w h o h a d sh o t h is s o n . A t th a t p o in t it w a s m o re th a n a p p ro p ria te f o r th e o f f ice rs to d e ter m in e if

B lan d w a s a rm e d a n d to i nves t i gat e the s i tuat i on fur t her . I n t he l i ghtof the ci r cumst ance t hatC over dal e i dent i fi ed B l and as a ki l l ert heyw oul d have be en fool i s h i f theyhad notas cert ai ned i f B l and w as ar m ed. N o m at t erhow B l and s l i ces up hi s ar gum entt hatt he ci r cumst ance s di d notj us t i fy hi s s ear ch underT err y , w e ar e i n ful l acc or d w i t h t he D i s t r i ctC our t ’ s r eas oni ng, bas ed on5

its u n c h a lle n g e a b le f

in d in g s o f

f a c t, th a t th e s e a rc h w a s c o n s titu tio n a lly p e rm is s ib le . T he j udgm entof convi ct i on and s ent ence ent er ed M ar ch 5, 2009, w i l l be af fi r m ed.