FILED U.S. COURT OF AP P E A LS E LE V EN T HC IRC U IT MARCH 31, 2008 THOMAS K. KAH

N CLERK [ DO NO T P UB L I S H]

I N THE UN I TE D STATE S C OU RT OF APPE ALS F O R T H E E L E V E N T H C IR C U IT

________________________ N o. 07- 14653 N on -A rgum entC al endar

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_________________________ ( M ar c h 31, 2008) B efo re B IR C H , D U B IN A an d M A R C U S , C i rcu i tJu d g es. P E R C U R I A M: R i c ha r d H a rr i s W a l l e y , a pr oba t i one r , appe a l s f r om hi s c onvi c t i on f

or2

po ss es si on of a f

i re arm by a c on vi ct ed fe l on , i n v io lati o n o f 18 U . S
. C
. § 9 22 (g)( 1), f o llo w in g a ju ry tr i a l
. O n ap p e a l, W a lle y a r g u e s th a t th e d is tr ic t c o u r t e rr e d in denyi ng hi s m ot i on t o sup pres s the fi re arm as the re sul tof an il leg al se arch. A ft er th o r o u g h r e v i e w , w e a f

f i r m. W e appl y a m i xe d s t a nda r d of r e vi e w t o the de n i al o f a de f e nda nt ’ s m ot i on to s u p p r e s s , r e v ie w in g th e d is tr ic t c o u r t’s f in d in g s o f

f a c t f o rc le a re rr o ra n d its
appl i c a t i on of

l a w t o thos e f

a c t s de novo. U ni t ed S t a t e s v. L y ons , 403 F
. 3d 1248, 1250 ( 11th C i r . 2005)
. W e c ons true the f a c t s i n the l i ghtm os tf av o rab l e t o the p a r ty w h o p r e v a ile d b e l o w . U n ite d S ta te s v . M u e g g e , 2 2 5 F .3 d 1 2 6 7 , 1 2 6 9 ( 1 1 th C i r . 2000) ( c i t a t i on om i tt e d)
. W e a l s o m a y a f f i r m the di s tr i c t c our t ’ s j u d g m en ton a ny gro u n d t h a tf

i nds s uppor ti n the r e c or d. U ni t e d S t a t e s v. M e j i a , 82 F
. 3d 1032, 1 0 3 5 ( 1 1 th C ir . 1 9 9 6 )
. W al l ey ar gu es thatthe se ar ch of hi s hom e w as suspi ci on l es s, and t here w as no A l aba m a s t a tut e a uthor i z i ng s uc h a s e a r c h, s o the di s tr i c tc our te rr e d i n r e l y i ng on the S u pr e m e C our t ’ s de c i s i on i n S a m s on v. C a l i f or ni a , 547 U
. S
. 843, 847, 126 S
. C t . 2 1 93, 2196 ( 2006) , w hi c h i nt e rpr e t e d a C a l i f orni a s t a tut e a l l ow i ng s u s p ic io n le s s s e a r c h e s o f p a r o le e s a n d th e irp r o p e r ty . H e f u r th e ra r g u e s th a t h is pr oba t i on a gr e e m e ntdi d nots t a t e tha the a g reed t o su s pi c i onl e s s s e a r c he s , s o the di s tr i c t c o u r t a l s o e rr e d b y r e l y i n g o n o u r u n p u b l i s h e d o p i n i o n i n U n i t e d S t a t e s v.3

S t e w a r t , 213 F
. A pp’ x 898 ( 11th C i r . ) , r e he a r i ng e n ba nc de ni e d by __ F . 3d __ (11t h C i r. M ar22 , 20 07 ). A dd i t i on al l y, A l abam a r egul at i on s f or prob at i on offi ce rs re qu i re “rea so nabl e groun ds” t o sup po rta s ea rc h o f aprob at i on er ’ s hom e. W al l ey c onc e de s t h atthe S upr e m e C our tm a y ha ve a ba ndone d a s us pi c i on r e qui r e m e ntf or the s e a r c h of

a pr oba t i one r ’ s hous e w he r e the r e w a s no s t a tut or y a uthor i ty f orthe search an d th e p ro b at i o n er w ai v ed F o u rth A m en d m en tp ro t ect i o n . W al l ey cl ai m s, h o w e v e r , th a t h e w a s s till e n title d to s o m e F o u r th A m e n d m e n t p r o te c tio n . A l though the f

a c t s of thi s c a s e a r e di s t i ngui s ha bl e f r om thos e i n S a m s on a nd St e w a r t- - th e c a s e s o n w h i c h th e d i s tr i c tc o u r tb a s e d i t s d e c i s i o n - - w e c a n a f f i r m a di s t r i c t c o u r t ’ s j u d g me n t o n a n y g r o u n d s s u p p o r t e d b y th e r e c o r d
. M e j i a , 8 2 F . 3d at10 35
. In U ni t ed S t at es v. Y uk navi ch , 4 1 9 F .3 d 1 30 2, 13 10 -131 1 (11 th C i r. 2 0 0 5 ), w e u p h el d a d is tri ctco u rt ’ s d en i al o f a p ro b at i o n er’ s m o t i o n t o su p p ress
w h e r e h is p r o b a tio n c e r tif i c a t e d i d n o t e x p lic itly r e q u ir e h im to s u b m it to
w a rr a nt l e s s s e a r c he s . W e e m pl oy e d the S upr e m e C our t ’ s t est i n U ni t e d S t a t e s v. K ni ght s, 5 3 4 U . S
. 112, 122 S
. C t . 587, 151 L
. E d. 2d 497 ( 2001) , w hi c h r e qui r e d us t o b al an c e the i ntrus i on upon a pr oba t i one r ’ s pr i va c y w i th the de gr e e t o w hi c h the in tru s io n is n e c e s s a ry f o rth e p r o m o t io n o f

th e g o v e rn m e n t’s le g itim a te in te r e s t in
s upe r vi s i ng pr ob at i o n e r s . Y ukna vi c h, 419 F
. 3d a t1309. W e s t a t e d tha tthe go vernm enthad a “ consi derabl e i nt er es t ” i n sup ervisin g p robat i on er s a nd that4

Y u k n av i ch , w h o w as o n p ro b at i o n fo r d i stri b u t i n g m at eri al i n v o l v i n g c h ild pornogr aphy , ha d a “ gr e a t l y r e duc e d e xp ect a t i on of pr i va c y i n hi s c om put e r . ” I d.
a t 1 3 0 9
- 1 1 . W e th u s d e te r m in e d th a t e v e n th o u g h th e c e r tif ic a te la c k e d a n e x p lic it
c ondi t i on a l l ow i ng w a rr a nt l e s s s e a rch es a nd G e or gi a di d notha ve a r e gul a t i on
r e qui r i ng Y ukna vi c h t o s ubm i tt o w a rr a nt l e s s s e a r c he s , pr oba t i on of f i c e r s di d not
n ee d m ore than “ re as on abl e s uspi ci on ” t o con du cta s ea rc h o f the prob at i on er’s
c om put e r . I d. a t1310- 1311. R e a s ona bl e s us pi c i on c ons i s t s of “ a s uf f i c i e nt l y hi gh pr oba bi l i ty tha tc r i m i na l c onduc ti s o ccu rri ng t o m a ke the i ntrus i on on the in d iv id u a l’s p r iv a c y in te r e s t r e a s o n a b le .” I d . a t 1 3 1 1 ( c ita tio n o m itte d )
. H e r e , a s i n Y ukna vi c h, the r e i s no appl i c a bl e s t a t e l a w a uthor i z i ng
w a rr a nt l e s s search es , a nd W a l l e y ’ s pr oba t i on a gr e e m e ntdi d note xpr e s s l y a l l ow them , al tho ug h the agree m entdi d p rovi de that h e w o u ld be subj ec tt o sea rc hes “ at
an y t i m e, d ay o r n i g h t .” Y u k n a v ic h th erefo re ap p l i es t o th i s case, an d w e m u st d e te r m in e w h e th e ro n th is r e c o r d , th e p r o b a tio n o f f ic e rh a d a “r e a s o n a b le suspi c i on ” t o c on du c t a s e a r c h of W a l l e y ’ s ho me . The r e c or d s ho w s , a nd W al l ey c onc e de s , tha ta f

t e ra tr a f f i c s t op, W a l l e y a nd hi s w i f e w e re a rr e s t e d f

orpos s e s s i on of m ar i j uana. Iti s a l so un di sput ed thatatthe t i m e of the tra ff i c s t op , W alle y w as o n p r o b a tio n f

o rth e d is tr ib u tio n o f

m a r iju a n a , a n d w a s b a rr e d b y th e te r m s o f h is pr oba t i on f

r om ha vi ng c ont a c tw i th i l l e ga l drugs . U nd i sp u t ed t e s t i m ony f r om the5

s uppr e s s i on he a r i ng f

ur the rr ev eal s tha ti tw a s W a l l e y ’ s pr oba t i on of f i c e r , G e ne W hi t son, w ho se ar ched hi s hom e. S peci fi ca l l y, W hi t son t esti fied thatthe po l i ce departm entcont ac t ed hi m on th e day of W al l ey ’ s a rr es tt o rel ay thatW al l ey w as be i ng he l d i n j a i l f

orpos s e s s i on of

m a r i j ua na . W hi t s on the n pi ck ed u p W al l e y a nd t oo k h i m and t w o p ol i ce offi cers to h is re si dence for the se ar ch. A tthe re si dence, W a l l e y s h o w e d W h i t s o n w h e r e h i s r o o m w a s , a n d u p o n s e a r c h i n g th e r o o m, W h it so n an d the tw o o ff i ce rs di sc ov er ed a tw o-ou nce bag of m ar i j uana and a ri fl e. A tthatpo i nt , the se ar ch w as d isco n ti nu ed and a sea rc h w arra ntfor the re si dence
w a s the n obt a i ne d, butno othe rc ontr a ba nd w a s f ound. In short , w hen t he prob at i on offi ce r w as i nform ed thatW al l ey and h i s w i fe ha d be e n a rr e s t e d f

or po s s e s s i on of ma r i

j ua na - - the ve ry s a me c on tr a band W al l ey
w as on p ro b at i on for di stri bu t i ng -- there w as a “ suff i ci ent l y hi gh prob abi l i ty” that i l l e g a l c o n tr a b a n d c o u l d b e f o u n d a t W a l l e y ’ s h o me . Y u k n a v i c h , 4 1 9 F. 3d a t1311. A c c o r d in g ly , w e a g r e e th a t th e p r o b a tio n o f f ic e rh a d th e r e q u is ite “r e a s o n a b le
s us pi c i on” t o s uppor tthe s e a r c h of W a l l e y ’ s hom e , a nd w e a ffi rm t h e d en i a l of the
m o t i o n t o su p p ress. AF F I RME D.