FILED U.S. COURT OF AP P EALS E LEVEN T HC IRC U IT AUGUST 2, 2007 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. 06- 15509 N on -A rgum entC al endar

________________________ D . C . D ocketN o. 06 -000 95 -C R -T -N U N I T E D S T A T E S O F A M E R I C A , P la in tif f - A p p e lle e , v ersu s D E X T E R W A Y N E S N I P E , D e f e n d a n t- A p p e lla n t.

________________________ A pp ea l fr om the U ni t ed S t at es D i stri ctC ou rt f o rth e M i d d l e D i s tr i c to f A l ab a ma

_________________________ ( A u gu s t 2, 2007) B efo re A N D E R S O N , B IR C H an d P R Y O R , C i rcu i tJu d g es. P E R C U R I A M: D e x te rW a y n e S n ip e ap p e a ls h is c o n v ic tio n s o f p o s s e s s io n w ith th e in te n t to2

d is tr ib u te c o c a in e b a s e , s e e 2 1 U .S .C . § 8 4 1 ( a ) , p o s s e s s io n o f m a r iju a n a , s e e id . § 844( a ) , pos s e s s i on of

af i r e a rm i n f

ur the r a nc e of

adrug tr a f

f i c ki ng of f e ns e , s e e 18 U .S .C . § 9 2 4 ( c ) ( 1 ) ( A ) ( i) , a n d p o s s e s s io n o f af ir e a rm b y af

e lo n , s e e id . § 9 2 2 ( g ) ( 1 ) . S n ip e a r g u e s th a t th e d is tr ic t c o u rt e rr o n e o u s ly d e n ie d h is m o tio n to s u p p r e s s e v id e n c e o b ta in e d d u r in g s e a r c h e s o f h is h o m e , p e r s o n , a n d v e h ic le . W e a f f irm . O n N o v e m b e r1 , 2 0 0 5 , D e te c tiv e D a n ie l M o tle y o b ta in e d f r o m as ta te di s tr i c tj udge aw a rr a ntt o s e a r c h S ni pe ’ s r e s i de nc e a nd ve hi c l e s . O n N ove m be r4, 2 0 0 5 , m e m b e r s o f

th e T u s k e g e e P o lic e D e p a rtm e n t w e n t to S n ip e ’s r e s id e n c e to exec ut e the se ar ch w arrant . T uskegee pol i ce w er e a l so aw ar e thatthere w as an o u ts ta n d in g f

e d e r a l a rr e s t w a rr a n t f

o rS n ip e . S ni pe w as si tt i ng i n a vehi cl e parked i n frontof the ho use w hen the offi ce rs a rr i ve d. W he n the y pul l e d S ni pe outof the ve hi c l e , as i l ve rha ndgun f e l l f r om the vehi cl e. T he offi ce rs pl ac ed S ni pe un der a rr es tand sea rc hed h i s per son. T hat s e a r c h unc ove r e d a nothe rha ndgun tha tw a s t i e d a r ound S ni pe ’ s w a i s tw i th r ope or s tr in g . T he of f i c e r s the n s e a r c he d the ve hi c l e a nd r e s i de nc e . T he s e a r c h of the ve hi c l e unc ove r e d the f ol l ow i ng i t e m s : s e ve r a l ounc e s of m a r i j ua nas i tt i ng on the s e a t o f th e d r iv e r , tw o b a g s c o n ta in in g c o c a in e b a s e in th e g lo v e c o m p a rtm e n t, a3

p ill b o ttle c o n ta in in g a s s o rte d p ills in th e g lo v e c o m p a rtm e n t, a n d a n S K S a s s au lt r i f l e i n the trunk of

the ve hi c l e . T he s e a r c h of the r e s i de nc e unc ove r e d aha ndgun in ab e d r o o m a n d as h o tg u n in a n o th e rb e d r o o m . A f e de r a l gr a nd j ury r e turne d a n i ndi c tm e nton f ourc ha r ge s a ga i s ntS ni pe w ho pl ea ded n otgu i l ty. A l tho ug h cou nsel w as appo i nt ed t o repres entS ni pe, c o u n s e l a s s is te d S n ip e o n s ta n d - b y w h ile S n ip e a tte m p te d to r e p r e s e n t h im s e lf . B e f or e tr i a l , S ni pe m ove d pr o s e t o s uppr e s s the e vi de nc e s e i z e d f r om hi s pe r s on, v e h ic le , a n d r e s id e n c e . A ft erthe di stri ctcourtconcl ud ed thatthe se ar ch w arrantw as no tsupp ort ed b y p ro b ab le ca u se , th e d istrict co u rt g ra n ted in p ar t an d d en ied in p ar t S n ip e’s m ot i on t o s uppr e s s . T he di s tr i c tc ourts uppr e s s e d the ha ndgun a nd s hot gun f ound i n S ni pe ’ s r e s i de nc e a nd the S K S r i f l e f ound i n the truc k of

S ni pe ’ s ve hi c l e . T he di s tr i c tc ourtde t e rm i ne d tha tthe ha ndgun f ound on S ni pe ’ s pe r s on, the ha ndgun thatfe l l ou tof S ni pe’ s vehi cl e, the m ar i j uana foun d o n the fr on tse atof the vehi cl e, and the cocai ne base and p i l l s f ou nd i n the gl ov e c om partm entof the vehi cl e w er e a d m is s ib le . S n ip e p r o c e e d e d to tr ia l a n d w a s c o n v ic te d . S ni pe m ai nt ai ns thatthe di stri ctcourterre d b y notsupp re ss i ng al l evi dence obt a i ne d a s ar e s ul tof

the s e a r c h of

hi s r e s i de nc e , pe r s on, a nd ve hi c l e . S ni pe a r g u e s th a t th e s e a r c h w a s u n r e a s o n ab le a n d v io la te d h is F o u rth A m e n d m e n t r ig h ts4

be c aus e i tw a s ba s e d on a n i nva l i d “ no- knoc k” w a rr a nttha tw a s nots upport e d by e vi de nc e tha the ha d ahi s t ory of vi ol e ntc r i m e orpos s e s s i on of f i r e a rm s . S ni pe d o e s n o t d is p u te th a t h e w a s la w f u lly a rr e s te d b a s e d o n af e d e r a l w a rr a n t. W e r e vi e w the de ni a l of am ot i on t o s uppr e s s unde ram i xe d s t a nda r d of r e v ie w . W e r e v ie w f

in d in g s o f

f a c t f o rc le a re rr o ra n d th e ap p lic a tio n o f th e la w to tho se fa ct s de nov o. U ni t ed S t at es v. R hi nd , 28 9 F . 3d 69 0, 69 3 (11 th C i r. 20 02 ). S n ip e ’s a r g u m e n t th a t h is m o tio n to s u p p r e s s s h o u ld h a v e b e e n g r a n te d in its e nt i r e ty f a i l s . B e c aus e the di s tr i c tc ourta l r e a dy de t e rm i ne d tha tthe s e a r c h w a rr a nt w a s in v a lid , S n ip e ’s a r g u m e n t ab o u t th e “n o - k n o c k ” a s p e c t o f th e w a rr a n t is m er i t l es s. T he di stri ctcourtcorr ec t l y det erm i ned thatthe di sput ed evi dence s a t i s f i e d e xc e pt i ons t o the w a rr a ntr e qui r e m e ntof the F ourth A m e ndm e nt . T he di s tr i c tc ourtc orr e c t l y c onc l ude d tha tthe ha ndgun obt a i ne d dur i ng the s e a r c h of S ni pe’ s per son sho ul d n otbe supp re ss ed because i tw as ob t ai ned i n a se ar ch i nci dentt o the l aw ful arre stof S ni pe base d o n a val i d federa l w arrant . S ee C hi m el v. C al i forni a, 39 5 U . S . 75 2, 76 2– 63 , 89 S . C t . 20 34 , 20 40 (196 9). T he evi dence o b ta in e d f

r o m th e g lo v e c o m p a rtm e n t a n d d r iv e r ’s s e a t w a s a ls o a d m is s ib le be c aus e i tw a s obt a i ne d i n as e a r c h i nc i de ntt o S ni pe ’ s a rr e s t . S e e N e w Y ork v. B el t on , 45 3 U . S . 45 4, 45 9– 61 , 10 1 S . C t . 28 60 , 28 63 –6 4 (19 81 ). T he hand gu n that fe l l fr om the dri ver’ s s i de of the vehi cl e w hen the do or of the vehi cl e w as op ened5

w as adm i ss i bl e und erthe “ pl ai n-vi ew do ctri ne. ” S ee C oo l i dg e v. N ew H am pshi re , 4 0 3 U .S . 4 4 3 , 4 6 5

– 6 6 , 9 1 S . C t. 2 0 2 2 , 2 0 3 7

– 3 8 ( 1 9 7 1 ) . T h e d is tr ic t c o u rt p r o p e r ly a d m itte d th is e v id e n c e . S n ip e ’s c o n v ic tio n is AF F I RME D.