# U n i t e d S t a t e s C o u r t o f A pp e a l s
For the Eig hth Circu it

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No . 1 8 -2 2 44

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Un i t ed St at es o f Am eri ca

l ll l l l l l l l l l l l ll l l l l l Pl a i n t i

f f - Ap pel l ee

v

.

San t iag o So t o -Garci a

l ll l l l l l l l l l l l ll l l l l l Def

en da n t - Ap pel l an t

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Ap p eal fro m

Un i t ed St at es Di s t ri ct Co u rt fo r t h e W es t ern Di s t ri ct o f M i s so u ri - J op l i n

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Su b m i t t ed : No vem

b er 7 , 2 0 19
Fi l ed : No v em

b er 2 2 , 2 01 9 [Un pu b l is h ed ]

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Befo re LOKEN, W OLLM AN, an d KELLY, Ci rcu it J ud g es

.

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PER CURIAM

.

San t iag o So t o -Garci a ap p eal s aft er a ju ry fo u n d h i m g u i l t y o f dru g an d fi rearm

o ffen s es , an d t h e d i s t ri ct co urt 1 i m po s ed a b el o w-Gu i d el i n es s en t en ce. Hi s co u n s el

1 Th e Ho n o rab le M

. Do u g l as Harp o ol

, U n i t ed St at e s D i s t ri ct J u dg e fo r t h e W es t ern Di s t ri ct o f M is s o u ri

.h as m ov ed fo r l eav e t o wi t h d raw, an d h as fi l ed a b ri ef p u rs u an t t o An d ers v.

Cal i fo rn i a, 3 8 6 U.S. 73 8 (1 9 6 7), s u g g es t i ng t h at t h e d i s t r i c t c o u rt erred i n d en y i n g

So t o -Garci a’ s m o ti o n s t o s u pp res s ev i den ce, an d t h at h is p ri s on t erm i s s u b s tan t i v el y

u n reas o nab l e. In a p ro s e b ri ef, So t o -Garci a ech o s co u n s el ’ s arg u m en t s , an d as s ert s

t h at i n co n s i s t en t t es t im o ny b y g o v ern m en t wi t n es s es v io l at ed h is d u e p ro ces s ri g ht s

.

A s t o t h e i s s u es rai sed by co u n s el

, we fi rs t co n cl u d e t h at t h e d en i al o f S o t o

Garci a’ s m o t i on s t o s u p p res s was no t erro n eo u s

. See Un i t ed St at es v

. Brewer, 6 2 4

F.3 d 9 0 0

, 9 0 5 -0 6 (8 th Ci r. 2 0 1 0 ) (t h i s co u rt ex am i n es fact u al fi n d i n g s un d erl y i n g
d i s t ri ct co u rt ’s d e n i a l o f m o ti o n t o s u pp res s fo r cl ear erro r an d rev iews d e n o v o
wh et h er Fo u rt h Am en d m en t was v i o lat ed ; t h i s co u rt m u s t ex am i n e en ti re reco rd

, n ot

m erel y ev i d en ce ad d uced at s u p p res s i o n h eari n g ). Sp eci fi cal l y , we co n cl u d e t h at t h e

o ffi cer w as ju s t i fi ed in s t o pp i n g So t o-Gari ca’ s car, b ecau s e h e was di rect ed t o d o s o
b y a d et ect i v e, wh o h ad wi tn es s ed So t o -Garci a d i s t ri bu t e m et h am ph et am i n e fro m t h e

car earl i er t h at day

. See Un i t ed St at es v. Hen s l ey , 4 6 9 U.S. 2 2 1, 2 29 (1 9 85 ) (i f p o l i ce

h av e reas o n ab le s us p i ci o n , g ro u n d ed i n sp eci fi c an d art i cu l ab l e fact s , th at p ers o n was

i n v o l v ed i n co m

p l et ed fel on y , t h ey m ay i n i t i at e s t o p p u rs u an t t o Terry v . Oh i o , 3 9 2

U.S. 1 (1 9 6 8 ) t o i nv es t i g at e); Un i t ed St at es v

. Jaco b s en , 39 1 F.3 d 9 0 4, 9 0 6 -0 7 (8 th

Ci r. 2 0 0 4) (p at ro l offi cer was ju s t i fi ed i n s t o p p in g s us p ect b ecau s e n arco t ic s det ect i v e
wh o o rd ered h i m to d o s o had reas o nab l e s u sp i ci o n t h at cri m in al act i v i t y w as afo ot );

s ee al s o Un i t ed St at es v

. Ro b i n s o n , 6 6 4 F.3 d 7 0 1

, 7 0 3 (8 t h Ci r. 2 0 1 1 ) (p ro b ab l e cau s e

m ay b e b as ed o n o ffi cers ’ co l l ect i v e k no wl ed g e an d n eed n o t b e b a s e d s o l el y o n

i n fo rm at i o n wi t h i n arres t i ng o ffi cer’ s kn o wl ed g e, s o l o n g as t h ere i s so m e d eg ree o f

co m m u n icat io n b et ween o ffi cers ). W e fu rt h e r c o n c l u de t hat t he d ru g -d o g s n i ff o f

So t o -Garci a’ s car was ju s t i fi ed b as ed on t h e o ffi cer’ s b el i ef t h at t he car co n t ai n ed

ev i d en ce o f cri m i n al act iv it y , as t h e o ffi cer h ad s een g u n s in t h e car an d a larg e b u l g e

o f s u sp ect ed co n t rab an d i n a p as s en g er’ s p an ts

, an d t h e d et ect i v e h ad wi t n es s ed So t o

Garci a di s t ri b ut e m et h fro m t he car earl i er th at d ay

. See U n i t ed St at es v

. Dav i s , 5 6 9

F.3 d 81 3

, 81 7 (8 t h Ci r. 2 0 0 9 ) ( o f f icers m ay s earch v eh i cl e wi th o u t w arran t i f t h ey

h av e p ro b ab l e cau s e t o bel i ev e i t co n t ai n s e v i d e n c e o f cri m i n al act i v i ty ). W e al s o

-2

-co n cl u d e t h at So t o -Garci a’ s pri s o n t erm i s n o t s u bs t an t i v el y u n re a s o n a b l e , as i t i s

b el o w t h e Gu i d el in es ran g e, an d t here i s n o i n d i cat i o n t h e d i s tri ct co u rt o v erl o o k ed

a rel ev an t f

a c t o r, g av e si g ni fi can t wei g h t t o an im pro p er o r i rrel ev an t fact o r, o r

co m m i t t ed a cl ear erro r o f j u d gm en t i n wei g h i ng ap p ro pri at e fac t o r s

. See Un i t ed

St at es v

. Feem s ter, 57 2 F.3 d 4 5 5

, 4 61 -6 2 (8 t h C i r

. 2 0 0 9 ) (en b an c) (d i s cu s s i n g

s u b s t an t i ve reas o n ab len es s ).

As t o So t o -Garci a’ s p ro s e arg um en t, we co n cl u d e t h at i t was w i th i n t h e ju ry ’ s

p ro v in ce t o res ol v e an y i n co n si s t en ci es i n t h e o ffi cers ’ t es t i m o n y , an d t h at t h ere i s n o

i n d i cat i o n h e was d ep ri ved o f a fai r t ri al

, g i v en t h e o verwh e l m i n g e v i d e n ce o f h i s

g u i l t

. See U n i t ed St at es v

. Bo wer, 4 84 F.3 d 1 0 2 1, 1 0 2 6 (8 t h Ci r. 2 00 7 ) (i t is wi t h in
j u ry ’ s p ro v i n ce t o res o l ve co n fl i ct i n g t es t im o n y ); cf. U ni t ed St at es v

. Cl ay t o n , 7 8 7

F.3 d 9 2 9

, 9 3 3 (8 t h Ci r. 2 01 5 ) (t o es t ab l i s h p ro s ecu t o ri al m i s co n d uct

, d efen d an t m u s t

s h o w g o v ern m en t ’ s co n d u ct w as i m p ro p er an d affect ed h is s u b s t an t i al ri g h t s s o as to

d ep ri v e h i m

o f fai r t ri al ).

Fi n al l y , h av i n g rev i ewed t h e reco rd p urs u an t t o Pen s o n v . Oh i o , 4 8 8 U.S. 7 5
(1 9 8 8), we h av e fo u n d n o n o n -fri v o l o u s i s s u es

. Acco rd i ng l y , we g ran t co u n s el l eav e

t o wi t h d raw, an d affi rm

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