Opinion ID: 782222
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Defendant's Assertion of his Speedy Trial Rights

Text: 22 Turning to the third factor of the Barker test, Schreane argues that because he did not know of his federal indictment before he was served with the second detainer on July 27, 2000, he could not have demanded a speedy trial any time before that date. To this argument, the government offers nothing in response. Accordingly, the defendant cannot be blamed for not invoking his right to a speedy trial before July 27, 2000. See United States v. Brown, 169 F.3d 344, 350 (6th Cir.1999) (explaining that a defendant should not be penalized for not invoking his speedy trial rights when the government has not presented sufficient proof that the accused knew he had been indicted); United States v. Mundt, 29 F.3d 233, 236 (6th Cir.1994) (declining to draw the inference that the defendant knew of his indictment prior to his arrest, and finding that a defendant's failure to assert his right cannot be held against him when the government presents insufficient evidence of the defendant's knowledge of the indictment). 23 Schreane concedes, however, that following the second detainer, he did not assert his right to a speedy trial in a timely fashion. As Schreane acknowledges, he never invoked his right to a speedy trial... until December 18, 2000, when defense counsel filed a motion to dismiss the indictment less than one month before trial. Schreane's four-month and three-week delay in invoking his speedy trial right weighs against him. See Wilson, 250 F.3d at 396 (explaining that the third factor in a speedy-trial analysis calls on courts to determine whether the defendant timely asserted his Sixth Amendment rights) (emphasis added). However, the weight we assign to this prong is proportional to the tardiness at issue, which is but a portion of the total delay. Of course, if Schreane had known of his indictment at the time the first federal detainer was lodged, then this third Barker factor would weigh heavily against him. See Barker, 407 U.S. at 529, 532, 92 S.Ct. 2182 (noting that courts are free to weigh the frequency and force of the objections and emphasizing that failure to assert the right will make it difficult for a defendant to prove that he was denied a speedy trial); United States v. Thomas, 167 F.3d 299, 305 (6th Cir.1999) (A defendant's failure to assert his rights in a timely fashion weighs heavily against his Sixth Amendment claim.).