Opinion ID: 2973197
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: facts

Text: 1 The Honorable James G. Carr, Chief Judge of the Northern District of Ohio, sitting by designation. On February 10, 2004, at about 2:45 a.m., Officer Matthew Sharp of the Lexington, Kentucky, Police Department saw a woman leaning close to the passenger side of a car that had stopped in an area known for drug trafficking and prostitution. As Officer Sharp approached the vehicle in his marked police cruiser, the woman left abruptly and the vehicle began to creep forward. Then it quickly pulled off the road and on to the sidewalk. Officer Sharp concluded, based on his experience and knowledge of the area, that the woman may have been soliciting prostitution. Officer Sharp approached the car. The defendant Derrick Green, who at the time was on supervised release after serving a 120 month sentence in federal custody, was seated on the front passenger seat. On being questioned by Officer Sharp, the defendant stated that he and the driver had asked the woman for a ride. The driver stated, in contrast, that they had been asking the woman for directions. When the officer asked the defendant how he knew the driver, he said that they were friends and had been hanging out all day. The driver, in contrast, said that the defendant had just called and asked for a ride to the Richmond Road area. The defendant had become visibly nervous and agitated. Officer Sharp, concerned about the defendant’s behavior, asked another officer to check the defendant for weapons. Patting the defendant down, that officer did not feel any weapons; he did, however, feel a large bulge in the defendant’s front shirt pocket. 2 The officers asked to see what was in the pocket. The defendant pulled out a piece of paper wrapped around an object somewhat smaller than a golf ball. After pausing, the defendant began to run away. The defendant ran about seventy yards before Officer Sharp caught him and took him to the ground. Once down, the defendant sought to conceal his hands under his body. Officer Sharp asked to see the defendant’s hands, but he kept them concealed. While struggling with the officers, the defendant had tossed away several bags or packages. These were later determined to contain drugs. An officer walked back toward the car and found another item that the defendant had apparently discarded while attempting to flee. Examination determined that the defendant had thrown away 4.04 grams of crack cocaine and 220.68 grams of cocaine as he was running, and 17.69 grams of crack cocaine while struggling with the officers. These quantities are inconsistent with possession merely for personal use. The jury found the defendant guilty as charged with possession of crack cocaine (Count I) and cocaine (Count II), both with the intent to distribute.