Opinion ID: 3055301
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: January 5, 2011 Search of Carson’s Home

Text: On January 5, 2011, law enforcement executed several arrest warrants on a number of suspects in the drug investigation, including Carson. Law enforcement went to Carson’s home to execute the arrest warrant. While there, as stated in the officer’s affidavit in support of the subsequent search warrant, officers “observed a large amount of U.S. Currency on the couch in the living room, marijuana on the coffee table, box of sandwich bags, and a loaded magazine that belong[ed] to an assault rifle on the bed.” Officers also “smelled a strong odor of raw marijuana throughout the residence.” Due to the strong odor, the officers “based on training 2 Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, 86 S. Ct. 1602 (1966). 7 Case: 12-10682 Date Filed: 05/31/2013 Page: 8 of 53 and experience,” believed “additional marijuana and other illegal drugs [could be] stored at the location.” Law enforcement arrested Carson, secured the residence, and sought a warrant to search the remainder of the house. A search warrant was obtained for the following described property in Carson’s house: “Drug proceeds, records, Controlled Substance marijuana, drug paraphernalia, and items as outlined in Attachment 1 (items common to the drug trade) and other evidence of illegal activity.” Attachment 1 to the search warrant listed a number of items, including those in Paragraph 11: “Any and all other material evidence of violations of Criminal Code of Alabama, together with fruits, instrumentalities and evidence of crimes at this time unknown.” Under the search warrant law enforcement seized 30 items from Carson’s home, including items not mentioned in the warrant, such as a camcorder, two televisions, a DVD player, a PS3 game system, a cable modem, a motorcycle helmet, and two automobiles. Law enforcement also located and seized $5,877 in cash, scattered between the living room, a bedroom, and in a shoebox in an air conditioning vent. Law enforcement also found and seized two guns: an assault rifle, a Ruger SR-556, hidden inside an air conditioning vent, and a handgun, a Ruger SR9, hidden in the attic crawl space. They also found a small quantity of marijuana.