Opinion ID: 220344
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Basis for Arrest and Detention

Text: Marrero first contends that there was no basis to detain and arrest him, and therefore the drugs subsequently recovered and his statements to police should be suppressed as fruit of the poisonous tree. See Wong Sun v. United States, 371 U.S. 471, 484-85, 83 S.Ct. 407, 9 L.Ed.2d 441 (1963). Essentially, Marrero alleges that, upon finding him hiding in the laundry room, the police immediately arrested him without probable cause. Consequently, he asserts, all the evidence subsequently obtained by the police is tainted by this Fourth Amendment violation. The Government argues that Marrero did not raise this issue in the district court, so our consideration of it is confined to, at most, plain error review. See United States v. Caldwell, 518 F.3d 426, 430 (6th Cir.2008) ([T]here is some debate over whether we should treat a suppression argument raised for the first time on appeal as a waiver (subject to review only if defendant can show good cause), or a forfeiture (subject to plain error review).... (citations omitted)). However, a careful reading of the record reveals that Marrero did allude to these issues in the district court: his motion complains that police lacked an order for arrest when they arrived at the apartment complex on October 2, 2007, and at the suppression hearing Marrero again argued that the officers were not justified in arresting him. Given the leniency courts afford pro se litigants, see, e.g., Spotts v. United States, 429 F.3d 248, 250 (6th Cir.2005), we consider this claim preserved. Nevertheless, Marrero's claim fails on the merits, as the record reflects that Marrero's arrest met the standards of the Fourth Amendment. [A] warrantless arrest by a law officer is reasonable under the Fourth Amendment where there is probable cause to believe that a criminal offense has been or is being committed. Devenpeck v. Alford, 543 U.S. 146, 152, 125 S.Ct. 588, 160 L.Ed.2d 537 (2004). Probable cause exists if the facts and circumstances known to the officer warrant a prudent man in believing that the offense has been committed. Henry v. United States, 361 U.S. 98, 102, 80 S.Ct. 168, 4 L.Ed.2d 134 (1959); see also Beck v. Ohio, 379 U.S. 89, 91, 85 S.Ct. 223, 13 L.Ed.2d 142 (1964). When the officers arrived at the apartment complex on the evening of October 2, 2008, they were acting on information, obtained from individuals arrested earlier that day, that Marrero had sold those individuals crack cocaine. After receiving consent from an apparent resident to search the apartment where they believed Marrero was staying, they observed crack cocaine residue and a digital scale next to still-hot burner. Marrero was then discovered hiding from the officers in the apartment building's laundry room, inside of a dryer. At this point, the officers reasonably believed that Marrero had been engaged in the manufacture of crack cocaine, giving them probable cause for arrest. If these facts alone were not sufficient, Marrero then began fighting the officers in an attempt to escape, providing further justification for his arrest. Therefore, the district court did not err in concluding that probable cause supported Marrero's arrest and detention.