Opinion ID: 172456
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Staleness Issue

Text: Mr. Timley asserts Deputy Clemmons’s affidavit did not support a search -14- warrant because it contained stale information, based on the fact the two controlled sales of marijuana occurred six months before issuance of the search warrant. Mr. Timley suggests the district court’s finding of continuous and ongoing drug activity ignores the fact that, other than the “trash pull,” the most recent information in the affidavit was six months old. He also points out that nothing in the affidavit indicated any other contact occurred between him and the informant or law enforcement officers during that six-month period or that Mr. Timley was continuing to sell marijuana or ever sold drugs from the residence to be searched. The government agrees that without the evidence from the trash the affidavit contained stale information but contends evidence from the trash adequately established Mr. Timley’s current involvement in drug dealing for the purpose of correcting any lingering staleness issues. As Mr. Timley contends, an affidavit in support of a search warrant “cannot be based on stale information that no longer suggests that the items sought will be found in the place to be searched.” United States v. Snow, 919 F.2d 1458, 145960 (10 th Cir. 1990). “Probable cause existing at some time in the past will not suffice unless circumstances exist from which it may be inferred that the grounds [for probable cause] continued to the time the affidavit was filed.” United States v. Neal, 500 F.2d 305, 309 (10 th Cir. 1974) (emphasis added). As a result, “otherwise stale information may be refreshed by more recent events,” and -15- “[w]hen the circumstances suggest ongoing criminal activity, the passage of time recedes in importance.” United States v. Cantu, 405 F.3d 1173, 1177-78 (10 th Cir. 2005). In this case, the trash obtained by Deputy Clemmons from the alley directly behind Mr. Timley’s residence demonstrated ongoing drug-dealing activity and the presence of drugs, as evidenced by the items found inside, including loose cigar tobacco mixed with green marijuana stems and seeds, a shirt with cocaine on it, and the substantial number of plastic baggies with the corners torn away, indicating the packaging of illegal drugs for distribution. Inclusion of this information in Deputy Clemmons’s affidavit sufficiently refreshed any stale information in support of a search warrant. This evidence, demonstrating ongoing criminal activity at the residence searched, is adequate to overcome Mr. Timley’s staleness charge, regardless of whether any subsequent contact occurred between Mr. Timley and the informant or law enforcement officers or whether Deputy Clemmons’s affidavit failed to explicitly allege Mr. Timley was continuing to sell marijuana or sold drugs from the residence to be searched.