Opinion ID: 2974699
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Hartman’s contrary evidence

Text: Hartman’s witnesses recounted a different chain of events. Shirley Young, Hartman’s neighbor, testified that sometime between 1:00 and 1:30 p.m. on October 7, 2002, she saw a Jeep Cherokee speed past her house. She yelled at the driver and told him to slow down. The driver stopped, backed up to speak with her, showed her his police badge, and told her that he was going to get a search warrant. This much was consistent with the testimony of Detective Dunn, who recalled having had a brief conversation with Young on October 7. According to Young, a flatbed truck also arrived at Hartman’s house at approximately 3:00 p.m. that same day. Young then called Hartman’s mother, Veta Watkins, and informed her that the police were at her son’s home. At approximately 4:30 p.m., while Young was again on the phone, she saw the flatbed truck coming down the driveway from Hartman’s house with “a bunch of junk” on it. She further testified that by 6:30 p.m., all of the police officers had left the area. Later that night, at approximately 7:00 p.m., Young and Watkins claim that they walked up to Hartman’s house where they saw that the door had been forced open. Young testified that the house had been ransacked. She stated that she was inside for about 30 or 40 minutes before -4- No. 05-6483 United States v. Hartman returning home. She did not see anyone return to Hartman’s home or the surrounding area that evening. Watkins also testified on her son’s behalf. She said that when she entered the house with Young on October 7, she observed numerous papers on the pool table including a list of everything that had been taken from the residence. But she also recalled that attached to this inventory was a copy of a search warrant.