Opinion ID: 2718311
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Factors Independent of the Controlled Sales

Text: Although plaintiffs focus their attack on the evidentiary value of the controlled sales, significant other facts existed in this case on which an adequate basis for finding probable cause could be established. These separate factors, when considered collectively, establish a basis on their own to affirm because an otherwise flawed warrant is still valid, “if sufficient untainted evidence was presented in the warrant affidavit to establish probable cause.” United States v. Karo, 468 U.S. 705, 719 (1984). First, a few weeks before the search at OTC and the arrest of Young, CTPD learned that a stolen GPS device had been recovered at OTC. While the fact that stolen property turned up for sale at their second-hand retail store does not conclusively implicate the plaintiffs, it does allow police to draw a logical inference linking them to criminal activity. “For centuries courts have instructed juries that an inference of guilty knowledge may be drawn from the fact of unexplained possession of stolen goods.” Barnes v. United States, 412 U.S. 837, 843 (1973). Moreover, “[i]f a jury can permissibly find guilty knowledge beyond a reasonable doubt on the basis of such an inference, then surely [officers can], on the basis of a similar inference, reasonably believe that [a person] had committed a crime in order to establish probable cause for his arrest.” Rodriguez v. City of Cleveland, 439 F. App’x 433, 452-53 (6th Cir. 2011). -7- No. 13-3681 Young v. Owens Second, after the initial information about the GPS, CTPD officers began surveillance at OTC which revealed a “who’s who of criminals” bringing items to the store to sell. According to the officers, the repeated return of the sellers, who were “pawning a lot of material,” frequently “several times in the same week,” increased their suspicion that criminal activity was occurring. While proximity to known criminals, standing alone, is not enough to establish probable cause, see Illinois v. Wardlow, 528 U.S. 119, 124 (2000), in this case the officers logically found it “atypical” that known criminals would be making multiple trips to OTC in the same week if only legitimate transactions were occurring. Moreover, probable cause exists if a “succession of superficially innocent events has proceeded to the point where a prudent man could say to himself that an innocent course of conduct was substantially less likely than a criminal one.” United States v. Alfano, 838 F.2d 158, 162-63 (6th Cir. 1988). Third, the defendant officers attached significant weight to the warnings about OTC given to them by two other police jurisdictions. A detective with the Mason Police Department, which had jurisdiction over Young’s residence, told CTPD that Young had been involved in selling stolen televisions out of his house and at a flea market. A detective with the Fairfield Police Department relayed a more general tip about Young, indicating OTC was a “suspect business.” While the assertions of these neighboring police detectives would have little evidentiary value, generally “[o]fficers may rely on information furnished by other law enforcement officials to establish reasonable suspicion and to develop probable cause for an arrest.” Albright v. Rodriguez, 51 F.3d 1531, 1536 (10th Cir. 1995) (internal citations omitted). -8- No. 13-3681 Young v. Owens Fourth, prior to using Earls to conduct the controlled sales, CTPD officers asked him what he knew about OTC. Earls indicated that his “understanding from the street” was that OTC was a place where stolen goods could be sold. Furthermore, Hendricks knew from first-hand experience that Earls was reliable. While a bare allegation, by itself, is insufficient to establish probable cause, see Gardenhire v. Schubert, 205 F.3d 303, 317 (6th Cir. 2000), in this case Earls’ assertion about OTC was corroborated by the significant other information referenced above. Collectively, this information–independent of the controlled sales– established an adequate basis for the defendants to find probable cause with respect to Young’s arrest as well as for the authorization to search.3