Opinion ID: 4114292
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: False Information in the Affidavit

Text: “The Fourth Amendment contains no provision expressly precluding the use of evidence obtained in violation of its commands . . . .” United States v. Leon, 468 U.S. 897, 906 (1984). Instead, the exclusionary rule is a judicially created remedy designed to deter misconduct of government actors by prohibiting the use of evidence wrongfully obtained. Id. The good-faith exception modifies the exclusionary rule by permitting the consideration of all evidence, even evidence wrongfully obtained, “when law enforcement officers have acted in objective good faith or their transgressions have been minor.” Id. 6 Case: 15-31096 Document: 00513827782 Page: 7 Date Filed: 01/09/2017 No. 15-31096 at 908. Under those circumstances, excluding the evidence obtained would not serve the objectives of the exclusionary rule. Id. at 920–21. Where, as here, a search warrant is involved, this court reviews a district court’s denial of a motion to suppress in two steps: “(1) whether the good-faith exception to the exclusionary rule applies; and (2) whether probable cause supported the warrant.” United States v. Satterwhite, 980 F.2d 317, 320 (5th Cir. 1992) (footnote omitted). We do not reach the independent question of probable cause when the good-faith exception applies. Id. Under the good-faith exception, which becomes relevant when the probable cause underlying a search warrant depends on erroneous information, the evidence obtained in a search is admissible when the officer’s reliance on the truth of the information was objectively reasonable. United States v. Sibley, 448 F.3d 754, 757 (5th Cir. 2006) (quotation marks omitted). The good-faith exception does not apply in four situations, only one of which need be considered here, namely, if the issuing judge is misled by false information included in an affidavit deliberately or with reckless disregard for the truth. United States v. Mays, 466 F.3d 335, 343 (5th Cir. 2006). The court should consider the circumstances surrounding the issuance of the warrant when conducting the good-faith inquiry. United States v. Pope, 467 F.3d 912, 916 (5th Cir. 2006). Suppression is only required when “a reasonably well trained officer would have known that the search was illegal despite the magistrate’s authorization.” Leon, 468 U.S. at 922 n.23. Here, the supporting affidavit contained false information. The scene of the incident strongly suggested the possibility of an explosion. For example, the rear window of the vehicle had been completely shattered; the other windows had been blackened, suggesting smoke damage; and the carcass of a rabbit had apparently been detonated inside the vehicle. Even so, no law enforcement officer ever “determined” that an explosive event occurred. The 7 Case: 15-31096 Document: 00513827782 Page: 8 Date Filed: 01/09/2017 No. 15-31096 investigation did not uncover a bomb or bomb components, which made it difficult to determine the cause of the vehicle’s damage. Thus, Boddie’s statement in the affidavit that law enforcement responded “to what was later determined to be an explosives incident” was untrue. Alleging that “the explosion occurred in or around a black GMC Yukon” was based on the unproven premise that there had been an explosion. Neither party argues that Boddie deliberately misled the magistrate judge. The question remains, then, whether he acted recklessly by reporting a conclusion that law enforcement had never reached. Boddie was not at the scene of the investigation and relied on information Pias provided to him. In the text messages, Pias reported “the explosion occurred in and around” the vehicle and that an animal was “splattered inside.” Before the magistrate judge, Boddie indicated he believed the statements were true at the time he included them in the affidavit. If so, that could mean he was under the impression that the State Police and the sheriff’s office, before contacting federal authorities, had determined an explosion occurred. We note that Boddie was a licensed attorney and perhaps should have appreciated the importance of his language before presenting the affidavit to the magistrate judge. See United States v. Namer, 680 F.2d 1088, 1094 (5th Cir. 1982). He presented the affidavit while the investigation was ongoing and before the cause of the incident had been identified. While he was drafting the affidavit, Boddie never checked with the agents at the scene of the crime and relied solely on Pias’s uncorroborated assessment of the situation. We pretermit any holding as to whether the good-faith exception applies; it is a close question. Instead, we undertake the second step in the review: whether, even without the false information, there was probable cause supporting the warrant. See Satterwhite, 980 F.2d at 320. 8 Case: 15-31096 Document: 00513827782 Page: 9 Date Filed: 01/09/2017 No. 15-31096